Festival Jeunes Voix Mêlées
from 8th to 12th may, 2024
Aims of the event
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Give an opportunity for singers to meet and sing with well-known European choir directors
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Opportunity for different choirs to meet and sing together
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Allow choirs to share their experiences
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Give choir members the opportunity to listen to many concerts with choral groups of different styles
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Organize a choral event for the city, the council and the department
Dates
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On Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th of May 2024, meeting for school choirs
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On Wednesday the 8th to 12th of May 2024, European choir festival
Organizer
Association Junior-Chanterie-Cantilène de Thuir
The"Chanterie - Cantilène" Thuir is a choir group of children and teenagers from five to 18 years old. We were created in 1977 and we are located in Thuir in the South of France near Perpignan and 45 km from the Spanish border. Our association has three groups: the junior group between 5 and 8 years allows singers to discover their voices, the chanterie from 8 to 12 allow singers to discover polyphonic songs. The older group, the cantilène is composed by singers from 12 to 18 years old, they explore more complex arrangements.
All three groups have a rich year of musical concerts, afternoon workshops, and week-end full of songs, scenic work and plenty of fun.
Every year, singers participate in choir exchanges around France and abroad. In recent years, we have met choirs from Portugal, Estonia, Catalunya, France....
Singing practice: ateliers, open singing
3 ateliers for 100 singers conducted by renowned European choir directors.
Each choir will be split into two groups and will participate in 2 different workshops. Each group will follow the same atelier for the three days. The choirs will have to choose by order of preference which workshop they select. Each director will then split his choir into two groups respecting the balance of voices.
Participants : 8-12 years old( equal voices)- 100 participants
Workshop content :
Kuimba is Swahili for sing, because that is what we love. In this atelier we will sing and move with repertoire from all over te world.
While working in a playfull way on the pertoire, we will devolop the basic skills every choir singer needs!
Kuja Hebu Kuimba! Come let us sing together.
Tom Johnson
Tom Johnson is a violinist and choral conductor.
For him singing is one of the most accessible forms of making music. By singing Tom reaches out to all groups in society: children and adults, choirs and schools, professionals and beginners. He hopes everyone can experience the joy of singing together.
He is the artistic leader of Iedereen zingt, and conductor in the OpMaatOrkest. Two projects that use singing as way to connect throughout society.
Singing with children demands a specific approach, Tom thinks it’s important to train the teachers and conductors of tomorrow. In 2017 he starts as professor in the bachelor music education at AP University in Antwerp. Together with Koor&Stem he gives the course Singing with children for children’s choir conductors.As an Atelier and workshop leader he works for different organizations in Belgium and abroad.
He Conducts De Lambertijnen (children aged 8 to 12) and Carmina (youngsters aged 12 to 18), two choirs from the C-koren, the largest choir-family in Belgium, with over 300 singing members. In Mechelen Tom conducts Vocaal Ensemble Viermaliks (a mixed vocal group).
Atelier n°1 :
Kuimba proposed by
TOM JOHNSON
Atelier n°2 :
Basque Colours proposed by
BASILIO ASTULEZ
Participants : 12-18 ans ( equal voices)- 100 singers
Workshop content :
Choral music by Basque composers written for children´s choirs:
-Xabier Sarasola, PATER NOSTER, for SSA choir and piano
-Junkal Guerrero, BI BIHOTZ (two hearts), for SSA choir, piano and percussion
-Javier Busto, ZAI ITXOITEN (waiting), for SSA choir a capella
-David Azurza, LAINOAK (fog) for SA choir a capella
Basilio Astulez
Basilio Astulez teaches Shoral Singing at the Leioa Municipal Music Conservatory, where he founded the Leioa Kantika Korala children´s choir in 2000 and the SJB mixed youth choir in 2008. This recently-founded choir school has over 250 singers aged between 9 and 25 and has already won many Spanish and European awards (Tolosa, Arezzo, Gorizia, Neerpelt, National Grand Prix…). He conducts also Vocalia Taldea choir, a multi awarded and renowed female ensemble. As the conductor of these choirs, he has recorded 12 records and toured in Europe, America and Asia. He currently teaches Choral Conducting for educational institutions, universities and choral federations in Spain and is frequently asked to be a member of the jury for many competitions and to run choral singing courses and seminars allover the world. He also teaches Choir Conducting at the Musikene Higher Conservatory of the Basque Country since 2018 and leads EHGA, the Basque Youth Choir, recently awarded with three first prizes in the Intertantional Choral Contest of Tolosa.
Atelier n°3 :
Let's move to the music
proposed by
PANDA VAN PROOSDIJ
MATHIEU LENESTOUR at Piano
Participants : 12-22 ans ( mixed voices)- 100 singers
Workshop content :
Title: Let’s Move to the Music
Genre: Pop Music
Moving to music makes singing much easier and a lot of fun!
Singing can also benefit from movement and staging but which movement or formation is suitable?
This atelier will show how movement can support musical pieces in a useful way and make an arrangement visible.
Panda will also during her warming-up work with the singers on her method Voice & Physique.
This method is about supporting the voice by creating a good physical awareness, a healthy posture and finding the right balance between tension and relaxation in the body. Next to these elements this method also explores three important interrelated components: energy, concentration and focus. Working on these components can increase the level of musicality and dynamics which can result in a higher level of performing.
Preparation is necessary in order to work directly on moving to the music.
Panda van Proosdij (NL) studied at the Rotterdam Dance Academy in the Netherlands. She has been a teacher at Codarts, Music Theatre in Rotterdam and worked with The Netherlands Children Choir, The Netherlands Female Youth Choir and Wilma ten Wolde as a movement coach and director for more than 10 years. For fifteen years now Panda has been working on her method / philosophy: ‘Voice & Physique’ This method is about supporting the voice by creating a good physical awareness and a way to let movement contribute to the quality of singing. She gives workshops and masterclasses ‘Voice & Physique’ all over the world and creates Choireography * for different choirs and their events.
Open singing
Open singing will be led by the three renowened European choir director present at the event: Basilio Astulez (Spain), Tom Johnson (Belgium) et Panda Van Proosdij ( Netherlands)
Open singing will also be accompanied by Mathieu LE NESTOUR, singer, pianist, compositor and arranger, singing professor spécialised in contemporary music.
Mathieu Le Nestour records numerous albums as arranger and interpret, nottably with the label Naïve (platinium disc in 2012 for “chansons et comptines de notre enfance“), and regularly lends his voice for advertisements.
Son stge, he accumulates encounters and projects (The voice, Jean Carpenter, Yoann Freejay, Dany Mauro, Emmy Liyana, Anna Ka, Alvy Zamé, Fred’Angelo, Barry Johnson, American Gospel Junior, Agnès fait sa b.o, John Sims, Ronald Becker Electric band…) and tours in France and Europe, notably with his shows: Planète Groove and Le Comptinobook (Gimick).
He is a specialist of choir arrangements or vocal ensembles ( First place of composition at the concours international de la ville de Tours in 2009) Some of his pieces are edited by A Cœur Joie’s editions. He also is the artistic director of VoCA a society specialised in vocal team building.
Concerts
1 singing afternoon
7 concerts
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Concert « Cœur de ville en chœurs » from 14h30 to 17h30 on Thursday 9th of May:
5 squares in the city will welcome the participating choirs. Each choir will give a 25 minutes concert. The public will have the choice between a variety of concerts and locations. The afternoon will be open to all local choirs from the department (school and others).
Locations: Place du Collège-Place de la Mairie-Place G.Péri-Place de la Cellera-Cour de l’école maternelle Les Muriers
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Concert « Mosaïque » at 21h00 on Thursday 9th of May:
Each choir will present 2 songs from their program (duration: 8 minutes per choir)
Location: Théâtre des Aspres
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“Choir to choir" concert from 16h00 to 17h30 on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th of May:
Two choirs share a musical performance for 25 minutes each
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Prestigious concert at 21h00 on Friday 10th of May:
Location: Théâtre des Aspres
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Final concert at 21h00 on Saturday 11th of May:
Will be a performance showing the results of the different workshops and open singing during the event.
Location : Théâtre des Aspres
Registration
on line
from the 15tht of May 2023 to the 30th of September 2023
The first payment of 50% will be asked for the 30th of September 2023. The whole amount will have to be paid on May 2024.
Fee for choirs singers:
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Free for 3 adults (choir director, the pianist and the choir manager). This fee includes accommodation for 4 nights, 8 meals, the open singing, the ateliers and the admissions for all the concerts. It doesn't include the trip to Thuir.
Each choir will have the opportunity to perform during the “mosaique concert”, in one choir to choir concert, and in the final concert. In some cases a concert on the Friday 27th of May in the host village can be organized by the partner choir.
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Choir member of A Coeur Joie or Europa Cantat : 75 euros per chorist
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Choir non member of A Cœur Joie or Europa Cantat: 85 euros per chorist
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Free for choir director, the pianist and the choir manager
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Other accompanying person: 75 or 85 euros as well. Accompanying persons may be asked for help at different times during the event.
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The number of choirs is limited by the hosts available. In case of too many registrations, the musical team will have to choose between the choirs interested so different styles and levels will be taken into consideration. Your registration will be confirmed very quickly.
Accomodation and meals
Family hosting
Collective meals
The singers will be hosted by families of our singers here in Thuir or in families from our local choirs. These families will accompany the hosted singers throughout the whole stay. The meals and picnic will be offered by these families on Wednesday night and Sunday pic nic. The other meals will be taken all together in a common lunch room. Each choir will have to make sure that they have informed us of the different diets of their singers.
Each host family will have at least two singers. Choir directors will send us the list with suggested pairings to dispatch them in the families.. We may make a few changes if needed, but anyhow none will be left alone in a family.
Accompanying individuals will be staying in host families as well except if they book a hotel (which will be the responsibility of their own choir).
Bus drivers: will not be asked to stay during the event. But for those who stay during the festival, they will stay in families as well, except if they book a hotel (which will the responsibility of their own choir).
