by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Chairman’s Post – by Florian Städtler

+++ It would mean much to me, if you shared this with your vocal music friends, colleagues and networks! +++
This is my personal opinion, coming from more than three years on the EVA board. Just wanted to make a few things clear. 

  1. I’m proud and happy to work for EVA, the European Voices Association.
  2. We’ve been around since 2012 and as a matter of fact the kick-off euphoria has been replaced by reality, i.e. work, more work, slow progress, setbacks, difficulties, detours and tedious admin work.
  3. Nevertheless, we have *started* and although we haven’t completely changed the vocal music world (yet), we have learned and achieved many things that will hopefully make us better community organizers.
  4. One word to all the cherrypickers, cheap talkers and skeptics who like to ask questions like „What’s in it for me?“ „What is the actual pay-off?“ „What’s the return of investment on my membership fee?“ and „What are these guys actually doing?“: Have a look at the www.europeanvoices.org, google for LEOsings (the 2-year EU project we participated in and paid for 22 workshop trips of our members to places like Barcelona, Aalborg, Tours, Freiburg and Copenhagen) or – much better – get in touch and ask what YOU can do for the community. Not vice versa. 
  5. This association is still in the „seed phase“, i.e. the community ( 🙂 you) that longs for accessible information, better vocal music education and a more advanced way of networking, cannot expect quick returns. Becoming a member now and for the foreseeable future is a commitment to the good cause: To improve the framework of working, rehearsing, performing and simply enjoying vocal music.
  6. If we want this idea to grow, we have to grow in numbers. What me most urgently need are people who help to create relevant content: We would love to have EVA social media managers, co-bloggers, researchers and yes, the occasional admin hand. #joinEVAnow does not only mean to become a paying member of the Association. We need you to grow as a team of volunteers, who are always short on time.

Thank you for spreading the news, Karin Mueller, Volker Bauer, Peter Martin Jacob, Indra Tedjasukmana and Tilo Beckmann are looking forward to your comments, your recommendations and your input. And for more international, female, young, innovative, creative members for the EVA core team.

Here’s to a great community, to our vision, but also the long and winding road of discussing, planning, learning and implementing.

FSt
Florian

P.S. One thing you could do right now – it won’t take you more than 10 minutes: Go to the EVA website and add your favorite vocal music festival to the European Vocal Music Map. It will only grow if you participate!

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Welcome to EVA, Catarina Lybeck!

The European Voices Association is happy to welcome a new member. Some of you may already have met her at the LEOsings sessions in Aalborg and Freiburg.

Catarina, tell us who you are!

I’m a Swedish vocal specialist living in Austria. I am a real „voice worker“ due to my longtime occupation as a vocal- and voice coach, speech trainer and singer. I came to Austria about 20 years ago to continue my classical studies as an opera singer at the University of Mozarteum and also sang (among many other things) as soloist for 7 years at the Salzburger Festspiele.

Music making, living and acting is like a golden thread through my life starting with growing up in a great Swedish choir tradition. I believe that the human being is a natural musical being and the outcome of my seminars and teaching confirm this. One of my special skills is making people sing although they believe they can’t. This is a wonderful experience.

Why and how did you join The European Voices Association?

It was actually a coincidence. I came to EVA via the European Union „LEOsings“ project. Got a really friendly welcome by the EVA members and experience them as very skilled and professional people. I also feel that the energy and spirit in EVA is fresh, positive and innovative.

I like the idea of an organization that supports a cappella and vocal music – this was new for me. The human voice is an unsurpassed instrument and I enjoy the beauty and the countless possibilities of  a cappella music. I myself sang in a renaissance a cappella group for one year and then led my own vocal group for about 6 years performing Swedish „avantgarde“. 

Is there anything particular that you want to contribute to EVA?

As I am a founding member of stimme.at – the European Network of Voice Experts and also member of AVI (Austrian Voice Institute) and EVTA I know how important and helpful networking is. For example, to spread information and knowledge.

I have been training people using their voice for about 18 years now across borders. I also have a deep and long-lasting experience in singing.  From being a lyric-dramatic coloratura soprano to perform „Kulning“(Swedish screamjodel) and deep breasted Joik (Samitradition of the North) over pop and jazz, I’ve went to all kind of borders and crossed them.

I think I know exactly what the voice needs to work in the best and most flexible way. So I developed my own method where the inner and outer movement support the voice in a very effective way. This of course includes a physiologically healthy setup. I observe that many singers never learn to use the full capacity of their voice.

Some singers have unnecessary tensions and pain connected with their voice production. Stage fright is another issue. And so on. Here I would like to contribute with ideas, practices and solutions. With different angles how you as a singer can get the most out of your own voice. Because, it’s much more fun singing in the right way! 

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für Video Interview w/ Jim Daus Hjernoe – Part 2

by Florian Städtler, Vocal Blog editor-in-chief

Those who have watched the first part are anxiously waiting for part 2 of the interview I was able to do with Danish vocal music education specialist Jim Daus Hjernoe in Barcelona. In this part of the interview we are talking about the Aarhus Vocal Music Festival, Associate Professor Bobby Mc Ferrin, Vocal Line, choir sound, the „Intelligent Vocal Ensemble“ and the new possibilities for professional singers to study at the Royal Conservatory in Aalborg and Aarhus. Let us know about your Aarhus experiences or send questions via the comment section. Before you watch the video, I’ll let you know about the end of the clip: It’s a reminder to become an EVA member, as this opens up the opportunity to apply for travel and accommodation funding for the next LEOsings session in – guess where? – Aalborg, hosted by Jim and his students in May 2014. So hurry up, we still have some spots to fill. And with the brandnew EVA memberships, it is even more fun to be part of the European a cappella movement.

Second part of the Interview

by ·Kommentare deaktiviert für LEOsings + EVA memberships + Video Interview w/ Jim Daus Hjernoe

by Florian Städtler, European Voices Association (Chairman of the Board)

LEOsings is a European Union project exploring the „Diversity of Singing Practices in Europe“, which had its kick-off session in February 2014 in Barcelona. There will be a more detailed report about the project and opportunities to take part in the following sessions in Aalborg (May 2014), Tours (October 2014), Freiburg (March 2015) and Copenhagen (2015, tba). The most exciting piece of information is the fact, that the European Union potentially pays for travel and accomodation of the Aalborg, Tours and Copenhagen workshops, if you are/become an EVA member.

Which leads us to the second big news: You can now apply for the new EVA membership at the European Voices Association’s website. The new thing about becoming a member is, that there are customized membership benefit packages for singers, supporters, small and large vocal group and choirs. So don’t hesitate, become a part of the contemporary a cappella movement in Europe and profit from your membership package!

IFrame

Talking of vocal music education and networking, you very often end up in Denmark. I had the pleasure to meet and talk to Jim Daus Hjernoe, professor at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus and Aalborg and while the other LEOsings participants went for tapas y vino, we met on the rooftop of our Barcelona hotel and in my hotel room to talk about the Danish vocal music scene, the Academy programs, Vocal Line and Jens Johansen. Enjoy the first half of the interview, the second one will be online soon at Vocal Blog and on the EVA website.

Interview with Jim Daus Hjernoe