International Federation for Choral Music

Webinar "Are you paid fairly? Recommendations on fair pay at international collective singing events"

The European Choral Association (ECA) is a member of the International Music Council (IMC) and subscribes to the Five Music Rights developed by IMC. The 5th Right is the right for all musical artists "to obtain just recognition and fair remuneration for their work." All too often, this right has not been respected fully in the choral sector.

ECA, therefore, decided to research what could be ‘fair pay’ for professionals working in our artistic community: choral conductors and vocal leaders working at international events; conductors of auditioned international ensembles; workshop leaders, masterclass leaders, or lecturers; and composers commissioned to compose a choral work.

In this webinar, Martine Spenjers (The Netherlands) presents the recommendations that were formulated by ECA as a result of its research and study. Additionally, the session explores the fair remuneration perspective of Platform Arbeidsmarkt Culturele en Creatieve Toekomst (ACCT), the networking organisation for the Dutch cultural and creative sector. ACCT’s director Sjoerd Feitsma (The Netherlands) shares insights about the organization’s work and commitment to tackling this issue and ACCT’s efforts toward improving working conditions for the professionals in the sector.

This activity is organised in the framework of the IGNITE project co funded by the EU.

Webinar "Choose your repertoire wisely. Tips and tricks for repertoire building and concert programming"

Are you looking for new repertoire ideas, struggling with building the perfect programme for all occasions, or working with singers from migrant communities? Discover Musica International choral repertoire database and the Sing Me Inrepertoire booklet and get inspired by this webinar´s speakers.

In Part I, Burak Onur Erdem (Türkiye), principal conductor and artistic director of the Turkish State Choir, guides us through the essential aspects of effective programming: developing/building the choral repertoire and choosing appropriate program for performances and competitions. In Part II, we learn about the online library of one of the world's richest database of choral repertoire - Musica International - with Pierre-Luc Pfrimmer (France). Part III concludes with Alba Roorda Martinez (The Netherlands/Spain) and Joana Costa (Portugal), members of the European Choral Association Youth Committee, introducing us to the revised Sing Me In songbook, an inspiring project aiming to support the integration of young migrants into the community through collective singing. While the Sing Me In project was completed in 2018, the world has seen shifts in immigration patterns in the intervening years. To adapt to these changes, the ECA Youth Committee decided to revisit the project and update the Repertoire Guide with the songs from the countries of immigrants' origin.

This activity took place in the frame of Choral Ties, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the EU.