THIRD ANNUAL CHORAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION
Deadline: December 15, 2019
Chronos Vocal Ensemble is an ambitious nonprofessional choir based in the Edmonton area, and the Healey Willan Grand Prize Winner of the 2015 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. Founded in 2013, we perform an annual season of concerts in Edmonton and tour regularly in the surrounding area. The ensemble has released three recordings: Presenting Chronos Vocal Ensemble (2015), The Simplest Way: The Music of Trent Worthington (2016) and most recently Fresh (2018); each recording features new Canadian compositions for choir. Chronos performed at Podium 2016 (Edmonton) and 2018 (St. John’s); in March 2020 the choir will undertake a first international tour, anchored by a performance at the Northwest Division Conference of the American Choral Directors Association in Spokane.
We are pleased to launch the 2019 edition of the Chronos Vocal Ensemble Choral Composition Competition. This year, for the first time, we are providing a defining parameter for the competition: all entries must set poetry of Sara Teasdale, and the winning entry will be performed on an April 2020 program devoted to settings of this poet.
American poet Sara Teasdale (1884-1933) created a wealth of texts that have since been treated by composers from all over the world, and her lyricism and vivid descriptions of nature and inner life are a treasure trove for those who set words to music. We encourage prospective entrants to learn about the poet and become familiar with this rich material: PoetryFoundation.org. and Poets.org. Complete poetry available in hardcover, paperback and kindle from amazon.ca (not an affiliate link)
 
Eligibility
● Composer must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or landed immigrant.
● The work submitted must be original, not an arrangement of a pre-existing work or melody.
● The composition must not have been commissioned, published, performed or recorded at the time of entry, and must remain so until premiered by Chronos Vocal Ensemble within the following year.
● Composition must substantially be a setting of the words of Sara Teasdale
Prizes
● The winning composition will be performed by Chronos Vocal Ensemble in April 2020. The winner will receive a recording of the performance.
● Prize of $1500 will be awarded.
● Chronos Vocal Ensemble will champion the winning composition and to promote the work further as warranted.
● For a competition winner interested in attending the premiere, Chronos Music Society may be able to contribute to costs.
Full Guidelines and Entry Form available at chronosvocalensemble.com/competition
 

 
Chronos Music Society, c/o 10615 137 St Edmonton AB T5N2H5. 
Charity registration # 820201788RR0001.
 

i Coristi Chamber Choir is proud to support the composition of new Canadian works for choir through this biennial competition. The winning composition will be chosen by a blind jury and will be performed at one of i Coristi's concerts in 2020. The winning composer will receive a prize of CAD $1,000 and an archival recording of the performance.

About the choir i Coristi Chamber Choir is a 24-voice choir based in Edmonton, AB, now entering its 26th season. Membership is by audition and encompasses a broad cross section of the population: accountants, teachers, computer programmers, nanotechnologists, designers, theologians, administrators, office personnel—singers for whom music is their vocation, and singers for whom music is their avocation!

The name i Coristi is Italian, meaning "the choral singers". Noted for its unique, eclectic programming, the choir focuses on a cappella masterpieces from the Renaissance to the 21st century, presented in three main concerts each season; the choir also performs at seniors' facilities and various local businesses and gatherings.

The choir performs at an advanced level, and alongside choral standards it includes in its repertoire new commissions, improvisation, extended vocal techniques, spatial performance elements, and other innovations. The choir’s 2018/2019 season, for example, included the first-ever collaboration between a Western choir and the sarangi, including new music written specifically for the combination, and choral improvisation. Accordingly, we welcome submissions in a broad range of styles, whether a more traditional choral setting, or more adventurous material suited for a chamber ensemble of advanced amateur performers.
Rules & Regulations

1. Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada are eligible to submit entries.
2. Submissions must be original compositions (not arrangements) that are unpublished, have not
   yet been publicly performed, and are not currently under consideration in another competition.
3. Pieces must be approximately 4 to 5 minutes in length, for a cappella SATB choir; 2-part or occasional 3-part divisi is acceptable.
4. The composer must have obtained the necessary permissions to set copyrighted texts.
5. If a winning entry is selected, i Coristi Chamber Choir will award the composer a prize of CAD $1,000, will perform the work at one concert in the 2020 calendar year and will make available to the composer a copy of the archival recording.
6. All entrants retain copyright to submitted pieces. I Coristi Chamber Choir will retain the exclusive performance rights to the winning piece for one year following the awarding of the prize, as well as perpetual, non-exclusive recording and mechanical rights.
7. Application deadline is October 31, 2019. A winner will be selected and announced by November 30, 2019.
8. i Coristi Chamber Choir reserves the right not to select a winning entry.

Application Procedure

1. A PDF of the score must be submitted to contact@icoristi.com. Please remove all identifying marks from the score (i.e. composer's name).
2. If the piece uses a copyrighted text, please provide proof that permission has been received to set the text. (Compositions that have not received the necessary permissions in this regard are ineligible for the competition.)
3. There is a fee of CAD $25 per entry. Composers are permitted to submit up to two entries; however, each entry requires a separate entry fee. The entry fee should be mailed to the address below. (E-mail transfers can be accepted; please e-mail contact@icoristi.com for the necessary details.) Please clearly indicate the composer's name with your entry and provide full contact information.
4. Scores and entry fees must be received by October 31, 2019.

Please mail entry fees via cheque or money order payable to “i Coristi Chamber Choir” to:
​
i Coristi Chamber Choir
P.O. Box 52068 Garneau
Edmonton, AB T6G 2T5

The week will involve Tim Shantz as instructor, a local pianist, guest clinician, Timothy Pyper who is a certified Alexander Technique instructor (as well as an organist and choir director) and a professional choir of 16 singers. There will be daytime sessions for up to 6 active conductors to work with Tim Shantz as well as Tim Pyper on Alexander Technique and body awareness. 

Each evening the active conductors will have the opportunity to work with 16 professional singers. 

The conducting workshop will culminate in a performance on the Friday evening. Participants will pay a fee for the week. Observers will also be able to attend all sessions for a smaller fee. General public will attend the concert for a small ticket fee. 

The workshop is directed to Calgary conductors (teachers and community members) but we expect that there will be interest outside of Calgary, throughout Alberta as well as nationally. We will be accepting 6 participating conductors. 

Repertoire will be finalized and sent out 4-6 weeks in advance.
For any questions and to receive the application form, contact General Manager Kristýna Rempel at info@luminousvoices.ca.


More information is available here

Singspiration is an award-winning summer youth choir program established in 2000 by Concordia University of Edmonton's School of Music. The event attracts outstanding choral clinicians, and is one of Alberta’s top summer music experiences for young people.

Youth from grades 4 to 12 are invited to a week-long music camp where they have the chance to sing with a superb conductor, meet friends from across Alberta and Canada, and participate in all kinds of fun activities.  

Singspiration 2019 features conductors Dr. Melissa Morgan (one of CBC SK's 2017 "40 under 40") and Edmonton Young Voices' Meghan Rayment.

Register by May 31 for best pricing. More information and registration available here.
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​From 2015 conductor Linda Beaupre:

The variety and quality of the offerings to all the campers and teachers was far beyond anything that I had experienced at previous summer music camps--excellent conductors, with high quality choral repertoire, and the children and youth were offered the chance to do handbells and Japanese Taiko drumming as well as choir, and to watch outstanding daily lunchtime recitals and more . . .

Join guest conductors Dr. Melissa Morgan (Regina), Meghan Rayment (Edmonton), and other master teachers and conductors for Inspiration for Teachers, a component of Singspiration at Concordia University of Edmonton. 

​Attend sessions with our presenters, observe rehearsals, receive music and repertoire suggestions, exchange ideas with other teachers and conductors, and attend the concluding concert. The week includes a teacher workshop day with Adam Robertson and participation (if desired) in an evening adult choir experience with Jordan Van Biert. Private voice lesson with Jolaine Kerley, soprano and voice faculty at Concordia, available to Inspiration for Teachers participants during the week at $25 per half-hour (space limited). An excellent P.D. opportunity (credit available) where you choose what works best for you!
Sessions through the week include:

Allan Gilliland Composition Workshop I & II
Melissa Morgan Assessment in the Choral Classroom
Amy Voyer Singing Games, Activities, & Projects--Oh My! (Classroom Engagement)
Jolaine Kerley Vocal Diction in the Classroom
David Wilson The Wilson Method (Vocal Health Technique)
Brendan Lord Repertoire Resources/Fifth Agreement for Conductors
Adam Robertson Choral Vocal Pedagogy
Aaron Ball Breakout Edu: Gamification of Music
Meghan Rayment Tried and True: Unison Songs for the Primary Choir (Reading Session)
Lisa Leflar Musical Theatre: All the World's a Stage . . . At Any Age!

Are you an agile singer who wants to sing vocal interpretations of instrumental music, experimental works such as the Honda Civic Choir Car Commercial, and all genres of music in their respective timbres? Would you like to dabble in some vocal improv and create a song or two of our own? Are you easy-going and fun-loving? I would like to meet you and form a group Thursday evenings starting in April. Please email shansong@shaw.ca if interested in learning more