Session descriptions
BEYOND THE MUSIC: THE BUSINESS OF RUNNING A HEALTHY CHOIR
Breakout session for offstage leaders with Steven Bélanger
Great music making needs a healthy organization behind it. This session explores the practical side of running a choir—from decision-making and budgeting to planning and long-term sustainability. Designed for organizations powered by volunteers and small or single-person administrative teams, it explores how strong organizational practices can protect your artistic ambitions and help your choir thrive
Breakout session for offstage leaders with Steven Bélanger
Great music making needs a healthy organization behind it. This session explores the practical side of running a choir—from decision-making and budgeting to planning and long-term sustainability. Designed for organizations powered by volunteers and small or single-person administrative teams, it explores how strong organizational practices can protect your artistic ambitions and help your choir thrive
THE COMPOSER IN THE ROOM – MASTERING THE REHEARSAL “FIRST DATE”
Breakout session for composers with Tracy Wong
Ditch the awkward Q&A, spark instant engagement with singers, and build relationships that last past the last bar. Stepping into a rehearsal room with a new choir can feel a lot like going on a blind date: everyone wants it to go well, but nobody is quite sure who should break the ice. You’ve written a great piece, but now you’re standing in front of 40 strangers who are staring at you, waiting to see what the living, breathing creator is actually like. The good news? You don’t need to transform into a high-energy game show host or a corporate speaker. This interactive session is all about making rehearsal visits fun, fluid, and deeply rewarding for everyone in the room. We’ll explore lighthearted, practical ways to share your creative process, collaborate naturally with conductors, and turn that initial "first date" energy into a lasting artistic partnership.
Breakout session for composers with Tracy Wong
Ditch the awkward Q&A, spark instant engagement with singers, and build relationships that last past the last bar. Stepping into a rehearsal room with a new choir can feel a lot like going on a blind date: everyone wants it to go well, but nobody is quite sure who should break the ice. You’ve written a great piece, but now you’re standing in front of 40 strangers who are staring at you, waiting to see what the living, breathing creator is actually like. The good news? You don’t need to transform into a high-energy game show host or a corporate speaker. This interactive session is all about making rehearsal visits fun, fluid, and deeply rewarding for everyone in the room. We’ll explore lighthearted, practical ways to share your creative process, collaborate naturally with conductors, and turn that initial "first date" energy into a lasting artistic partnership.
THE DECISIONS NOBODY WROTE DOWN
Roundtable for offstage leaders with Steven Bélanger
Every choir has policies and practices that shape how the organization works but never make it into the bylaws. This roundtable explores what’s worth putting in writing, what isn’t, and how documenting operational policy and procedure can support consistency, continuity, and good decision-making. Bring your own examples and leave with the beginnings of a framework you can continue building at home.
Roundtable for offstage leaders with Steven Bélanger
Every choir has policies and practices that shape how the organization works but never make it into the bylaws. This roundtable explores what’s worth putting in writing, what isn’t, and how documenting operational policy and procedure can support consistency, continuity, and good decision-making. Bring your own examples and leave with the beginnings of a framework you can continue building at home.
EMPOWERING COMPOSERS THROUGH CREATIVE COLLABORATION AND SUSTAINABLE MODELS
Roundtable for composers with Tracy Wong
As composers, our creativity doesn't stop at the final barline. The ways we structure our commissions, build artistic partnerships, and sustain our careers are ripe for the same inventive thinking we bring to our scores. This interactive roundtable invites composers to channel their creative problem-solving into the very structures that support our work. Moving past standard transactional models—where a commission is simply a piece written and delivered—we will explore how composers can take the lead in designing dynamic, collaborative commissioning processes that honour our craftsmanship and secure fair compensation. Through moderated discussion and collective brainstorming, participants will share experiences and generate new ideas around inventive co-design, composer-led consortiums, designing equitable frameworks. Join fellow composers in an empowering, idea-generating space. Bring your successes, your boldest ideas, and your current challenges as we collectively draft new possibilities for the future of choral commissioning.
Roundtable for composers with Tracy Wong
As composers, our creativity doesn't stop at the final barline. The ways we structure our commissions, build artistic partnerships, and sustain our careers are ripe for the same inventive thinking we bring to our scores. This interactive roundtable invites composers to channel their creative problem-solving into the very structures that support our work. Moving past standard transactional models—where a commission is simply a piece written and delivered—we will explore how composers can take the lead in designing dynamic, collaborative commissioning processes that honour our craftsmanship and secure fair compensation. Through moderated discussion and collective brainstorming, participants will share experiences and generate new ideas around inventive co-design, composer-led consortiums, designing equitable frameworks. Join fellow composers in an empowering, idea-generating space. Bring your successes, your boldest ideas, and your current challenges as we collectively draft new possibilities for the future of choral commissioning.
GETTIN' IT OFF THE PAGE: EFFECTIVE ENGLISH DICTION
Breakout session for conductors with Elroy Friesen.
Great choral diction can be a key component to a communicative and emotionally powerful performance of a singing ensemble. This session will move from unique characteristics and challenges inherent in the English language, to specific ideas that can bring the text to life for the singer and the listener. Practical ideas will be modeled and applied through select repertoire, and “must-have” language/diction resources will be introduced.
Breakout session for conductors with Elroy Friesen.
Great choral diction can be a key component to a communicative and emotionally powerful performance of a singing ensemble. This session will move from unique characteristics and challenges inherent in the English language, to specific ideas that can bring the text to life for the singer and the listener. Practical ideas will be modeled and applied through select repertoire, and “must-have” language/diction resources will be introduced.
THE INS AND OUTS OF PUBLISHING CHORAL MUSIC IN CANADA
Breakout session for composers with Willi Zwozdesky
Willi Zwozdesky explores the Canadian choral publishing landscape, including the options available to composers, how the publishing process works, and what publishers look for. Whether you're new to publishing or already have works in print, this session offers practical insights to help you navigate the industry, manage expectations, and make informed decisions about your music.
Breakout session for composers with Willi Zwozdesky
Willi Zwozdesky explores the Canadian choral publishing landscape, including the options available to composers, how the publishing process works, and what publishers look for. Whether you're new to publishing or already have works in print, this session offers practical insights to help you navigate the industry, manage expectations, and make informed decisions about your music.
PICKING REP. IN THE YEAR 2026: HOW HAVE OUR PRIORITIES CHANGED?
Roundtable for conductors with Elroy Friesen.
Roundtable for conductors with Elroy Friesen.
REIMAGINING COLLABORATION FOR COLLECTIVE ACTION
Plenary session for all attendees with Jennifer DeDominicis
As we encounter increasingly complex issues, how might we reconsider the ways we work and collaborate as individual organizations to adapt and renew our efforts to support increased capacity and vitality? This interactive session invites Gathering participants to exchange ideas and surface possible solutions for working together to address shared challenges differently.
Plenary session for all attendees with Jennifer DeDominicis
As we encounter increasingly complex issues, how might we reconsider the ways we work and collaborate as individual organizations to adapt and renew our efforts to support increased capacity and vitality? This interactive session invites Gathering participants to exchange ideas and surface possible solutions for working together to address shared challenges differently.
ROOTS AND REMIX
Plenary session for all attendees with Tracy Wong
How do we create space for authentic self-expression in the choral arts—both for ourselves and for the creators we work alongside? This session invites us to explore what it means to navigate identity and advocacy in an evolving musical landscape. Tracy doesn't come with all the answers or a rigid playbook. Instead, she opens a window into her own lived experience—sharing the ongoing, often messy process of navigating life as a multicultural choral artist, along with the complex dilemmas and tensions surrounding representation. Through her work in progress of merging cultural heritage with Western choral music education, she explores how “traditional” training can be used as a flexible tool for empowerment rather than a boundary. This session is a quiet invitation to reflect on our own "myriad of selves" and consider how we might step into our power as a multi-hyphenated advocate. Let’s foster intentional, supportive conversations with music creators, create space for diverse artistic voices, and dream up new, culturally informed pathways for the future of choral music practice.
Plenary session for all attendees with Tracy Wong
How do we create space for authentic self-expression in the choral arts—both for ourselves and for the creators we work alongside? This session invites us to explore what it means to navigate identity and advocacy in an evolving musical landscape. Tracy doesn't come with all the answers or a rigid playbook. Instead, she opens a window into her own lived experience—sharing the ongoing, often messy process of navigating life as a multicultural choral artist, along with the complex dilemmas and tensions surrounding representation. Through her work in progress of merging cultural heritage with Western choral music education, she explores how “traditional” training can be used as a flexible tool for empowerment rather than a boundary. This session is a quiet invitation to reflect on our own "myriad of selves" and consider how we might step into our power as a multi-hyphenated advocate. Let’s foster intentional, supportive conversations with music creators, create space for diverse artistic voices, and dream up new, culturally informed pathways for the future of choral music practice.
SPONSORSHIP FOR CHOIRS
Breakout session for offstage leaders with Michele Stanners
What makes choirs attractive to potential sponsors, and what does it take to build successful sponsor relationships? Michele Stanners explores the fundamentals of sponsorship, the unique opportunities available to choral organizations, and the essential ingredients for creating relationships that deliver value for everyone involved.
Breakout session for offstage leaders with Michele Stanners
What makes choirs attractive to potential sponsors, and what does it take to build successful sponsor relationships? Michele Stanners explores the fundamentals of sponsorship, the unique opportunities available to choral organizations, and the essential ingredients for creating relationships that deliver value for everyone involved.
SUBTRACT: CHOOSING MORE BY DOING LESS
Breakout session for offstage leaders with Jennifer DeDominicis
Building on ideas from the Plenary, this session will support organizations in exploring different approaches to decision making and problem solving to do more by doing less. Join us for an interactive workshop to identify and develop experiments for winding down activities to re-focus your work for greater impact.
Breakout session for offstage leaders with Jennifer DeDominicis
Building on ideas from the Plenary, this session will support organizations in exploring different approaches to decision making and problem solving to do more by doing less. Join us for an interactive workshop to identify and develop experiments for winding down activities to re-focus your work for greater impact.
THINKING OUTSIDE THE ROWS: BUILDING ENSEMBLE COMMUNITY AND MUSICIANSHIP
Breakout session for conductors with Elroy Friesen.
This hands-on session will explore creative rehearsal and performance ideas that are focused on building communication, ensemble skills, and community. Group intention, vulnerability and creativity are elements of rehearsal that can build an exciting and healthy ensemble experience.
Breakout session for conductors with Elroy Friesen.
This hands-on session will explore creative rehearsal and performance ideas that are focused on building communication, ensemble skills, and community. Group intention, vulnerability and creativity are elements of rehearsal that can build an exciting and healthy ensemble experience.
VOICES IN MOVEMENT: CO-CREATING PEDAGOGY FROM PAGE TO PERFORMANCE
Roundtable for composers/conductors with Tracy Wong
Movement is more than a performance detail—it is a powerful pedagogical bridge connecting score study, vocal technique, and artistic delivery. This session brings conductors and educators together for a dynamic, collaborative roundtable designed to crowd-source and test creative movement strategies for the choral classroom (from page to performance through pedagogy). Using selected choral excerpts, participants will brainstorm and pool their shared wisdom to explore how intentional physical movement—ranging from subtle somatic alignment to full-body kinesthetics—can unlock breath, solve vocal challenges, and deepen musical expression.
Roundtable for composers/conductors with Tracy Wong
Movement is more than a performance detail—it is a powerful pedagogical bridge connecting score study, vocal technique, and artistic delivery. This session brings conductors and educators together for a dynamic, collaborative roundtable designed to crowd-source and test creative movement strategies for the choral classroom (from page to performance through pedagogy). Using selected choral excerpts, participants will brainstorm and pool their shared wisdom to explore how intentional physical movement—ranging from subtle somatic alignment to full-body kinesthetics—can unlock breath, solve vocal challenges, and deepen musical expression.
WHAT'S IN YOUR DIGITAL TOOLKIT?
Roundtable for composers with D. Geoffrey Bell
Join composer D. Geoffrey Bell for a roundtable exploring the software, platforms, and apps composers use in their creative work. Drawing on the collective knowledge and experience of the group, participants will compare the strengths and limitations of different digital tools, share tips for making the most of them, and discover new possibilities for their own composing practice.
Roundtable for composers with D. Geoffrey Bell
Join composer D. Geoffrey Bell for a roundtable exploring the software, platforms, and apps composers use in their creative work. Drawing on the collective knowledge and experience of the group, participants will compare the strengths and limitations of different digital tools, share tips for making the most of them, and discover new possibilities for their own composing practice.
WHERE PASSIONS LIE: WHAT REALLY DRIVES US?
Plenary session for all attendees with Elroy Friesen.
What drives us in our choral leadership practices – process or product? What have we inherited from our choral “elders”? How do these elements affect our conscious decision-making from our roles as choral leaders? This session will be a sharing of hard lessons learned and a challenge to consider what we do with the “power of the podium” given to us
Plenary session for all attendees with Elroy Friesen.
What drives us in our choral leadership practices – process or product? What have we inherited from our choral “elders”? How do these elements affect our conscious decision-making from our roles as choral leaders? This session will be a sharing of hard lessons learned and a challenge to consider what we do with the “power of the podium” given to us
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