New Zealand Choral Federation opens Choral Connect conference registration

The 2021 NZCF Association of Choral Directors’ national conference takes place from 14-17 July 2021 in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and will be live-streamed on the Hopin platform.

The theme for this year’s event celebrates the musical traditions of Māori and Pasifika communities. The NZCF website says, ‘We are delighted to feature a number of prominent artists and scholars in a series of presentations and workshops that we hope will broaden your understanding of te ao Māori in the choral world as well as the creative practices used throughout the Pacific Islands.’

With border restrictions limiting the organisation’s ability to engage international clinicians, several presenters from the United States and the United Kingdom will appear virtually. Their presentations will be complemented by The Conducting Toolbox, a series of sessions dealing with topics including vocal pedagogy, rehearsal techniques, and programming. The New Zealand Secondary Students Choir will feature in a Masterclass with five delegate conductors, who will work with artistic director Karen Grylls on aspects of gesture and communication.

Showcasing the diversity of Auckland’s choral scene, eight choirs from the Auckland region, as well as the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir, will perform, with other groups to be announced soon. Access to these concerts will be included in registration and ticketed for the general public.

The ongoing pandemic has presented challenges for many in the arts community, with lockdowns cancelling or postponing events at short notice. For this reason, the organising committee has made plans to live-stream the entire conference, so should a lockdown occur we are able to quickly move nearly every event onto the virtual platform, Hopin. This also means we can provide an online-only option for delegates who would otherwise not be able to travel to Auckland.

Visit the NZCF website for further information and to register.