International Federation for Choral Music

The Conductors Beyond Borders (CBB) Peer-to-Peer Exchange Programme is part of the Choral TIES project coordinated by the European Choral Association, co-funded by the European Union Creative Europe programme, and organised in cooperation with IFCM.

Thank you to all the participating partners. Here’s a peek into some of the November exchanges made possible through the CBB Peer-to-Peer Exchange Program.

7-10 November: A European conductor from outside the EU (Kerry Boyle, UK) hosted by several choirs in the region of Reims, France

The villages in and around Reims have struggled to recover since the pandemic. Like many places post-Covid, choir numbers remain very low and choirs are looking for new members. To help revitalise local participation, the villagers invited neighbouring choirs to join and perform at a social event. The choirs were led by Kerry Boyle, who also provided a preparatory workshop for the choirs.

13-16 November: A European conductor (Rudolf de Beer, Norway) hosted by a Department of Education Institution in South Africa (North West Musikon)

During this CBB Peer-to-Peer Exchange Program session, Rudolf de Beer undertook several professional engagements that contributed meaningfully to his artistic development. He led a workshop with Viva Cantare Choir, a choir from Stellenbosch, providing technical and musical guidance to support the ensemble’s ongoing growth. Rudolf also served as guest conductor for a new choral-orchestral project with Musikon in Klerksdorp, collaborating closely with local musicians on the preparation and interpretation of the repertoire.

13-17 November: A conductor from outside Europe (Maria Guinand, Venezuela) hosted by choral conductors in Finland (Global Music Department at Uniarts Helsinki)

This CBB Peer-to-Peer Exchange Program session aimed to strengthen global choral leadership by exploring vocal work within an intercultural rhythmic choir. It covered rhythmic conducting techniques across diverse musical cultures, vocal groove, group voice teaching, workshop and rehearsal methods, planning, body–rhythm integration, choral improvisation, and creative approaches to choir direction.