Announcement
Click Here for Details of the Competition
Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship Now Open For Applications!
Application Dates: December 1, 2020 – March 1, 2021
Oakville Choral Announces Winter 2021 Term
Tuesday evenings, 7:30-9:00pm, Jan 19 – April 6 2021 (12 weeks)
Join us for group rehearsals led by Music Director David Bowser. Technical support provided during the first weeks and while on ZOOM rehearsals. Each session will provide warm-up, historical background on music pieces, instruction on vocal technique and musical interpretation. Audio recordings of section leads will be provided to rehearse with.
Interspersed with instruction related to vocal technique and musical interpretation, choristers sing along with various videos of David conducting directly to the camera with audio of our four section leads singing all parts (with piano accompaniment). Each voice part will be presented separately in break-out rooms, allowing sectional work before the choir gathers again to sing all parts together. Our goal is to make choristers feel connected, engaged in the musical process and supported musically as they learn their parts.
Other topics and resources will be introduced for discussion such as vocal health during the pandemic; interview with soprano Allison Walmsley; learning resources for sight reading, ear training, vocal pedagogy; stories from the performing world; announcements regarding on-line performances by other groups, etc.
At the end of each rehearsal Music Director David Bowser will outline music to prepare for the next week.
Rehearsal videos and other resources are posted on the members page of the OCS website after each rehearsal.
At the end of each rehearsal, time is reserved for a virtual social gathering among choristers to discuss and exchange.
EARLY BIRD PRICING TIL DECEMBER 31st is $135
Young Peoples Membership (18 yrs – 30 years ) is just $50
Register at www.oakvillechoral.com
Join The Guelph Chamber Choir for a Live Stream Carol Sing-along Party on December 13
For immediate release
The Guelph Chamber Choir Invites You to Join Them for a Live Stream Carol Sing-along Party on December 13th!
Warm up the mulled cider and pour the eggnog to lubricate your voices as you join the Guelph Chamber Choir for a fun evening of carol sing-alongs on Sunday, December 13 at 7 PM.
They’ll provide a booklet of carols for you to print off and use at home as Artistic Director, Charlene Pauls and Pianist, Alison MacNeill lead you through a range of seasonal choral favourites, readings from members of the choir, and appearances by special musical guests.
Viewers will see the release of their virtual choir recording of Mozart’s “Laudate Dominum,” featuring superstar Canadian Soprano, Mireille Asselin singing with the choir.
All of this is available to you from the comfort of your own home and is absolutely FREE!
Be part of this warm celebration from anywhere in the world and share the joy of seasonal music together.
Register at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/guelph-chamber-choir/events/gcc-live-stream-carol-sing-along-party/
Learn more about the Guelph Chamber Choir at: http://www.guelphchamberchoir.ca
and Mireille Asselin, Soprano at: http://mireilleasselin.com/
It’s easy to keep up-to-date with Guelph Chamber Choir’s activities.
Subscribe to TuneIN – their brand new newsletter at: http://guelphchamberchoir.ca/home/subscribe/.
TuneIN will bring you event news, stories and music every couple of weeks, and you may unsubscribe at any time.
Press Contact:
Brenda Lewis, Concert Promotions Coordinator for Guelph Chamber Choir
via Lewis Media Relations http://www.brendalewis.ca/publicist
media@brendalewis.ca or (519)767-0792
Announcing: The National Arts and Culture Impact Survey (NACIS)
All arts organizations, artists, and arts workers across Canada are encouraged to participate in the National Arts and Culture Impact Survey (NACIS).
The NACIS was designed to capture a snapshot in time. Contributions to this survey will help paint a clearer picture of the current state of the arts and culture sector in Canada and shape arts advocacy efforts across our sector in the months to come. Questions revolve around the impact COVID-19 has had and will have on your work, finances, and plans. You will not be asked for any identifying information other than the first three digits of your postal code and the arts service organization(s) with which you or your organization are affiliated.
To submit your response, click here: https://survey.pra.ca/SE/1/NACIS/
Deadline for submissions is Monday, November 23, 2020. Make sure your voice is heard!
There are two paths through the NACIS: you may choose to fill it out as an individual artist or arts worker, or on behalf of an organization, group, or collective. The survey will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete. If you’d like to represent both perspectives, you may choose to complete the survey twice.
Aggregate data will be shared with and reported on by the arts service organizations who commissioned the study. You will also have the opportunity to consent to sharing your survey responses with Choirs Ontario and any other arts service organization(s) you select for the purposes of sector- and region-specific reporting.
Chantons en toute sécurité – LETTRE OUVERTE DE CANADA CHORAL
Cliquez ici pour lire ou télécharger la lettre officielle en PDF.
Canada Choral est l’organisme national de service artistique pour la communauté chorale canadienne et le secteur professionnel des arts choraux.
Dix pour cent de la population canadienne chante dans un chœur, selon le Recensement national du monde choral de 2017. Cela représente environ 3,5 millions de choristes.1 Le chant choral est sans conteste le passe-temps national du Canada.
En tant que promoteurs de l’art choral, notre priorité absolue est la sécurité et le bien-être des choristes et des différents acteurs de l’industrie et du secteur choral.
Nous travaillons à l’établissement de canaux de communication constructifs entre la communauté chorale canadienne, les responsables de la santé et les décideurs politiques afin de pouvoir transmettre des directives unifiées à l’ensemble de la communauté chorale. Nous sommes convaincus qu’une approche réfléchie, informée et collaborative demeure la meilleure voie à suivre.
Nous cherchons à travailler avec les responsables de la santé et les décideurs politiques afin d’apporter des changements à nos façons de faire et d’établir des directives applicables pour chanter en toute sécurité. Ces directives doivent être fondées sur la science. Nous cherchons à formuler des lignes directrices sanitaires, à la fois raisonnables et harmonisées avec celles d’autres secteurs, comme le hockey récréatif pour adultes, les centres de conditionnement physique, les studios de danse, les camps de soccer pour enfants, etc. En fait, certaines provinces ont déjà formulé des recommandations pour la pratique du chant en toute sécurité.
Nous sommes reconnaissants envers les médias, qui s’efforcent de mettre en lumière les façons dont les chœurs innovent et tentent de survivre pendant cette période. Cependant, certaines manchettes sensationnalistes causent de nouveaux dégâts dans notre secteur artistique déjà dévasté. Elles ont des répercussions sur des professionnels et des industries connexes qui dépendent fortement des revenus de l’art choral. L’enjeu est de taille. Nous ne devons pas sous-estimer les dommages financiers, émotionnels, culturels et physiques que les articles et commentaires négatifs et mal informés causent à l’ensemble du secteur choral. Les récentes manchettes négatives, qui visaient directement le secteur choral, ne s’appuyaient guère sur autre chose que des anecdotes.
Aucune étude scientifique définitive n’a encore été publiée sur les risques de transmission de la COVID-19 par le chant comparativement à d’autres activités comme le fait de parler fort, de crier, ou de pratiquer des activités aérobiques.
Le gouvernement de l’Alberta a reconnu le manque de preuves scientifiques crédibles sur ce sujet dans son rapport sur les preuves rapides du groupe consultatif scientifique Covid-19, en déclarant
Il y a une lacune dans les connaissances scientifiques concernant l’aérosolisation de COVID-19 en particulier pour de telles activités [le chant]. Les preuves que COVID-19 est transmis par le chant se limitent en grande partie aux rapports des médias, et il n’est pas certain que la transmission qui s’est produite dans ces contextes soit liée à l’aérosolisation par le chant, ou à la transmission par gouttelettes ou par contact… Le comité a convenu qu’il n’est pas clair si le risque de transmission du virus du SRAS-CoV- 2 par le chant peut être causé par l’aérosolisation de particules respiratoires, ou l’expulsion de grosses gouttelettes, ou une combinaison, ou plutôt par des comportements sociaux associés à des rassemblements sans distanciation (contact étroit, se serrer la main, câlins, etc.).2
Ce rapport a été rédigé par un groupe de chercheurs très équilibré, dont un médecin spécialiste des maladies infectieuses reconnu pour son travail dans la transmission des virus par voie aérienne.
Nous suivons actuellement des études qui tentent de répondre aux questions de manière scientifique. Menées entre autres dans les laboratoires de dynamique des fluides et les facultés de médecine des universités d’Allemagne, des États-Unis et du Canada, ces recherches indispensables contribueront à informer les décideurs sur ce qui se passe réellement avec les gouttelettes et les aérosols lorsque les gens chantent. Des études préliminaires, encore non publiées, réalisées en Europe et portant spécifiquement sur le comportement des gouttelettes et des aérosols pendant l’acte de chanter, montrent que le chant n’a pas un effet aussi néfaste que ce qui est signalé régulièrement dans les médias.3 Nous attendons des preuves plus définitives de ces études.
Nous encourageons la prise de décisions et la mise en œuvre de politiques fondées sur la science, par opposition à des scénarios non prouvés, anecdotiques ou comparatifs. Nous continuerons à plaider pour une communication scientifique claire de la part de nos dirigeants et nous insisterons pour que les politiques soient élaborées avec intégrité, à partir des meilleures données scientifiques disponibles.
On compte près de 28 000 chœurs au Canada. Ces chœurs sont aussi diversifiés que notre pays est vaste. Il est donc possible qu’une approche universelle ne soit pas envisageable. Nous sommes impatients de collaborer avec les décideurs politiques afin de trouver des solutions innovantes qui permettront éventuellement à tous ces groupes choraux diversifiés de pratiquer leur art en toute sécurité.
Canada Choral
1 Sondage pour Canada Choral, janvier 2017, sondage et analyse de Hill Strategies Research
2 Alberta Health Services, Covid-19 Scientific Advisory Group Rapid Evidence Report, May 22, 2020, p.2
3 Christian Kähler, et al. https://www.unibw.de/lrt7-en/making-music-in-times-of-pandemic.
Let’s Sing Safely – AN OPEN LETTER FROM CHORAL CANADA
Click here to read and download the official PDF version of this letter.
Choral Canada is the national arts service organization for the Canadian choral community and professional choral arts sector.
10% of the Canadian population sings in a choir in almost 28,000 choirs of all kinds according to the 2017 national choral census.That is approximately 3.5 million choristers.1 Choral singing truly is Canada’s national pastime!
As stewards of the choral artform, our #1 priority is the safety and well-being of choristers and the choral industry/sector.
We are seeking constructive avenues of communication among the Canadian Choral community, health officials and policy makers so that we can provide unified guidelines for the choral community. We feel strongly that a thoughtful, informed and collaborative approach is the best way forward.
We are looking to work with health officials and policy makers to find modifications and practical guidelines for safe singing, guidelines that are rooted in scientific research. We seek to create sensible safety guidelines that align with other sectors, such as adult rec hockey, gyms, dance studios, children’s soccer camps, etc. In fact, some provinces have already made recommendations for safe singing.
We appreciate the recent intention of the media to highlight how choirs are innovating and trying to survive during this time, but sensationalist headlines do even more damage to this already devastated arts sector including the professionals and associated industries who rely heavily on the choral arts for income. There is a lot at stake here. We cannot overstate the financial, emotional, cultural and physical damage of negative news articles and comments to the entire choral sector. These recent negative headlines have been pointed directly at the choral sector based on little more than anecdotal evidence.
Definitive scientific studies about COVID-19 transmission in relation to singing versus other forms of activities such as loud talking or cheering and other aerobic activity, have yet to be published. The Government of Alberta recognized the lack of credible, scientific evidence surrounding this subject in its Covid-19 Scientific Advisory Group Rapid Evidence Report, stating:
There is a gap in the scientific knowledge regarding the aerosolization of COVID-19 in particular for such activities [singing]. The evidence that COVID-19 is transmitted through singing is largely limited to media reports, and it is uncertain whether the transmission that occurred in these settings was related to aerosolization through singing, or through droplet or contact transmission… The committee agreed it is unclear whether the risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus via singing may be caused by aerosolizing of respiratory particles, or large droplets being expelled, or a combination, or social behaviors associated with close groups (close contact, handshaking, hugging etc.)2
This report was written by a very balanced group of researchers, including a published Infectious Disease physician specializing in the airborne transmission of viruses.
We are presently following studies that are trying to answer questions scientifically. Taking place in Fluid Dynamics labs and Faculties of Medicine at universities in Germany, the United States and Canada among others, this much-needed research will help to inform decision makers on what actually happens with droplets and aerosols when people sing. Preliminary, yet unpublished studies coming out of Europe that are dealing specifically with the behaviour of droplets and aerosols during the act of singing are showing that singing does not have as adverse an effect as is being reported.3 We await more definitive evidence from these studies.
We encourage decision making and policy implementation rooted in science, as opposed to unproven, anecdotal or comparative scenarios. We will continue to advocate for clear scientific communication from our leaders and insist that policy be created with integrity from the best available science.
Because there are nearly 28,000 choirs throughout Canada, representing a diversity as vast as this land, a “one size fits all” approach may not be practical. We are eager to work with policy makers to find innovative solutions for safe singing for a variety of choral groups in a variety of scenarios.
Choral Canada
1 January 2017 survey and analysis by Hill Strategies Research for Choral Canada
2 Alberta Health Services, Covid-19 Scientific Advisory Group Rapid Evidence Report, May 22, 2020, p.2
3 Christian Kähler, et al. https://www.unibw.de/lrt7-en/making-music-in-times-of-pandemic.
Open Letter From Choirs Ontario
June 22, 2020
An Open Letter from Choirs Ontario
Choirs Ontario is the provincial arts service organization representing thousands of choirs and tens of thousands of choristers across this province. As has been the case in almost every other sector, choirs have been forced to cease operations and have been silent during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are writing this letter in response to several recent government regulations (City of Toronto regulation for re-opening places of worship, and Province of Ontario laws governing phase 2 of the reopening) and news media articles made over the course of the last several weeks. Most recently CBC News has published articles on Tuesday June 16, No singing or dancing allowed, even as Ontario patios, places of worship open and on Friday June 19, Who would have thought that singing could be dangerous, or deadly?
Scientific study on the transmission of COVID-19 as it relates to singing is in its infancy. To date, there is no body of scientific research that definitively links choral singing with a higher risk of infection in comparison to other group activities. As such, it is of great concern to choral communities that the development of Ontario public health policy around the safety of singing could be based on anecdotal evidence of a few choirs whose membership has become sick, rather than being firmly based on scientific evidence.
To be clear, our advocacy is not for choirs to re-open and go back to “business as usual” at this time. We would never put any of our singers or members of the public in increased danger of contracting the COVID 19 virus by returning to choral activities before it is safe to do so. We are simply drawing attention to the need for evidence-based research to drive decision-making as it relates to choral singing.
In the absence of this evidence, we are compelled to highlight the unfair and unfounded focus the media has placed on choral singing as an area of – at best – heightened risk and at worst, grave danger. We are asking for Public Health departments to help the tens of thousands of choristers in this Province by providing clear and actionable guidelines for choral singing that are guided by science.
Over the last three months, choirs have proven their resiliency through many physically distanced and ‘virtual’ projects. We are innovating, we are staying connected and we are learning together. As a singing community, we will continue to advocate for the benefits of choral singing for social, mental, and emotional well-being. Guided by evidence-based best practices, the activities of choirs should not fall under the mantle of a blanket condemnation. Rather they should be resumed safely and responsibly, commensurate with other group activities in Ontario.
On behalf of choirs across our province,
Choirs Ontario, Board of Directors
Dr. Mark Vuorinen, President
Associate Professor and Chair of Music
Conrad Grebel University College/University of Waterloo
(for media interviews, please contact: mvuorinen@uwaterloo.ca)
Click here to view or download a PDF version of this letter.
Choirs Ontario Regional Check-In
How can we help? What can Choirs Ontario do to help plan for an uncertain future during this time? Do you have ideas or questions as you plan your next choral season? We want to hear from you!
We will be gathering virtually by region to check-in with our choral community to hear your concerns and feedback, and to chat about upcoming events and resources. RSVP today and join us!
English Sessions:
West: Saturday, June 27
East: Monday, June 29
North: Monday, July 6
South – Central: Thursday, July 9
French Sessions:
Provincial Francophone: Thurs. July 2
All sessions are from 6:30 – 7:30pm EDT
RSVP HERE
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Comment pouvons-nous vous aider? Qu’est-ce que Choirs Ontario pourrait faire pour vous aider à planifier lors de ces temps d’incertitude? Avez-vous des idées ou des questions concernant votre prochaine saison de chant choral? Nous sommes à l’écoute!
Nous nous réunirons virtuellement par région pour prendre contact avec notre communauté chorale pour entendre vos préoccupations et pour discuter de nos événements à venir et de nos ressources disponibles. Marquez vos calendriers et joignez-vous à nous!
Rencontre provinciale francophone: jeudi 2 juillet, de 18h30 à 19h30 (Heure de l’Est)
Rencontres en anglais:
Ouest: samedi 27 juin
Est: lundi 29 juin
Nord: lundi 6 juillet
Sud – central: jeudi 9 juillet
Toutes les rencontres sont de 18h30 à 19h30 (Heure de l’Est)
INSCRIVEZ-VOUS ICI
COVID-19 Resources for Choirs
The following is a list of COVID-19 related resources for choirs compiled by Choirs Ontario.
COVID-19 Audience Outlook Monitor survey in Ontario
Peterborough Singers – Peterborough Singers Recovery Committee Report: July 10, 2020
ACDA/NATS – A Conversation: What Do Science and Data Say About the Near Term Future of Singing
Dr. Heather Nelson – Singing, the Church, and COVID-19: A Caution for Moving Forward in Our Current Pandemic.
The Middle Class Artist – NATS Panel of Experts Lays Out Sobering Future for Singers: “No Vaccine, No Safe Public Singing”.
Choirs Unite – Facebook Group: In this uncertain time, while we are all likely sharing feelings of isolation, let’s gather together to focus on engaging and loving our choristers through this hardship, and providing them with continued opportunities once we all come out the other side. This is a place to collect and share ideas for ear training, theory, vocal pedagogy, virtual choirs, group chats, repertoire, warm ups, part singing, upcoming auditions, touring, programming or anything else we may want to share and discuss. Let’s collaborate, share and unite through the coming months – Elise Bradley
This is My Choir – This Facebook group is a “virtual online choral festival”. Members are invited to post free links to video (or audio) recordings of their choir’s best performances for all to enjoy!
Choral Canada – COVID-19 Resources for the Canadian Choral Community.
Ontario Arts Council – Ontario Arts Council COVID-19 resources.
Canada Council – COVID-19: Information and support for the arts sector.
Elemental – Why Singers Might Be Covid-19 Super-Spreaders.
National Association for Music Education – Music Teacher Resources for School Closures.
The Choir Project – Facebook Group: The Choir Project’s mission is “to build community chorally” by providing Naples, Florida area choral singers of various ages, ethnicities, and abilities with innovative opportunities to sing together in short-term projects, under creative and visionary musical leadership.
Chorus America – Rehearsal Guide: Choral Singing in the Time of COVID-19 and Choruses and COVID-19.
Ontario Music Educators Association (OMEA) – Elementary School Parent Support for the Arts and Secondary School Parent Support for the Arts.
Business/Arts – Arts Response Tracking Study