Overview
SongBurst Adult Summer Choir Workshop brings singers together from across Edmonton’s choral community to explore a variety of music in a fun and supportive environment. This summer, the 5-day workshop is conducted by The King’s University’s Melanie Turgeon. In addition to evening rehearsals, singers have the opportunity to sign up for private vocal coaching with Kim Denis and participate in a unique CircleSinging Vocal Improvisation workshop with Karen Porkka. The week wraps up at Fort Edmonton Park with a casual Friday evening concert featuring participants from SongBurst Kids Summer Choir Workshop.
SongBurst 2024
We had a blast singing with all of the wonderful SongBurst participants this year! Plans for SongBurst 2024 are currently underway, and we're excited to announce the program will take place 12-16 August 2024. Check back for more information soon.
A look back at SongBurst 2023
|
MELANIE TURGEON, CONDUCTOR
Melanie Turgeon is Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at The King’s University in Edmonton, Alberta, and Adjunct Professor at Cape Breton University in Sydney, Nova Scotia. She has conducted many choirs and ensembles and has toured extensively with her choirs, including three successful European tours. From 2002-2018, she served as Music Director and Cantor at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Edmonton. In 2010 she founded Kappella Kyrie, an award-winning chamber choir primarily devoted to Slavic sacred music. For many years she has been involved with the Ukrainian Art Song Project (UASP), presently serving as the co-director and a faculty member of the annual Summer Institute. |
|
KATHERINE TILBURY, PIANIST
Katherine Tilbury is an expressive pianist who is passionate about collaborative piano and youth education. Katherine is a versatile pianist and has studied contemporary, jazz and classical repertoire. She maintains an active private piano studio and is extremely passionate about music education. This dedication is demonstrated not only through teaching studio lessons and masterclasses, but through her position at The King’s University where she works with instrumentalists both in studio classes, and as a recital partner. Through her work as a freelance soloist and collaborator, Katherine has enjoyed playing wonderful works of choral repertoire with choirs in Edmonton including Kapella Kyrie Slavic Chamber Choir, Accord Ensemble and the Archbishop Jordan Choirs under Jolaine Kerley. Her most recent projects include acting as Music Director for Archbishop Jordan High School’s senior production of Little Women and Repetiteur for Pop Goes the Opera's production of Suor Angelica in 2022. |
|
KAREN PORKKA, CIRCLESINGING & VOCAL IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP FACILITATOR
Karen Porrka is a musician, vocalist, composer, improviser, and music educator. She is the creator and co-creator of several musical projects and has released CD’s with world music group d’Cana, the avant garde jazz group The Parkers and her own original project. Karen is the founder of the Vocal Improvisation Network of Edmonton (V.I.N.E.) and community choir the Soul Song Circle Singers, which is part of the Ubuntu Choirs Network, upholding the belief that it is our birthright to sing. She has studied with master improvisers Bobby Mcferrin and Rhiannon and has worked internationally as a vocal improviser presenting at conferences in Portugal, Hawaii and was a guest conductor in Oakland’s Sing For Your Life yearly CircleSinging event in 2019. |
|
KIMBERLEY DENIS, VOCAL COACH
Kimberley Denis is known for her energy and enthusiasm both on stage and off, and is sought after as a soloist, vocal coach, choral clinician, and adjudicator for voice and choir. Vocal credits include starring in a year-long tour with Up With People, as well as productions of Jason Robert Brown's song cycle Songs for a New World, as Cathy in The Last Five Years, and as Kate in Kiss Me, Kate! She is a singer with Edmonton’s professional choir, Pro Coro Canada and has toured extensively as a singer with the world percussion group, the Jamani Duo. In addition to her stage work, she has a flourishing voice studio at her own music school – the Purple Door Music Academy, and is also the voice instructor at the King’s University in Edmonton. She currently conducts Shumayela (a choir for treble and changing voices for singers between the ages of 11 and 16) with the Kokopelli Choir Association and the Lynne Singers (a non-auditioned adult community ensemble). |
Other Activities
Private vocal coaching
In these sessions, participants will be taken through a series of vocal exercises to identify tips and tricks to make singing easier and solve individual vocal challenges. Coaching's will be positive, encouraging, and practical with techniques that can be incorporated into your singing immediately.
In these sessions, participants will be taken through a series of vocal exercises to identify tips and tricks to make singing easier and solve individual vocal challenges. Coaching's will be positive, encouraging, and practical with techniques that can be incorporated into your singing immediately.
CircleSinging and Vocal Improvisation Workshop with Karen Porkka (2023 only)
CircleSinging and vocal improvisation is a way of connecting to each other and to music while using our voices in familiar and new ways. The participants will become the circle of voices providing space for us to listen deeply and interact with the music that is offered into the circle while exploring leaderless and guided spontaneous improvisation. This form of singing brings us back to music’s most essential concept of “play” and to our humanity's essential need of connection.
CircleSinging and vocal improvisation is a way of connecting to each other and to music while using our voices in familiar and new ways. The participants will become the circle of voices providing space for us to listen deeply and interact with the music that is offered into the circle while exploring leaderless and guided spontaneous improvisation. This form of singing brings us back to music’s most essential concept of “play” and to our humanity's essential need of connection.