CHORAL SYMPOSIUM PRESENTATIONS & PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES

Choral Symposium Session – An Analysis of Osvaldo Golijov's La Pasión según San Marcos | Irene Apanovich
Argentina-born composer Osvaldo Golijov was one of four composers to be commissioned to write a musical setting of a passion narrative by the International Bachakademie Stuttgart for the “Passion 2000” project. His La Pasión según San Marcos (St. Mark’s Passion) represents a diversity of musical idioms found in Latin America. The amalgamation of different musical sources found in La Pasión define it as a work of
contemporary art, true to traditional paradigm of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Passions but yet innovative in its own right.

This essay will analyze the various musical components of the following three choral selections from La Pasión según San Marcos: Primer Anuncio (First Announcement), Demos Gracias al Señor (We Give Thanks) and Crucifixión (Crucifixion). By looking at the musical sources used in each movement, this essay will unravel the elements that make up the musical pastiche that is La Pasión según San Marcos.

Irene Apanovitch began to study music in her native city of Minsk, Belarus, at the age of five. Since coming to Canada, she has received an undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of Toronto, where she was the chosen recipient of the Lloyd Bradshaw Award in Choral Conducting. Most recently, Irene has completed her Master of Music in Choral Conducting at the University of Alberta, where she was the recipient of Queen Elizabeth II Graduate Scholarship and Edmonton Consular Ball Scholarship in International Studies. Irene has participated in numerous conducting workshops including the Shlern International Music Festival (Bolzano, Italy), Sarteano Chamber Choral Workshop (Sarteano, Italy), and the Montreal Choral Masterclass (Montreal, QC). She also took part in conducting master classes with Simon Carrington, Robert Sund, Richard Sparks, Jon Washburn, and Michael Zaugg. In the summer of 2011, Irene travelled to South America to conduct research on Venezuelan choral music and study with the world-renowned conductor Maria Guinand. In addition to completing research, Irene attended the 9th World Symposium on Choral Music in Puerto Madryn, Argentina, where she participated in two international conducting master classes with Josef Vila and Simon Carrington. Irene is currently working in various conducting positions in the Edmonton area.

Choral Symposium Session – Creative Compositional Processes in a Contemporary Context | Ian Charter
We live in a day when the art of musical reproduction tends to be relegated to the readily accessible performance media of YouTube or Facebook. It would seem that the rigors of formal musical foundations and understandings are up for grabs. Without dismissing that reality, what are the bare bones (minimum) requirements for budding composers who want to write—perhaps publish—their own music or arrange existing tunes? Is there still room for standard publishing and reproduction of musical works? These are important questions in a day when composition can easily default to a “stream of consciousness” approach with no constraints of traditional theory or forms to guide us. The good news is that our postmodern society allows us the opportunity to return, without apology, to the music theory, forms and history which are foundational to our teaching and practice. This session will explore some potential guideposts and processes for following that journey with musical integrity and purpose. Consideration will be given to choosing appropriate melodic, harmonic, textual, and contrapuntal materials which consistently work well in a “contemporary” environment. The use of computer notation software, as well as the logistics and process of submitting works to established music publishers, will be discussed.

Ian Charter holds a Master of Music degree (MMus) in Choral Conducting and Literature from the University of Oregon School of Music and a Bachelor of Education (BEd) from the University of Calgary. Currently he is Associate Professor of Music at Ambrose University College in Calgary, where he teaches conducting, music theory, and composition in the Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts music programs. He directs the 40-voice Ambrose College Singers and has a particular interest in choral composition and arranging. His choral arrangement of the Catalonian carol, El Desembre Congelat, was recently published in the Shawnee Press educational release for Spring 2011. Shawnee Press has also selected his a cappella arrangement of the Austrian carol, As Lately We Watched, for forthcoming publication.

Choral Symposium Session – Demystifying Choral Intonation | Rob Curtis
Many experienced choristers will remember having been told on many occasions to sing second scale degrees slightly sharp, major thirds of chords slightly low and fifths slightly high, to beware of dark vowels pulling the pitch flat, that certain keys tend to go flat more than others, and many other truisms regarding choral intonation. The reasoning behind these common tips and tricks is sometimes less clear, however: the supertonic should be a little higher than what, exactly? How can a given pitch be properly sung slightly low one measure, and then slightly higher the next? Why do darker vowels often cause pitch to sag? Why do pieces that start in F often end up in E?

This presentation will present the science behind these and other aspects of choral intonation, in an accessible and easily-understood manner. A brief discussion of the overtone series and temperaments will lead into a demonstration of why particular intervals must be intoned differently from the piano: participants will see the reasoning behind the truisms and will have the opportunity to experiment with varying intonation through sung exercises. Concepts such as major and minor semitones and whole tones, tonal reference points, vowel colour and melodic direction will also be considered. Situations in which just intonation is inappropriate or impossible will also be explored. A reference sheet summarizing the differences between just intonation and equal temperament will be provided for easy consultation.

Rob Curtis is a second-year doctoral student in Choral Conducting at the University of Alberta, and has studied under various conductors including Leonard Ratzlaff, Debra Cairns, Michael Zaugg, Simon Carrington, Julia Davids and Robert Sund. Rob conducts the University of Alberta Concert Choir and is the assistant conductor for the Richard Eaton Singers. He has performed with many other choirs in Edmonton and across Canada. In addition to his work as a conductor, clinician and church musician, Rob is an accomplished pianist and is active in the community as an accompanist, and is also very involved in the choral community as a singer. Musical theatre audiences will also occasionally spot Rob trodding the boards or waving his baton in an orchestra pit, whenever he can find the time. Rob is widely regarded as an engaging and enthusiastic teacher, and as a lifelong fan of math and science, he is very excited to have this opportunity to illuminate some of the nuts and bolts behind choral intonation, and some of the familiar truisms of choral singing.

Choral Symposium Session – Diction: An Acoustic Approach to Choral Clarity | Alison Norris
“The choir sounded lovely, but I couldn’t understand a word.” This sentiment is often expressed by audience members, and is a long-standing challenge for choirs and directors to overcome, dating as far back as the early 16th century. In the rehearsal room, the choir’s articulation may be crisp and clear, but when transferred into a large performance venue with a warm and reverberant sound, the words, especially the consonant sounds, are often lost. With the loss of word comprehension comes a decrease in communication, which is one of the ultimate objectives of any choral group. Potential solutions to this dilemma can be facilitated by exploring the field of choral acoustics. Although a relatively new interdisciplinary field of study, choral acoustics is attracting an everincreasing level of interest and involvement.

Before we as choral conductors can begin to solve the problem of textual clarity, we must first determine how and why these problems arise. This presentation and paper will provide scientific information illustrating the most problematic sounds for choral diction; that is, which sounds are most difficult to hear in a concert hall. Strategies for improving text clarity will then be offered. Such strategies will include modification of gesture, specific score markings, rehearsal technique and verbal instruction. These solutions will
be supported by evidence-based research as well as voice-lab test results.

It is my hope that these explorations into choral acoustics will yield straight-forward and effective methods for improving diction in our choirs and communication with our audiences, which, in the end, is our common goal.

Beginning as a pianist at age 4, a chorister at age 5, and a vocalist at age 13, Alison’s musical career has been diverse and enriching. Studying music on the side, she first earned a degree in Engineering at Queen’s University, followed by
a Bachelor of Education. After several years of working as a high school teacher and an acoustical consulting engineer, she delved into the musical world fulltime, taking up jazz studies at Humber College, followed by a Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance at Trinity Western University. In 2009, during her studies at Trinity Western, Alison was awarded the Silver Medal for Canadian vocal achievement by the Royal Conservatory of Music. Since 2007, Alison has found her musical niche in the field of choral conducting, an area which combines her strong musical ear, teaching experience, and musical instincts. She has directed various adult and children’s choirs in Ontario and BC, as well as Trinity Western’s Concert Choir in rehearsal and performance under the mentorship of Dr. Wes Janzen. Alison was most recently employed as the Assistant Conductor of the University of Alberta’s Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Debra Cairns. As she works towards completing her Master of Music in choral conducting at the University of Alberta, she is actively researching under the auspices of a federal government grant in the field of choral acoustics, combining her background in engineering and room acoustics with her conducting training and lifelong love of music.