A HYBRID CONFERENCE – the new normal?
The New Zealand Choral Federation (NZCF)’s biennial national conference, Choral Connect, will take place July 14 – 17 and this year, for the first time, it will take the form of a hybrid in-person/online event. Delegates will have the option to attend the 3-day convention either at the Dorothy Winstone Centre in Auckland, or live-streamed to a virtual conference platform called Hopin, which has features that will enable delegates to connect. Even the in-person delegates will be able to interact with delegates online, using a mobile app. Each session will be recorded and available to delegates to watch online until 31 December 2021. NZCF hopes that the virtual option will open the conference out to a wider international audience.
Choral Connect is the flagship event of the NZCF’s Association of Choral Directors and is designed to inspire, refresh, and upskill conductors and choral musicians from across New Zealand and around the world. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Dr Karen Grylls and Artistic Advisor Robert Wiremu, the conference will explore the theme of The Choral Traditions of Aotearoa New Zealand and will include forums and presentations on performance practice, permissions and protocols around Māori and Pacific Island music. Presenters will include Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal (Māori perspectives on creativity & ownership), Ataahua Papa (Māori performance workshop), and Opeloge Ah Sam (Pasifika performance workshop).
Bringing an international perspective to the conference, a selection of international choral presenters will Zoom in for a series of Q&A sessions, sharing ideas, insights and innovations with delegates. Renowned choral composer, conductor and singer Bob Chilcott will share his personal perspective on composing for choirs; conductor, ethnomusicologist, and human rights activist André de Quadros will inspire delegates with his presentation on engaging communities through social justice projects; and the BBC Singers’ Chief Conductor Sofi Jeannin will speak to the challenges of repertoire selection and programming.
Other offerings at Choral Connect include a ‘conducting toolbox’ session led by Elise Bradley (Director of the Toronto Children’s Chorus), repertoire reading sessions, choral composition workshops led by New Zealand composer David Hamilton and a conducting masterclass with Karen Grylls.
Capping off each day will be an evening concert offering opportunities to hear a variety of Auckland-based choirs and culminating in the closing night concert featuring the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir, Māori performing ensemble Te Kapahaka o Te Wharekura o Hoani Waititi, Auckland members of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir, and a leading exponent of traditional Māori instruments, Horomona Horo.
To find out more about Choral Connect ’21, email choralconnect@nzcf.org.nz, visit the Choral Connect page of the NZCF website or Register now via Hopin.
New Zealand Choral Federation
Te Kotahitanga Manu Reo o Aotearoa
Official magazine of the International Federation for Choral Music, the International Choral Magazine is published quarterly in the four official languages of IFCM: English, French, German and Spanish. It is distributed in more than 80 countries on the five continents and is the official voice of choral music around the world.
Read moreOur focus at the moment is to unite the choral calendars of international choral organisations. Meanwhile please consult the calendar of choral events published by the European Choral Association - Europa Cantat here.
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