5-20 MAY 2012 | ONTARIO

The National Youth Choir of Canada is a biennial project of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities.

Every two years, singers between the ages of 18 and 25 are auditioned across the country to form the National Youth Choir. Initiated in 1984, the choir has won critical acclaim across Canada since its inception. Some of the finest Canadian choral conductors have been invited to conduct the choir. The NYC has performed at all Podium conferences since 1984 and at the 1993 World Symposium on Choral Music in Vancouver. NYC concerts have been broadcast nationally on the CBC Stereo Network.

National Youth Choir 2012 will take place in Ontario (in conjunction with Podium 2012), 5-20 May 2012. The choir, consisting of a quartet of singers from every province in Canada, will gather for a week-long residency with guest conductor Ivars Taurins of the acclaimed Tafelmusik Chamber Choir before embarking on a tour of the province of Ontario, culminating in a gala final performance at Podium 2012 in Ottawa.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 25 as of May 2012, you could be part of the National Youth Choir. All travel, accommodation and meal costs will be covered by the NYC organizing committee.

NYC APPLICATION & AUDITION INFORMATION (Alberta choristers)

IVARS TAURINS, conductor

Ivars Taurins conducts symphonic and choral repertoire with equal expertise. Founding director of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, he was also violist of the Tafelmusik Orchestra for its first 23 years. Under his direction, the choir has been praised for its clarity, nuance and brilliance. Principal Baroque Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra since 2001, Ivars Taurins also appears as guest director with orchestras and choirs across Canada. Recent appearances include the Edmonton Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London, Symphony Nova Scotia, Windsor Symphony, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Pro Coro Canada and Elora Festival Singers. He was director of the 2000 Ontario Youth Choir, the 2003 Nova Scotia Youth Choir, and the 2004 Alberta University & College Choir. A passionate lecturer and teacher, Ivars Taurins teaches orchestral conducting and directs the early music ensembles at the University of Toronto, and has been a guest teacher/conductor at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, University of Western Ontario, University of Alberta, and the Glenn Gould Professional School. Ivars Taurins is director of the vocal/choral programme at the annual Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute.