Apologies for the delay in getting episode 10 out to you… life happened. I moved house! Still in Canberra, but living in a big house in the suburb of Giralang with 2 fellow musicians/artists/creative types. Things are going swell.
In episode 10 of Interviews with Choir Leaders we talk with Annie Kwok. Annie is the Assistant Head of Performing Arts at Pulteney Grammar School in Adelaide. She's a classroom music teacher, an award-winning composer, a colourful character, and of course, a choir leader.
Expect to learn:
What it’s like to be a LIVING composer (as opposed to a dead one)
Who has “the attention span of an amoeba”
How sol fa helps with key changes
What it means to be a “sympathetic singer”
How to use the audition to get to know your singers, not just to pick your team
How important it is for singers (even adults!) to feel noticed by their choir conductor
Why it’s important to know what your choristers want, how to make opportunities for that in rehearsals
What we learned from the Hungarians at the James Cuskelly Summer School
How Annie gets choral “X-ray vision” and what it takes to unlock this power
How “evolved” your choristers are, and whether their evolution has stopped…
What makes Australian choirs different
And much more...
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A new arrangement
I arranged Loch Lomond (SATB) for Strange Weather Choir. This is a beautiful Scottish folk song, and I’ve attempted to re-create with voices the feeling of standing on a misty loch at sunrise. Check out this scrolling score video. The arrangement is also available to buy on Sheet Music Direct.
Update from the Life of Dan
I’ve been filling my bucket with barbershop harmony in the first half of this year. The Canberra Chordsmen (my barbershop chorus) and Synching Feeling (my barbershop quartet) received some excellent coaching from the likes of Pam Foley, Jim Catt and Rob Sequeira - which helped both groups excel at our Eastern Region competition in May. Both groups came second in their respective categories. We were all very chuffed! Watch the video of Synching Feeling’s contest set here.
Please share the podcast!
You can help the podcast grow by forwarding this email, by sharing the podcast with someone who you think might enjoy it (i.e. a choir leader or a singer), or by subscribing to the show on Spotify. It’s very rewarding talking with all of these clever choir leaders - and I am so pleased when other people get some value from it too.
Cheers
Dan