2016-2017 Projects

St. John's

Each year, The Singing Network generates and produces a series of university- and community-based projects, distributed throughout the year to facilitate singing and choral music-making at the community level. All projects demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach to program delivery. Led by different members of the Steering Committee, each proposed project uses a unique approach and context to support singing, choral development, and community music-making.

Voice Workshop for Solo and Choral Singers

Karen BrunssenVoice pedagogue and choral specialist, Professor Karen Brunssen, Co-chair, Department of Music Performance, Northwestern University, will deliver voice and choral masterclasses at Memorial’s School of Music. Karen’s background as pedagogue, her work with choral foundations, and her unique research on healthy singing practice based on the ages of the voice makes her a perfect fit for the diverse voice programs offered at the School of Music and here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Karen is a frequent guest clinician, master teacher, panelist, and adjudicator for music schools and organizations including the National Association of Teachers of Singing Conferences (NATS), the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), and Chorus America. She will be in residence at the School of Music for three days during which time she will offer masterclasses and workshops that will be of particular importance to music students, community voice teachers, and choral conductors.

 

 

Monday, January 16, 2017

10:00 – 10:50 Undergraduate Choral Conducting Class (MU1032, Choral Room)

12:00 – 12:50 MUN Festival Choir (MU1032, Choral Room)

1:00 – 1:30 MUN Chamber Choir (MU1032, Choral Room)

2:00 – 4:00 Voice Masterclass (Suncor Hall)

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

1:00 – 2:15 Opera Workshop (Suncor Hall)

3:00 – 4:00 Vocal Pedagogy Lecture (“Karen Brunssen’s Favorite Facts, Concepts, and Techniques for Optimal Singing”

All events are free and open to the public.

 

Extended Voice Workshop Series with Michael Edward Edgerton

Michael Edward EdgertonIn June 2016, the innovative choral composer and extended vocal researcher, Michael Edward Edgerton of Guangxi Arts University in Nanning, China, will offer a week-long residency on extranormal vocal techniques in St John’s. Workshop are free and open to any interested participant. Though these workshops will be educational and rewarding for participants, the primary purpose will be to provide a scenario in which research on the benefits of such workshops can be undertaken. Participants in the workshops will be asked to consent to a short interview or questionnaire that will study the benefits, difficulties, emotions, and conflicts they experienced as they explored extended vocal techniques with Michael.

Michael is the author of The 21st Century Voice, one of the only books to deal extensively with the theorization and classification of extended vocal techniques. His works for voice have been groundbreaking and his own work as a vocalist has been equally as important. The workshop will involve Michael introducing participants to the extended vocal techniques he has studied and mastered, and then guiding them in the realization of a performance event that features and utilizes these techniques.

The free workshops will be open to vocalists of all levels of ability. As a result, the workshop’s focus on extended techniques will be of value both to highly-experienced singers as well as those interested in discovering new ways to use their voices. The workshops will achieve the goal of stimulating community-music making by helping local singers, composers, and conductors gain experience with extended voice techniques in a choral setting. By creating space for anyone to participate, regardless of experience, it also holds the potential to bring a form of singing into the lives of individuals without a regular singing practice.

Wednesday, June 15 (7-9pm)This special session on the Vocal Exploration Gatherings will be our first event in the week-long guest residency with Michael Edward Edgerton, We will welcome Michael and prepare to perform with him the following evening on the Sound Symposium Night Music Series. MMAP Gallery. Arts & Culture Centre. Facebook Event Page

Thursday, June 16 (9:30pm) – Michael will appear with St John’s only improvising choir, VocalX, for an evening of unconventional vocal music. The Ship Pub. Tickets are $5 at the door. Facebook Event Page

Friday, June 17 (7:30pm) – Lecture on Voice (Michael Edward Edgerton). MMAP Gallery. Arts and Culture Centre.

Saturday, June 18 (1:30-3:30pm) – Open Vocal Workshop (Michael Edward Edgerton). MMAP Gallery. Arts and Culture Centre.

Tuesday, June 21 (8pm)Free and open to all, this concert will present Michael Edward Edgerton in concert, featuring the collaborative work of Michael and the St John’s Vocal Exploration Choir developed throughout his residency in St John’s. MMAP Gallery, Arts & Culture Centre. Facebook Event Page

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