Chai with Carter

I begin rehearsing Eliott Carter's Musicians Wrestle Everywhere with I Coristi Chamber choir this week. I've been drinking chai tea everyday while studying my score. It's become almost of a routine. Still, I'm pretty scared about the rehearsal. I figured it would be a good idea to release some of my anxieties in a post. So here we are, Let me pull out the chaise lounge...

First and foremost, for those of you who have not yet Musicians Wrestle Everywhere - PLEASE, GO AND LISTEN TO IT! There is a decent recording on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPcszF5mmKQ

I first heard it at the 2008 ACDA National Conference in Oklahoma City during the Graduate Conducting Competition. Back then I was still in undergrad, finishing up my last semester of studies. I had never heard anything like it before. Not to offend my former choir directors, but never would I think that we could attempt to sing a piece of such difficult. Maybe it was just a matter of taste. Who knows. In any case, my initial impressions of Musicians are as fresh in my mind today as they were when I first heard it. In summary, I thought it was the coolest thing that I have ever heard. I still think that it is. The way that Carter paints Emily Dickison's poem is so incredibly witty and playful, yet fierce and outrageous - a marvellous blend of elements. The poem reads:

Musicians wrestle everywhere -- All day -- among the crowded air I hear the silver strife -- And -- waking -- long before the morn -- Such transport breaks upon the town I think it that "New Life"! If is not Bird -- it has no nest -- Nor "Band" -- in brass and scarlet -- drest -- Nor Tamborin -- nor Man -- It is not Hymn from pulpit read -- The "Morning Stars" the Treble led On Time's first Afternoon! Some -- say -- it is "the Spheres" -- at play! Some say that bright Majority Of vanished Dames -- and Men! Some -- think it service in the place Where we -- with late -- celestial face -- Please God -- shall Ascertain! Taken from: http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/10109

Carter set the poem as a madrigal. For those of us who are not versed in music-cocktail-talk, a madrigal is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrigal_(music)

Usually I would go ahead and find a better definition on Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians but my membership ran out this past month...thus, Wikipedia will have to do. In any case, back to Carter. While Dickinson's poem naturally lends itself to 'madrigalisms', Carter's genius is at evoking the imagery of the text through simple yet highly effective compositional techniques. The most brilliant in my opinion (and also the most obvious) is the way in which he uses counterpoint to recreate the 'fight' in each voice part. Carter creates balance in the work by inserting episodes of stunningly beautiful homophonic writing between the wildly contrapuntal sections. Thus breaking up the fight only to see it start up again.

Some of you may be wondering what 'fight' I am talking about. I won't delve into the interpretation of the poem past some general thoughts for the purpose of keeping this post somewhat readable. I'll just say that for me, Dickinson's poem is an alternative look at the artist - instead of depicting the artist as the shy, melancholy, hermit-like soul that wanders between compositions, Dickinson paints a picture of a strong and fiery being that crosses boundaries and 'stirs-things-up'. Less of Mahler more of Stravinsky, basically. Carter took Dickinson's vision and ran with it.

Ok, so I feel a little more inspired about conducting the work in rehearsal after writing all that. Still, the question remains: how do I teach this thing? I tried learning it the way that I would want it to be taught to me, but again, that was one part at a time. How do I, in a total of 105 minutes, manage to tackle this piece's enormous challenges with a choir that I have never worked with before? Yes, Musicians is my favourite piece but I just hope that I didn't bite of more than I could chew. In any case, if I figure it out, another post will come your way. Until then...I'll just have to 'wrestle' with it!

New Look, New Post!

How do you like the new look?

I figured it's time for a change. Inspired by a great post on historyjournal.org, I decided to spend Sunday evening working on a new entry. To get the ball rolling, I started playing around with new templates. I'm not sure if this one will last...I will probably end up changing it sooner or later. In any case, it's not about the design anyway.

I don't even know where I should start - Puerto Madryn seems like it was ages ago. To be honest, I tried writing several entries while in Argentina and Chile but never ended up posting anything. I was actually just looking through my last entry when I realized just how many spelling mistakes I made! My apologies to my readers. I blame the touch screen on my phone. All excuses aside, I am about to spend a portion of this Sunday's evening to share my experiences of World Symposium on Choral Music (WSCM9) in Puerto Madryn.

Overall, I found WSCM9 very enjoyable. I mean sure, the volcano ash and the 24-hour bus rides there and back didn't really 'enhance' my experience, but those things did not overshadow my overall experience in Puerto Madryn either. Seeing jumping whales and flocks of flamingos made up for the endless commute. The only other disappointing thing was the venues in which the choirs sang. The gymnasium that hosted all of the evening concerts just wasn't the right pick for any sort of music performance, never mind choral chamber groups. The gymnasium wasn't close to any of the main hotels either, which made it difficult to get to. All in all though, the extraordinary musicianship of the ensembles that performed there helped all of us attendees forget about the discomforts of the venue, if only for a song or two.

I am not going to attempt to recount every single day of the symposium - no one would probably read it if I did. Instead, I going to share some highlights - my Top 3 memories.

#3) Hearing the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Choir

While there were many exceptional choirs at the conference, the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Choir was my favourite by far. Their set consisted of 5 pieces (unfortunately, no programs were given out at the concert and I do not know the names of the works) that contained texts on the subject of Freedom. The ensemble featured many exceptionally talented soloists, including a gifted narrator who connected each piece of music with a short speech on the value of free speech and racial equality. The choir's dress, choreography, tuning and overall performance was stunning. Once they were on stage, for lack of an original expression - time stopped. The stage was theirs and theirs alone. No one in the audience dared to look away, sneeze, or check their cell phone. Even the crying baby stopped its tears at the sound of the choirs opening chord. Or maybe I just tuned the baby out at that point, who knows. The point is, the NM Metropolitan University Choir was a show stopper. I had the same feeling of awe and excitement watching them as I did watching Cantoria Alberto Grau at ACDA National Conference in 2009. Just as I got my initial drive to travel to South America at ACDA, I got the sudden urge to pack my bags and travel to South Africa at WSCM9. How else could I possibly learn how these singers learn to perform this way? Thankfully, I remembered the pain in my feet from four weeks of travelling across this continent, and decided to shelf my curiosity aside for now. One trip at a time, I reminded myself.

#2) Masterclasses with Josep Vila and Simon Carrington.

My experiences in these two masterclasses were very different from one another. The first, with Josep Vila was very intense, challenging and energy-consuming. I had a rare opportunity to work on a very difficult piece by a modern Catalan composer with a choir from Argentina. Maestro Vila was very clear about his expectations and it was apparent from the start the masterclass was a serious affair. I barely saw any of the interest sessions those few days because I spent most of my time learning music in my hotel room. All for a good cause, of course. I don't think that I would ever have the opportunity to conduct that piece in my career, never mind in Argentina at the World Symposium on Choral Music! Maestro Vila also taught me a great lesson in the importance of professionalism in rehearsal. I made too many jokes and being as nervous as I was, tried to win the choir over with my charm. Maestro Vila suggested a different approach, and I am glad to say that it worked.

Participating in Simon Carrington's masterclass was a very different experience. Simon did not do a selection process for his pupils. Instead, he asked all 11 participants to choose a piece from the repertoire that he selected and come up one at a time to conduct it. He divided his time between the students based on each one's skills level and expertise - the more experienced conductors received more time on the podium to work with Simon and the choir. I was really glad that Simon did not do a selection process. With such an array of skills and musical backgrounds, I got to witness a great teacher get down to the nitty-gritty and do some great teaching. I had the chance to see how conducting is taught at different levels all in one room. When else would I get to witness such an event? Watching Simon work is really inspiring. His capacity for interpretation is boundless, and he always shares his ideas. I felt sad saying goodbye to him at the very end, actually. I will apply to the Norfolk Conducting Course this summer in hope of working with him again. Wish me luck!

#1) Making New Friends from Argentina

Countless hours of preparing for both masterclass helped me become close friends with the other conducting participants. Some of them were undergraduate conducting students from Mendoza and Santa Fe. One evening, I was invited for a study session. There were 9 of us there - Guadalupe, Jeronimo, Pedro, Agustina, Manuel, Rodrigo, Mariano, and Guillermo. We spent the first part of the evening reading through Simon's repertoire. It was quite fun, actually. We didn't have recordings to lean on, as I often did in grad school. We just had our tuning forks and our sight reading skills. Let me tell you - learning Gesualdo a-capella was a lot harder than I expected! Once we had enough Gesualdo, we opened some wine and Guillermo made a traditional Argentinian dish (the name of which I cannot recall, unfortunately!). The meal was incredible. A real luxury for the girl who has been on the road eating crackers and chocolate for 4 weeks in a row. After we finished eating, my friends wanted to tell me about Argentinian folklore. Only, they didn't just tell me about it - the eight of them sang (in harmony!) the different styles of Argentinian folklore music that they know. It was adorable. Each one would start a song, while some others would try their best English to explain the different features of each style. In the end, they would all join in and improvise harmonization of the tune, solo, and add table-top-percussion... all on the spot! I was so touched. Their performance was intended for me. They wanted me to learn about their culture and take it back to Canada with me. I have a video with some of these songs but I don't want to post it until I get their approval. That evening was definitely one of the most memorable moments of my life. Words in this blog post cannot do justice to the beauty of fine company and spontaneous song. Still, I must make it known and so I place that evening on my #1 spot of best WSCM9 memories.

I could write a lot more but I am going to search through my External USB Drive and find those videos!

Until next time...or rather, Hasta Luego!

I'm at the pick up location for the bus heading to Puerto Madryn. It happens to be a bar. A bar playing choral music (Tim Shatz seemed to have hooked up his mac book). It's a strange experience, bring here. I've been on the road since the 12th of July,.living freely and without cares. Suddenly, I find myself in a different universe - suits, suitcases, English speech, talks about dissertations...Ah! This is going to be a complete shift of gears.
Puerto Madryn here I come!

Catching up

I haven't been in the mood to bloh lately. Itsy that I have had simply too many experiences yo sort through. I don't know where to start! A good place would be where I left off I guess...Rio.

Rio is a beautiful place - a postcard city. I really enjoyed my time there. Its a city for the adventure seeker, not so much the gallery goer. I got to see the Cristo up close, swim on Ipanema beach, explore the atmospheric streets of Santa Theresa, listen to live samba in Lapa and shop a little. I met some awesome people and had some great laughs. I felt like a superstar the whole time, having stayed in the fancy shmancy Ipanema neighborhood and all. Some people I know went on tours of the infamous 'favellas' but I stayed clear - not because of the safety factor really, but what's the fun in  going to sightsee how people less fortunate than I am live? I just didn't see any sense in it. Anyway, the others enjoyed it in their own way i'm sure. All in all, Rio was really fun and I hope I can go back there one day when i'm wealthy and powerful and swim on the 'rich-people' part of the beach - yes, the beaches are segregaded, so to speak.

Sadly, Sao Paolo didn't really live up to my expectations. It just seemed like a giant sprawl of buildings, totally intimidating and not very friendly. Maybe I was just approaching it from the wrong angle, who knows. I destroyed my feet doing it, that's for sure. My last day there I walked nearly 30 km in flip flops...not a smart move for someone that has prescribed orthodics in her backpack. Anyway, I have but a few lasting impressions of Sao Paolo. If I ever have to go back, I would only do so with a car. The city is just too big to enjoy on a 'stroll'.

Having left Sao Paolo, I landed in the lovely Montevideo. I have to say, the people of Uruguay are the best sort. In two days, I had numerous people help me - a complete stranger with broken Spanish, to find her way around the city. On Sunday, I went to a local market to find some souvenirs. I stopped at a used books kiosk to browse through some vintage piano sheet music. Having purchased my scores, I asked the lady at the counter for directions to the nearest bus stop (i had to leave for Punta del Este that afternoon). While this lady was trying to explain to me how to get there, another woman overheard our conversation and volunteered to take me there.  At first I thought that she is only going to show me were it is, but no, she took me to a local bus stop, paid my fare, brought me to the bus station,helped me buy my ticket, and like a mother, took me to the door of the bus to hug me and say goodbye. Her name was Carmen and I will never forget her. What's probably most surprising about this story is that it is one of many (the rest I am simply too lazy to type out on my amdroid). In my two days on Uruguay and I have met many different people who offered their help to me for one reason or another. I felt so completely welcome in their country. So much so that I began to shamelessly speak Spanish. That's right! As I look back at my stay in Uruguay, I get a huge smile on my face. What a great place!

Tonight, I write to you from Buenos Aires - the Paris of Latin America, if I may say so. The 'vibe' here is completely different from that Montevideo or any other place ove been to so far on this trip. The people here are proud, strong, and extremely good looking. Extremely. They carry themselves with elegance and style. I've only had a few hours to explore the city but already, I love it here. It has the sophistocation of Europe but the friendliness and warmth of the South Ametican culture - the best of both worlds. I can't wait for tomorrow when I get to take a tour around and visit the infamous Teatro Colon.

I will try to post again before I.leave for WSCM9!

Oh...Salvad-oh-r

I'm speechless when it comes to
this city. My post will be incredibly short but I do want to sum up my impressions in a kind of list.

Salvador as I see it and feel it is...
Colors - red, yellow, green; hearing locals singing along; cats; drums; dim street lights; impossible to walk on cobble stone streets; fresh coco juice, mango juice, lemon juice - the list of juices is endless; poor kids, happy kids, wandering kids; "obrigada"; futbol; street food (which unfortunately I have not tried); capoiera angola; Smetka and his incredible inventions; the ocean.

I haven't left and yet I am already dreaming of coming back.

Caracas: Final days

The wifi connection in my room has been limited these last few days and so I did not have an opportunity to write.

Many things have happened since I last wrote. I sang in rehearsal.with Schola Cantorum, I travelled up Avila mountain, met the infamous Alberto Grau, had dinner at Maria Guinand's gorgeous house, watched Harry Potter The Deathly Hallows Pt.2 in 3D (my very first 3D experience and in Spanish!) I even went to a restaurant where we ate among parrots, in cages of course but still - a very exotic meal indeed.
All in all, my time in Caracas has been nothing but extraordinary. As I get ready to depart for Salvador (Brazil) on Wednesday, I find myself growing considerably nostalgic. The people I was introduced to here are very special to me. In a week's time, I have made great friends. I don't know if this would have been ppssible anywhere else, to be honest. But hey, I have the rest of my journey to find out!

Next up...BRASIL!!!!

Caracas: Day 3

Is it really only day 3? It feels like a lifetime. At least when you add up all of the things i've seen it does.
Although I am downright exhausted, I must devoted a short entry to events that have happened since my last one.

Last night I heard the Simon Bolivar Orchestra de Juventud - an ensemble within the El Sistema program of music learning in Venezuela. Some of you may have heard of El Sistema (i.e.Gustavo Dudamel, Antonio Abreu, etc.) It's an unbelievable program and I got to see just how unbelievable it is last night.

This is the 'middle-level' orchestra of El Sistema , but you would never believe it if you heard them. To me, they are simply the best orchestra that I have heard to date. Without a doubt. Their concert program comprised all French repertoire, as the performance was held in honor of France's independence day (which is actually today.) Some highlights included Ravel's Bolero and his Suite No.2 - Daphnis et Chloe. The performance of the latter was electrifying. Alfredo Rugeles fearlessly led the orchestra through Ravel's most ambitious writing, keeping us all on the edge of our seats. If you think you've heard French music, you haven't until you've heard it performed by Venezuelans. Not just Venezuelans, but Venezuelan youth - this unique breed of musicians that stand in a class of their own. Their performance of the oh-so-cyclical Bolero transported me to a state of complete euphoria. Never in my life did I think I would hear a French Horn solo as I did yesterday. Frankly, I didn't think it was possible for any soloist to play that way, let alone a French Horn. These young people have talent, no doubt about it. Yet they also have charisma - each and every one of them. Scanning across the orchestra, I found countless captivating players to watch. In fact, I had even suggested to my friend Almud that we should go backstage and meet them. Alas, this crazy idea didn't materialize, but it goes to show just how badly we wanted to meet the people behind this magnificent sound. That's just how it is here - it's all about the amazing people that make the magic happen. Regardless of what they play, the magic of music is in their hands and in their voices..and I am here to witness it!!

Okay. Enough for now. Off to bed!

Caracas Days 1 & 2

If there us one word to describe this city, it would have to be hectic. At least that is how I feel about it since arriving. The traffic here is insane, literally. While in the car coming back from the airport, my driver pointed at a traffic light and said "Mira, this is the only area in the city with traffic lights." I thought he was joking but having been around the city, I now know that he wasn't. There are no stop signs in the smaller streets and motorocyclists act like madmen, diving in front of pedestrians and squeezing through tiny gaps between cars to get ahead. In other words, mayhem.

Maria Guinand, thankfully is as good of a driver as she is a conductor. Yesterday we drove to her rehearsal of the Polar Worker's Choir - a community ensemble comprised of employees of the major food import company, Polar. There I was introduced Maria's wonderful circle of colleagues and friends. These people welcomed me with open arms, coping with my broken Spanish, treating me to coffee and empanadas after the rehearsal. The choir spent the rehearsal preparing for a concert that's to take place this Saturday during a sort on 'communal Communion' of all the children belonging to employees of Polar. I will be there at the concert and will about it this weekend.

After the rehearsal, Maria and I went for coffee. We say and chatted about ourselves like old friends - it was unbelievable. The while time I sat there dumbfounded by this reality - I was having coffee with Maria Guinand in her neighborhood. We spoke about the week ahead, which is nothing but spectacular. Highlights include singing in rehearsal with Schola Cantorum de Venezuela as they prepare a world premiere of a major work by Maria's son, private conducting seminar on Osvaldo Golijov's La Pasion Segun San Marcos (my thesis!!), and meeting of the various incredible people that make choral music in this city so vibrant and amazing.

I met some of those people today, at a school in a nearby barrio (the name of which I cannot remember at the moment unfortunately.) The school is situated in one of the poorest neighborhoods in all of Caracas, operated my Madre Maria Luisa Casar and her team of nuns and parent volunteers, this school is a sanctuary for at-risk children aged 1-13. I got to sit in on a grade 5 choir rehearsal led by one of directors of the Schola Cantorum outreach program, Luimar. The lids performed their favorite 2 part pieces for us and even taught us a short unison song and dance. It was so incredible, to be singing with these phenomenal. They kept smiling at me and watching to see if I was looking at them. I even for a kiss on the cheek from an adorable girl in kindergarten. The boundless love expressed by everyone at that school who welcomed us truly touched me. Goung to that barrio was a life changing experience for me. And wow, its only the 2nd day!!

Tonight I will be going to a rehearsal of Schola Juvenil, a wing of Schola Cantorum de Venezuela for youth. After this rehearsal my friend Almud and I will be going to a concert by one of the orchestras from the famous El Sistema program to hear them play for the French Embassy.

More updates to come tomorrow!!

With love from Caracas.

Finally.

Tomorrow I depart for Venezuelan soil. Finally.

All the time I spent thinking, planning, calling, e-mailing, will manifest into reality - a change of scenery, an opportunity to be a 'visitor'. Being at home these last few weeks has made me forget what it's like to visit a place, if it makes sense to say so. Much of my time back has been about catching up with friends, going to the places that we used to go to in high school, taking shortcuts where I know they exist. Tomorrow, I will plunge into a state of uncertainty and fear. Sitting on my deck writing this now already gives me a taste for these feelings. I am scared, of course. This is the longest trip that I have ever planned. It is also the most ambitious, and some may argue, the most dangerous (although I refuse to listen to horror stories from people who have never been to the places I am going to). In any case, it's about to happen and all I have to do is 'jump in'. In a way, that's the best part - giving yourself up to the uncertainties of what's to come. I'm a conductor, I like control, you all know that. But yet, giving up control of the situation can be such a rewarding experience. This is such a time. I am giving up control and opening myself to what comes my way. I've packed my backpack, uploaded my playlist, said goodbye to my family and friends, and now, written my pre-departure blog entry. Feels like my to-do list is finally complete. Wish me luck as I take on South America, one country at a time.

Next chapter...Caracas!!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I write to you today as an official graduate of the Master of Music program in Choral Conducting at the University of Alberta! I've been bragging about this all over Facebook, so it's only fair that I devote a short little post to this newly acquired accomplishment. I'm kidding of course. I want to just say a few things that I have thought about since convocation.

I remember planning to leave for Edmonton to start this degree. In fact, I remember the evening of my departure as if it was yesterday. What a whirlwind I was in! I couldn't think straight. Actually, I forgot one of my best batons...The adjustment to a new city which followed proved to be an incredibly difficult time. Without going into detail, I will just say that the combination of unbearable living conditions, need for surgery, and countless assignments and award applications really tried my character and will power. But alas, I made it.

Where did the rest of my time in Edmonton go? All I can remember are fragments of important events - my graduating recital, hearing Tallis Scholars live, trying rhubarb cupcakes for the first time (an important event indeed!). Everything else seems to be a blur. I bet this is normal. I bet that in no time at all, I will be reminiscing about my days working at the choral library, or writing my thesis on the 5th floor of Rutherford library...Things that I can never do again, but things that I am glad I did. I don't think that I could have made a better choice than to come to the U of A, and I say that with an honest heart. Edmonton, with it's unbearable winters and silent sidewalks, charmed me. In fact, I have decided to live there for another 2 years - a decision that I NEVER thought I would make had it been two years ago. Yet, thanks to the experiences I've had in the past two years, I know that I am capable of shifting my perspectives and adjusting to my environment. Learning this may have never happened had I not come to a city that is so different from all that I know. I guess I learned that yes, I really like change.

La Lista

These days, I find myself perpetually daydreaming. I find myself standing on my balcony for unknown periods of time, imagining an ocean on the horizon, blue and beautiful, nothing like the refineries that are in its place. Poetic, isn't it? It could be that my time is not really occupied by anything else - I am unemployed, I have no desire to read really, and aside from attending a few concerts here and there, I spend most of my evening watching Spanish movies, trying to catch a few phrases and learn a couple of catchy expressions that might prove useful this summer.

Tonight I watched a film titled The Secret in their Eyes, an Argentine film, awarded an Oscar for Best Foreign Language film in 2009. Having finished it just a few minutes ago, and feeling very inspired, I turned on Silvio Rodriguez, and opened up blogger.com. I seem to be giving in to these writing urges quite frequently lately. Maybe, secretly, I know that this is but a chain of impulses, and I'll abandon the blog once again before the month is up. Whatever the case may be, tonight I want to finish telling you about my prospective adventures, in full. Instead of getting off topic, as I have done in the last 2 posts, I would just like to list my agenda. Although it may not be necessary, or of any particular interest to anyone, I find writing the list inspiring - by listing the places that I am set to see, I feed my need to daydream.

The list:
1. Caracas
2. Salvador
3. Rio de Janeiro
4. Sao Paulo
5. Montevideo
6. Punta del Este
7. Buenos Aires
8. Puerto Madryn
9. Trelew
10. Santiago
11. Valparaiso
12. Toronto

Fourty-one days of travel, twelve places, five flights...I hope that I can take it all in. I will be attending the 9th World Symposium on Choral Music while in Puerto Madryn - a stay that should hopefully ground me back to the normal world. But what do I even mean by "normal world" - will it change somehow upon my return? I hope so. I long for a shift in perspective. I need to be taken out of my comfort zone, I need to forget this apartment I'm so comfortably living in, if only for a little while. Perhaps some of you reading my words can identify with this longing, maybe even act on it. As Goethe once said said, "A man can stand anything but the succession of ordinary days."

Finding Salvador

Today hasn't really been a good day. I woke up with an acute pain in my jaw which hasn't really subsided. I think that my wisdom teeth are back...Yes, I mean BACK! I am not kidding when I say that they have grown back for a second time! (For the sake of entertainment: I had two sets of wisdom teeth removed, another another set of molars growing. What can I say, I am either very wise or a freak of nature!)

It being a lazy Sunday afternoon, I spent my time on Google maps, looking at satellite views of places that I plan to visit this summer. This process, which is probably one of my favourite things to do on the net, inspired me to write. And so I share the rest of my South America itinerary with you!

Last week I wrote about my travel plans for Venezuela. Today, I shall reveal my second destination: Salvador, in Bahia, Brazil. The trip to Salvador is by far the one I am looking forward to the most (out of tourist-y things that I am doing). Initially I was just going to fly to Rio de Janeiro, but after spending nearly $140.00 on a Brazilian visa, I figured I should see as much of the country as possible during my week-long stay there.

So, why Salvador? Well, I found out about this marvelous city through a course that I took back at the University of Toronto. At the time, I was in my fourth year, looking to feed my curiosity about the land of Soccer (futbol, I should say) and maybe learn a thing or two about music along the way. While a lot of the course's content had to do with samba and carnaval music, our professor, Dr. Packman spent a fair chunk of time introducing us to Brazil's fascinating North - Salvador, the birth place of Capoiera's fame and the epicenter for Brazilian Candomble. The more I learned about Salvador, the more I became enamored with its people and culture. I remember hearing a song by a famous Bahian ensemble, Ilê Aiyê, titled Que Bloco e Esse (YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJbmHF5DYYI). The song sparked a great passion within me - I knew that I had a special connection with the style, a connection that cannot be explained by my Belarusian upbringing and not my diligent studies in Western classical music. Nonetheless a connection that ignited a whole chain of events, including the hosting of a party in Brazil's honour, many evenings of watching Brazilian movies, and finally, the purchase of a Portuguese phrasebook.

It's hard to believe that three years later, I will be actually going to the place that I so often dreamed about. I will actually witness capoeira being played out on the streets, and hopefully even attend an authentic Candomble ritual. yes, I will hear the drumming live, its echoes ringing against the city's walls! For anyone who is interested in Bahian music, I would like to suggest a documentary that I recently took out from the library: Found Sounds Bahia, by David Zucker. In it, Zucker documents the creative process of a drumming ensemble named Lactomia; a group of young men who perform with instruments made solely from recycled materials. Their story is truly remarkable and inspiring, not to mention valuable for today's students and educators. I've included a link to a portion of the video below:

http://vimeo.com/11084459

If you aren't able to find the video, or don't think it's has room on your 'to watch' list, I would like encourage you to follow my photos of Salvador (when I actually get there) via this blog!

Caracas at last...

On July 12th of this year, I will embark on my very first visit to South America. This trip is both business and pleasure, as I will spend time both studying and exploring the Atlantic coast of the continent.

The idea for this trip came out of rather unique circumstances.

Two years ago I was in Oklahoma for the 2009 ACDA National Convention. At the final conference concert, I witnessed an incredibly moving performance by Maria Guinand and the Schola Cantorum de Venezuela. I'll never forget the choir's performance of Durufle's Ubi Caritas...To this day, it was probably the most tuneful, emotional, and fulfilling choral musical experience that I have ever had. Just seeing the singers stand before me in their colourful, flowing dresses, holding hands, and singing without inhibition or sense of limitation - the performance was their life story, told in a song. I was truly touched, and to be perfectly honest, I even cried a little.

I returned home to Toronto still completely mesmerized by Schola Cantorum's singing. I felt a deep connection to the ensemble's unique sense of musicianship; unique in its manifestation, in its stylistic considerations and execution. I knew that I just had to find out what makes the magic!

I started to research Maria Guinand's work. I was blown away by what I found - not only has Mrs. Guinand dedicated her life to working with choirs in her country and promoting Venezuelan choral music alongside her husband, Alberta Grau, but time and time again I came across testaments of people all over the world whom Mrs. Guinand had inspired with her boundless kindness and passion for choral art. I understood then that I was one such inspired persons, and that I must use all of my facilities to reach Venezuela and witness Mrs. Guinand's work firsthand.

Two years later, I am happy to say that I have made my dreams come true. With the help of Dr. Cairns, I managed to get in touch with Mrs. Guinand and arrange to study with her and observe her choirs in Caracas. I'm hoping that this experience will give me a glimpse into a different world of choral music making. I cannot wait to hear Venezuelan choral works performed by Venezuelan singers and possibly meet the composers/arrangers behind the works. The excitement I feel even when I write about this trip overrides any anxiety I may feel about travelling alone. Sure, many say that South America is dangerous but I have doing a lot of research as to how to best travel safely and in addition, I dedicate an hour each day to studying Spanish. This may just be the biggest adventure of my life and I couldn't ask for anything better than to finish my Master of Music with a grand trip to this fascinating continent.

Back to school...

It's hard to believe that exactly one month ago, I was on vacation.

Today marks is probably the only evening since then that I could sit down and write. Seeing as to how the past four weeks have been rather eventful, I feel the urge to share a little about my life.

To begin, I must admit that I am finally enjoying living in Edmonton. For one, the city is endowed with marvelous choirs. Just this past afternoon, I had the immense pleasure of hearing Pro Coro perform their season opener. This fabulous choir, lead by Richard Sparks, performed one of my all-time favourite pieces: Frank Martin's Mass for Double Choir. Those of you who are familiar with the piece will surely envy my having heard it performed, and performed it very well indeed! Richard Sparks is a wonderful conductor to watch. His gestures seem effortless. Through cascades of Martin's dynamics, Richard Sparks carries the music with absolute conviction - a truly inspiring sight for a student conductor to see.

I have the privilege of testing out my own conducting skills in the city this year. I now hold the position of Co-conductor with the Festival Singers (http://www.festivalsingers.ca) - a community choir the Sherwood Park district of Edmonton. This past weekend, the choir organized the Starthcona Choir Workshop - a single day event featuring clinicians from in and around the city. The event was a pretty big deal to me, as I have never been a clinician before. I conducted two workshops; the first dealt with the Eurhythmics music teaching method, from the works of Emile Dalcroze, and the second focused on teaching Latin American choral music. I think that the second workshop was most engaging. The participants learned a song, danced and played percussion, all to the accompaniment of guitar. The song proved to be quite catchy too! I was very nervous about the whole thing, I must admit. Although I prepared for it well, I wasn't sure how many people would attend or how the event would gel together and so my anxiety was getting the best of me. In any case, I think that I did fairly well. At least now I can now say that I lead my very own clinic!

With the Stathcona Choir Workshop behind me, I can now focus on rehearsing my graduate recital choir. For those of you who are not familiar with how the graduate program in conducting at the University of Alberta works, I shall briefly explain (the rest may skip to the next paragraph!). As this is a course-based program, I am responsible for completing both course work and a conducting recital by the end of my second year in the program. The 'trial-run' for the graduating conducting recital occurs at the end of your first year with a joint conducting recital with other first year students in your program. Your individual recital spans 14 rehearsals, twice a week, at the end of which I conduct a concert. The process is quite intense, as I must plan rehearsals, execute them, account for any 'unforeseen circumstances' while trying to keep on top of my game, and to say the least, personable. A lot like real life!

I absolutely love working with my ensemble. Each singer has been handpicked and more than half of them are my friends who are in the ensemble as a favour to me. Each time that I make a mistake, or say something slightly out of place (which I do more than I would like to admit!), I look at the faces in front of me and feel nothing but support. I realize then how lucky I am to belong to a school with such as program as I am in now and to know the people that I do. Sure, there are ups and downs (and boy there has been many) Yet overall, I am extremely grateful for what I have. Stay tuned for recital videos!

So as you can see, my life is awfully busy but ceaselessly exciting. I wish that I could produce a more cohesive entry, rather than a collage of thoughts and impressions. But as I am unable to do so, I merely quenched my thirst to write.

Student Chapter Survey - Please Complete!

Dear colleagues and friends,

This past year, I have been developing a proposal for installing a Student Chapter with the Association for Canadian Choral Communities. I think that it is very important for young people studying choral arts to communicate with one another, regardless of age or distance. Being a student, I have learned of the challenges of networking. Aside from some of the conducting students I had met at U of T during my undergraduate years, I had hardly met other young professionals in my field. Moreover, after having attended an ACDA conference back in 2009, I realized that having a student chapter strongly aids in establishing a sense of community. Therefore, I thought, there is not reason why the current Canadian choral community cannot have the same central hub for communication that will promote student-student and student-mentor relationships nationwide.


With the help of my advisor, Dr. Debra Cairns, Brendan Lord and ACCC Executive Director Christina Murray, I have put together a short survey for those people involved in the choral arts to compelte. The outcome of this survey will help develop the student chapter to better meet the needs of its potential members.

The link for the survey can be found below. I can't express just how valuable your feedback is to this project!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FJVW6S6

Thank you!

Exploring La Pasión Según San Marcos

If someone were to ask me which of my summer adventures was most impressive, I would have to give them a somewhat odd reply, for the adventures which comes to mind is a sonic one. Late last month, I had ordered a copy of Osvaldo Golijov’s La Pasión Según San Marcos, conducted by Maria Guinand, performed by the under the Hässler label.
My interest in the piece stemmed out of my ongoing following of Maria Guinand’s work. I had watched a YouTube interview with Maria Guinand conducted by the Oregon University when I heard her speak about Golijov’s piece. After doing a little more research, I discovered that the collaboration between Golijov and Guinand is a rather special one – the origins of the work stem from a commission by the International Bach Academy, an organization with which Maria Guinand`s own career has ties with. Furthermore, Guinand has performed the piece with Schola Cantorum de Venezuela internationally, and has recorded it with both Hässler and Deutsche Grammophon, recently receiving the Echo Klassik 2010 prize for the latter. Maria Guinand`s commitment to the work supposes La Pasión as somewhat of a signature piece in her conducting career.

After watching Maria’s interview with Oregon Univerisy, I did not know what to expect from Golijov’s piece – a synthesis of Passion text with Latin American influence? That`s nothing that I could imagine after having studied Baroque Passion settings for so long. I expected a surprise and boy, did I ever get just that. The first time that I heard to the work, I was sitting on a beach with my three closest friends, looking out at Lake Erie. The second the music came on, the beach suddenly transformed into a remote Venezuelan coast. My mind literally began to imagine a completely different place. Listening to the piece now, while writing away in the car on the way to Kamloops, British Columbia, I have again suspended my surroundings. Again, Golijov arrests my mind and twists my perception, reminding me of the ceaseless intensity of La Pasion that my mind simply can`t turn away from.
So, you may ask, what is so amazing about this piece? I am can only offer my opinion as an amateur reviewer of choral literature, to be perfectly honest. I have not seen the score of the work, nor have I read much about the piece other than my CD program notes and an online interview with Golijov forBlueFat magazine (http://www.bluefat.com/1006/Osvaldo_Golijov.htm ). If you want to find out more about the work itself, the link I have listed above is a good place to start, as well as Golijov`s Wikipiedia page. My intent for this blog is to simply share with you why I think this piece is worthy of your listen.
I won’t go into details of every track, but will instead write of a specific moment in the piece – the opening track. The piece opens with the strumming of three guitars – La Pasión`s narrators. As percussion joins them, the sound scapes explodes with burst of energy, driven by a small ensemble of trumpets. With the trumpets fading in and out of the soundscape, the listener enters a mood of growing apprehension – a frame of mind fundamental to receiving the work`s content. Employing the trumpets this way is one of many testaments of Golijov`s expertise as an orchestrator. Having disoriented his listener, Golijov uses his `narrators`to pulse out the energy, leading the ensemble to a restless trembling of the vibraphone and rickety strings, which too give way to silence. Within less than 2 minutes, the listener has experiences a dramatic change of mood – a recurring experience in the span of the entire work. Time and time again, Golijov transports his listeners from crushing turba choruses to perfectly serene chamber settings, creating somewhat a rollercoaster ride. Nonetheless, these striking changes never interrupt the flow of intensity as it is always kept up by spectacular performances on all fronts. I have to give a special mention to the two choirs featured – Schola Cantorum de Caracas and Cantoría Alberto Grau, for their singing made a special impression on me.
I have not had much experience singing South American choral repertoire, aside from performing Ramirez`s Missa Criolla back as an undergrad. Even then, I can`t admit to having ever been in the ‘groove’ doing it. What I do know, however, is that Maria Guinand’s choirs are quite simply the ‘grooviest’ ensemble that I have ever heard, hands down. In each choral movement, both ensembles sing with exceptional ease, regardless of rhythmic activity or harmonic complexity. One might say: well of course, they are Venezuelans! They were born into this performance practice! Still, there is no denying that the performance put on by Schola Cantorum de Caracas and Cantoría Alberto Grau is unique in the respect that both choirs are not only completely natural performing the piece, but they actually sound like one voice. The sheer togetherness of their singing point to the fact that the ownership of Golijov’s music is theirs, and theirs alone. I have yet to hear an ensemble which is able to control and at the same time shape intricate musical elements as those of Schola Cantorum and Cantoría Alberto Grau. Hearing such a performance definitely gives a young conductor such as myself something to aspire to. I can only dream of one day getting my hands on Golijov’s score, working through it, and ultimately performing it somewhere in Canada. Until that day comes, I will continue to listen to La Pasion Segun San Marcos and encourage others who are looking to cleanse their choral palate to do the same!

One of my favourite things to do when I travel is visit museums. This past weekend, I was in New York City celebrating my sister's birthday. As any tourist would, I did some sight-seeing as well. I spent the majority of my second day in the city at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For those of you who have been to this museum, you know very well just how overwhelming the experience can be - countless hallways, innumerable artworks, breathtaking antiques, and all in one building! Without much of a plan of what I wanted to see, I took out the museum map. The first thing that captures my attention was the label "Choir Screen" pointing to a center of a large exhibit room. I took off on a search to find this mysterious object when I reached a room sectioned off by a large, wrought-iron screen. Its inscription read:

"This wrought-iron screen, or reja, was once installed in the central nave of the Cathedral of Valladolid in Spain."

As it turns out, this choir screen was a gift from a certain Isidro Cosio y Bustamante, bishop of Valladolid. It was put into the cathedral in 1763. The plaque went on to explain that "screens of this kind were used to close the choir to the public. When the choir was relocated near the main altar in the 1920s, the screen was no longer needed."

Hmm, I thought. I have definitely never heard of such a tradition, sectioning the choir off from the public. One thing that struck me is that the screen was not solid, and so the barrier would only serve its purpose 'symbolically'. In reality, the sound of the ensemble wouldn't be covered, nor would the sight of people singing be hidden. So what is the point of this? I wondered.

So like all good music students, I logged into Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians to see if I can find anything on the topic. Sadly, nothing came up. So now I am wondering whether some of my humble readers could share any insight they may have about this tradition of putting up choir screens. I realize that to a conductor like myself, brought up admiring entertainment face to face, putting up choir screens may sound slightly bizarre. Yet I am sure that there is historic value to this tradition and although discontinued, it served a specific purpose at the time. Now, who can help me discover what that purpose may be?

IX Lithuanian Song Festival

On July 4 of this year, I had the pleasure of attending the ninth annual Lithuanian Song Festival (IX Dainu Svente) at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga. The festival returned to Toronto after a 32-year dry spell, making it a very important event in the Lithunian cultural community as well as the choral community worldwide. I've included a link to a brief overview of the festival's history:

I arrived to the event expecting to see an enormous group of largely Lithuanian people singing together. I was correct to expect a large turn out for the Lithuanian (as well as Latvian) community but I was wrong to assume that the audience was sing with the performers. Perhaps what I envisioned was more alike to scenes from the film The Singing Revolution - crowds of ordinary people gathered together to sing folksongs. Instead what I found was the traditional concert set-up; the audience sat on one side, the singers on the other. At times, one of the conductors would invite the audience to sing along to the words shown on a large screen above the singers. A type of choral karaoke, one might call it. I understand that there is a logistical difficulty with having a concert in a Canadian city where everyone mixes together. Yet I hoped that they would, as to try and recreate the effect so distinct to Baltic song festival culture.

Still, I had no reason to be disappointed. The concert featured several ensembles from Lithuania, Canada and the United States and incorporated elements of visual and performing arts. At one point, a group of adorable young children dressed as daisies danced unto the stage, evoking innumerable 'aw's from the audience. Overall, I would rate the event highly on a scale of entertainment and musicianship value. I look forward to potentially travelling to the 2013 All-Estonian Song Festival in Tallinn and witnessing the 'song festival' culture on a larger scale.

Introductions

Dear reader,

Before I begin to spill out my thoughts, I thought that I would briefly introduce myself.

My name is Irene Apanovitch. I currently reside in Toronto, Canada, although my roots take me back to Eastern Europe, particularly Minsk Belarus. As many choral musicians, I began my formal musical training with piano lessons at the age of six. Upon countless years of lessons and eventual acquisition of a Bachelor Degree in Music Education from the University of Toronto, I have received what one may call their 'calling' and decided to pursue a career as a choral conductor. Thus I am in the process of receiving my Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Alberta, where I have the distinct pleasure of studying with two incredible professionals: Dr. Debra Cairns and Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff.

This past year I spent a lot of time mulling over the idea of having a student initiative within the Canadian choral community. My ideas eventually shaped into a project proposal which I am excited to eventually forge into an active enterprise. In the meantime, I thought that I'd take a personal initiative and gain some practice writing about choral music and choral art in general. After all, the field is vast and the sheer amount of talented individuals involved in it is enough to inspire one to start talking. So that is what this blog is - an initial step in igniting dialogue amoung students, their mentors, and lovers of choral music worldwide!