MCA VIRTUAL CHOIR
ABOUT
Join singers from across the province in MCA’s second virtual choir project! Last year's program was a huge success, and we are hoping for even more singers to take part this year.
MCA invites singers ages 10 and up to come together virtually in the spirit of Provincial Honour Choirs, which we have again had to cancel due to pandemic restrictions. This year Dr. Jamie Hillman will conduct the piece Wide Open Spaces* by Canadian composer Sarah Quartel. All voices are welcome; no previous virtual choir experience necessary.
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A PDF score, learning tracks and rehearsal notes will be made available upon registration, and live online rehearsals will take place in March for the chance to engage with the conductor. Singers are encouraged to spend some time learning their parts with the help of the learning tracks and rehearsal notes prior to these live rehearsals, and prior to sending in their recordings.
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The live online rehearsals will be held over two weekends, with each voice part meeting for half-hour increments. All rehearsals will be recorded and available for viewing afterwards.
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Instructions and how-to videos for recording will be made available to all participants. Once MCA receives all individual recordings, we will get to work mixing the parts, and release the full video on Music Monday, May 2, as our province’s choral contribution to the day!
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*Thank-you to Rainbow Harmony Project for lending us their copies for this program!
SCHEDULE
Mid-February ~ Registration opens
March 5 ~ LIVE online rehearsal
March 17 ~ LIVE “How to Record” session
March 17 - LIVE Q&A session with the composer (NEW)
March 19 ~ LIVE online rehearsal
March 20 ~ Registration closes / Payment due
March 27 ~ Deadline to submit all recordings
May 2 ~ Final video released
DR. JAMIE HILLMAN
Dr. Jamie Hillman is a Canadian and American musician, active as a conductor, singer, pianist, music educator, and composer. He holds the endowed Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting at the University of Toronto, where he is Director of Choral Studies and an Associate Professor. He conducts the U of T MacMillan Singers and leads the master's and doctoral degree programs in Choral Conducting. Prior to this appointment, Hillman served on the faculties of Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Kodály Music Institute, and Longy School of Music of Bard College. As a Boston University Prison Arts Scholar and faculty member of BU's Prison Education Program, Hillman co-initiated an innovative vocal music program in the Massachusetts prison system.
Hillman's upcoming engagements include speaking at the World Choral Expo in Lisbon, Portugal; guest conducting the ACSC High School Honor Choir in Taichung, Taiwan; conducting All-State Choirs in New Hampshire and New Jersey and honour choirs in Massachusetts and Vermont; and leading two national festival choirs at Carnegie Hall. He is the curator and editor of The Jamie Hillman Choral Series published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing.
Dr. Hillman earned an associate diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music and degrees from Western University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Boston University. He is the 2012 laureate of the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting from the Ontario Arts Council. He is a board member for numerous choral organizations, including National Collegiate Choral Organization.
SARAH QUARTEL
Canadian composer and educator Sarah Quartel is known for her fresh and exciting approach to choral music. Deeply inspired by the life-changing relationships that can occur while making choral music, Sarah writes in a way that connects singer to singer, ensemble to conductor, and performer to audience. Her works are performed by choirs across the world, and she has been commissioned by groups including the American Choral Directors Association, the National Children's Chorus of the United States of America, and New Dublin Voices. Since 2018 she has been exclusively published by Oxford University Press, and she continues to work as a clinician and conductor at music education and choral events at home and abroad.
REGISTER
We encourage you to register early to secure your spot, as there are a limited number of spots available for each voice part.
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The registration fees are as follows:
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$30 for adults
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$25 for MCA individual members
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$20 for students (ages 10-17, university students)
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Ask about discounts available for groups of 10 or more!
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Your registration fee includes:
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PDF copy of the score
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Access to learning tracks & rehearsal notes
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Attendance at two live online weekend rehearsals
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Contact with the conductor and video technician for questions
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NEW - Opportunity to talk LIVE with the composer
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Your recording included in the final video!
Payment may be completed by credit card online, e-transfer, or cheque. Groups may also choose to be invoiced. Payment is due by March 20. Registration is not considered complete until payment is received in full.
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BURSARIES
We want to ensure that anyone who wants to participate is able to! For this reason, MCA has made bursary funds available to singers in need. If you are experiencing financial difficulty and are unable to pay the registration fee, please contact us at info@mbchoralassociation.ca to request a bursary. Bursaries will be given out based on need and availability.
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REGISTERING STUDENTS & CHILDREN
Please complete a separate form for each child you are registering. If registering your child or a group of singers, you must fill out a separate registration form for each singer.
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All participants must provide consent for MCA to use their recordings in the final video, however those participants who are under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian fill out a consent form. This can be downloaded below, but will also be made available upon registration. Submit all completed consent forms to info@mbchoralassociation.ca.
​​MCA must receive all consent forms by March 31, 2022.
LAST YEAR'S PROGRAM
Last year the Manitoba Sings! Provincial Virtual Choir performed "Wonderful World Medley", arranged by Winnipegger Jonathan Alexiuk, and produced by Stephen Ross as our contribution to Music Monday 2021, and as our kickoff to the MCA Spring Virtual Concert on social media for the month of May!
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165 singers from across the province came together in 3 age groups (adult, senior high, and junior high singers) to create this uplifting 10-voice piece, directed by Rick Heppner Mueller (Altona).
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