OLD WINE IN NEW SKINS: RE-CONTEXTUALIZING THE CHORAL CANON
Country: USA
Choral musicians are connecting with contemporary audiences in new and meaningful ways by presenting music focused on themes of social justice, cultural awareness and sensitivity, and telling important stories of our time. This session will explore methods of programming music from the historic choral canon in new ways, to translate meaning to the modern listener; to emphasise current universal, cultural, and social trends; and to help our audiences listen, understand, and appreciate historic music anew.
Geoffrey Boers is Director of Choral Activities and the Ruth Waters Professor of Music at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he leads a program widely recognised as innovative, vibrant, and forward thinking. Most recently he has developed a level-based Choral Literacy Standards, a system for development of musicianship, assessment, adjudication, and repertoire grading.
As a conductor and teacher, Geoffrey maintains an active schedule of concerts, workshops, clinics, and masterclasses. He has conducted in many of the major concert halls across the United States and Canada, as well as concerts in Europe, Asia and Australia.
Geoffrey conducts the UW Chamber Singers, a choir of graduate and advanced undergraduate music majors studying choral conducting, vocal performance, music education, as well as many students from programs across campus. The choir is noted for its vocal agility, varied colour, and expressivity, and have been featured at many festivals, conventions, and workshops.