[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]   It’s the final rehearsal before your big concert. The warm up is over and everyone is ready to go. But a handful of Singers (the usual suspects...

[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across th...

The Samford University A Cappella Choir singing "If I Can Help Somebody" by Ray Liebau at the Florilege Vocal de Tours: International Song Competition, May 25-27, 2012. Philip Copeland, conductor.

The IX International choir festival Music and Sea, takes place annually in the middle of September in the beautiful village of Paralia, Greece. Paralia is a touristic seaside village situated on the west coast of the Thermaic Gulf and in the shadow of...  more The IX International choir festival Music and Sea, takes place annually in the middle of September in the beautiful village of Paralia, Greece. Paralia is a touristic seaside village situated on the west coast of the Thermaic Gulf and in the shadow of Olympus. The Festival has two parts: competitive and non-competitive. However, the character and the main concept of both parts is joining music, vacation, friendship and fun. The idea of the Festival is to bring the music closer to the people and to present the music on the streets and the squares of Paralia, Olympic Beach and Katerini. All choir ensembles, regardless of the members’ gender and age can apply for participation at the Festival.  less

The concert "ACH! PG Carnivalesque" under the patronage of Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, rector of Gdańsk Tech, attracted several hundred people who listened to daring performances of popular pop music hits. During the performance we heard choral arrangements of...  moreThe concert "ACH! PG Carnivalesque" under the patronage of Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, rector of Gdańsk Tech, attracted several hundred people who listened to daring performances of popular pop music hits. During the performance we heard choral arrangements of hits such as: "Dancing Queen", "Memory", "California Dreamin'" and "Maria". This time it was not Mozart or Bach, but ABBA, Queen and songs from the musical West Side Story that graced the walls of the Gdansk University of Technology in carnivalesque musical artistic creations. Jazz musicians performed along with the choir, and the musical effects were accompanied by a unique lighting arrangement, which required appropriate space and audience arrangement. The more-than-hour-long performance by the Academic Choir of the Gdańsk University of Technology, conducted by Prof. Mariusz Mróz and accompanied by musicians from the Music Academy in Bydgoszcz, ended with joint singing, encores and a standing ovation.  less

Tadeusz Maklakiewicz - Kurpie Suite (1955), part I - "Through the woods girl drove the cattle"; University of Warsaw Choir, conductor: Irina Bogdanovich; Legnica Cantat 43 Tournament; special concert of the last year's winner; Church of The Sacre...  moreTadeusz Maklakiewicz - Kurpie Suite (1955), part I - "Through the woods girl drove the cattle"; University of Warsaw Choir, conductor: Irina Bogdanovich; Legnica Cantat 43 Tournament; special concert of the last year's winner; Church of The Sacred Heart of Jesus, Legnica, Poland, 18th May 2012; text: Hey, through the woods girl drove the cattle, Jasiul set a trap for her there. You won't catch me in your trap, but you can persuade me with a kind word. I won't catch you, girl, you'll get caught yourself If you go to the meadow, on the hay.  less

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] Feel like you’re on a treadmill? Constantly learning and practising and planning but never arriving? Not enough time to catch your breath between concer...

[A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir] I started my first community choir over 20 years ago. I used to worry that, after the long summer break, the Singers would have forgotten me and wouldn’...

The Gustavo Gomez Ardila Choir, was founded by the Master Gomez Ardila and a group of University students, with the wish to form a group of people with only one requirement: "ATTITUDE AND LOVE FOR THE CHOIR MUSIC .&q...  moreThe Gustavo Gomez Ardila Choir, was founded by the Master Gomez Ardila and a group of University students, with the wish to form a group of people with only one requirement: "ATTITUDE AND LOVE FOR THE CHOIR MUSIC ." In an effort to continue the legacy of our master, his posthumous work is continuing the effort and commitment to provide excellence in interpretation polyphonic a cappella and to disclose the Colombian folklore where necessary. The Gustavo Gomez Ardila Choir is part of the Santander choir Alliance, and search the communication, teamwork and development of choral music in the region of Santander and Colombia.  less

Choosing exactly the right repertoire for an ensemble is one of the most essential responsibilities of a conductor.  We want music that stimulates growth within the ensemble, and also enriches the musical palette of the Singers and of the audience me...