abcd 30th Annual Convention, Royal Northern College of Music Timetable Friday 28th August 14:00 Registration opens Young Conductors’ course opening session with Amy Bebbington 15:15 Opening of Exhibition and tea and cake, sponsored by Aldeburgh Music’s Friday Afternoons 16.15-17.15 1a) Repertoire reading session on Russian and Eastern European music. Originally from Moscow and a Graduate of the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Irina Walters has lived and taught in the UK since 1995 and so is the ideal person to lead delegates through a wide variety of new Russian and Eastern European repertoire from our exhibitor publishers. 1b) Back to Basics abcd tutor Martin Cook helps you brush up on some basic skills and learn new ones. Having studied and worked in the US, Martin can demonstrate some fascinating trans-Atlantic techniques. 1c) Young Conductors’ course continues 17:30 Regional meetings The opportunity to meet and network with others leading singers in the same field as you. Exchange problems and find solutions! 18:15 Chair’s Reception, sponsored by York University Music Press 19:00 Dinner and close of exhibition 20:30-21:45 Plenary singing session with Ian Chesworth and Gitika Partington Repertoire for community choirs, along with hints for everyone on ways of teaching music to singers with limited experience. Saturday 29th August 09:00 Exhibition opens 09:30-10:30 2a) Warm ups – why bother? Maggie McDonald, prize-winning mezzo-soprano, adjudicator, choral coach and specialist voice teacher, explains why warm-ups are so vital. She also advises on the right singing techniques to employ to prepare choirs for rehearsals and concerts. 2b) Community choirs – getting started with Andy Guthrie. Andy is Director of The Workplace Choir Company, running choir programmes with organisations such as Thomson/TUI Travel and UNISON. His session looks at three types of community choir – and why they’re all successful. Topics include: getting started, finance, recruitment, allocating voice types, planning a performance and avoiding pitfalls. 2c) Repertoire reading session – settings of Shakespeare abcd tutor and conductor of the William Byrd Singers, Keith Orrell leads this session of newly published repertoire from our exhibitor publishers set to the words of Shakespeare, thinking ahead to programming for the 400th anniversary of his death next year. 2d) Young Conductors’ course Session 2. 10:45-11:45 3a) Intermediate conductors’ masterclass The first of two Intermediate level sessions, with three conductors in each for 15-20 minutes’ individual tuition, along with observer delegates. Patrick Russill, Head of Choral Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, London and Director of Music of the London Oratory, has chosen short, contrasting, pieces, sent out in advance, for the conductors to prepare to work with members of the William Byrd Singers, including music by Bruckner, Hassler, Mendelssohn and Stanford. Masterclass places now filled; observer delegates very welcome. 3b) Jazz warm ups As we know good singing requires a happy and focused choir! Warmup session using warm- ups and short pieces that Will Todd uses in workshops, focusing on rhythm, pitch and a sense of adventure. 3c) Technology – the choral director’s new ally New technology now helps choral directors in so many ways that no-one can ignore it. abcd Trustee Andrew Potter chairs this panel session looking at some basic technology aids, including how to use IT to source printed music, read scores online, help singers who are not strong readers learn music quickly through websites, help with pitching, and sharing files. Delegates are also encouraged to bring their own questions. Panellists include Kathryn Knight, CEO of newly formed music technology company Tido, and ICT expert John Willetts. 3d) Repertoire reading session – music for large SATB choirs abcd Director of Training and conductor of the Joyful Company of Singers Peter Broadbent leads this session of repertoire from exhibitor publishers for large mixed voice choirs. 11:45 Coffee and Exhibition

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12:15-13:15 4a) Advanced Level conductors’ masterclass The first of two Advanced level sessions, with three conductors in each for 15-20 minutes’ individual tuition, along with observer delegates. Patrick Russill, Head of Choral Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, London and Director of Music of the London Oratory, has chosen short, contrasting, pieces, sent out in advance, for the conductors to prepare to work with members of the William Byrd Singers, including music by Debussy, Lauridsen, Lotti, Saint-Saens and Schütz. Masterclass places now filled; observer delegates very welcome. 4b) Open rehearsal – The 24 and Robert Hollingworth Prior to their performance in the gala concert, a chance to see this highly-accomplished and versatile chamber choir in rehearsal. Based at the University of York, the choir performs music from the sixteenth century to the present day and tours widely, most recently in China. Robert is also Anniversary Reader in the University of York Music Department and well known as founder and conductor of I Fagiolini. 4c) Repertoire reading session – music for church choirs Discover a wide range of new repertoire from our exhibitor publishers for all those working in churches, from the small village choir to large parish churches and beyond with composer and choral leader Philip Stopford. 4d) What works for school choirs? The first of three workshops with US composer and publisher Andy Beck. Here he shares simple choral arranging techniques that work especially well for school-aged singers, leading delegates in several published compositions (at various levels of difficulty) that clearly illustrate the discussion. 4e) Young Conductors’ course Session 3. 13:15 Lunch and Exhibition time 14:00-16:15 Come and Sing with John Rutter Open to the public and to delegates, an informal afternoon of singing with celebrated composer and conductor, John Rutter. Explore John’s own music and a selection of his other favourite pieces. 15:00-16:00 5a) Orchestral conducting – accompanied recitative I Recitative is never easy but can be magical. In the first of two sessions, Neil Ferris uses well-known extracts from Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Haydn’s Creation and Mendelssohn’s Elijah to show how to do it. A limited number of active places are available for these sessions; contact Penny Homer for details. 5b) Vocal Ease with Maggie McDonald This session covers Maggie’s own specially-developed ‘Vocal-ease’ procedures, techniques and exercises to promote healthy, productive phonation; “guiding the sound”, vocal regimes and vocal health. 5c) Keeping boys singing with Professor Martin Ashley and Cambiata North West. An authority on teenage boys’ changing voices and how to look after them, Martin is a co-founder of Cambiata North West. With the help of boys from the choir, in this session he gives practical guidance on how to encourage boys to sing and shows how vital the right repertoire is to achieve that most tricky thing: keep them singing! 5d) Discovering Russian and Eastern European choral music with Irina Walters. In this session the participants will have a wonderful opportunity to sing two very special pieces of Russian choral music: a cantata by Sergey Taneyev (1856-1915), John of Damaskus, and Sergey Rachmaninov’s Spring Cantata for baritone solo, chorus and orchestra. Irina will also introduce three shorter Eastern European works. 16:00 Tea and Exhibition 16:30-17:30 6a) Intermediate conductors’ masterclass The second of our two Intermediate level sessions, with three conductors in each for 15-20 minutes’ individual tuition, along with observer delegates. This time Michael Reif, German choral leader and teacher at the Rheinischen Musikschule Köln, has chosen short, contrasting, pieces, sent out in advance, for the conductors to prepare to work with members of the William Byrd Singers. Masterclass places now filled; observer delegates very welcome. 6b) Jazz warm ups As we know, good singing requires a happy and focused choir! Warmup session using warm- ups and short pieces that Will Todd uses in workshops, focusing on rhythm, pitch and a sense of adventure. (repeat of 3b). 6c) The secondary school challenge Despite pressures – lack of funds, lack of interest or support, too many demands on musical students’ time – there are secondary schools where music is vibrant and thriving. Led by abcd Chair Leslie East, the panel will reveal how it’s done, with time for delegates to share challenges and successes of their own. Panellists include Shoshana Pavett, Education Manager for the Armonico Consort, secondary school teacher Helen Davies and Professor Martin Ashley. 6d) Repertoire reading session – music by exhibitor composers Discover a wide range of new repertoire for all voice combinations from our many composer exhibitors, with Peter Broadbent.

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17:30 Exhibition time and birthday reception for John Rutter, sponsored by Oxford University Press 18:15 Dinner and close of exhibition 19:45 Gala Concert in the RNCM Concert Hall. Featuring the Academic Student Choir of the Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia, (conductor Svetlana Dolnikovskaya), The 24 (conductor Robert Hollingworth) and Cambiata North West (conductor Ian Crawford). Sunday 30th August 09:00 Exhibition opens 09:00-10:00 Annual General Meeting of abcd 10:15 7a) Orchestral conducting – accompanied recitative II In the second of these two sessions, Neil Ferris is joined by the Deconet String Quartet to explore well-known extracts from Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Haydn’s Creation and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. A limited number of active places are available for these sessions; contact Penny Homer for details. 7b) Good vocal technique in 5 basic steps US conductor Jonathan Griffith teaches basic steps to producing a natural, free and vibrant tone, through simple exercises that result in consistent, resonant tone production which last a lifetime. You’ll also find out why uniform vowel production is key to good choral singing. Acclaimed New York conductor, educator and lecturer, Jonathan has led performances across North America, Europe and Asia. 7c) Community choir repertoire with Ian Chesworth and Andy Guthrie, including adapting music and newly published repertoire. What to choose; how to teach it; how to engage non-readers; how to adapt music to suit your own choir. As well as looking at these questions Ian and Andy share newly-published music and show you how to arrange music specifically for community choirs. 7d) Teach me to sing with Andy Beck This practical “how-to” session highlights materials and techniques for training primary school singers. Andy cover unison songs, echo songs, rounds and canons, rhythm and music reading activities, ending with full 2-part choral pieces. 11:15 Coffee and Exhibition 11:45-12:45 8a) Advanced conductors’ masterclass The second of our two Advanced level sessions, with three conductors in each for 15-20 minutes’ individual tuition, along with observer delegates. This time Michael Reif has chosen short, contrasting, pieces, sent out in advance, for the conductors to prepare to work with members of the William Byrd Singers. Masterclass places now filled; observer delegates very welcome. 8b) Sight read in 60 minutes tools to build on from Jonathan Griffith. Surprising, but true: even singers who claim they can’t sight read actually can, given the right tools and their instincts to build on. Jonathan reveals what these are; no longer will your singers need to rely on their neighbour or learn by “ear”; they’ll be able to sight-read diatonic and chromatic scales & manage transposition and simple harmony 8c) Meet me in the middle Choral music for developing voices. Join Andy Beck to sing through the best repertoire for singers in years 7, 8, and 9. Music in this session will address concerns such as finding music for changing voices, balancing fun selections with educational repertoire and motivating teen singers. 8d) Meet the choir – Academic Student Choir of the Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg. Over here especially for the abcd Convention, our first ever Russian guest choir is a frequent participant in regional, all-Russian and international contests, festivals and master-classes. Here is a unique opportunity to hear more from them, watch them work with their conductor Svetlana Dolnikovskaya, and find out more about their repertoire. 13:00 Lunch and last chance for exhibition 14:30 Exhibition closes Sing Spem – final session with Robert Hollingworth. Who better than the vastly-experienced Robert Hollingworth to lead delegates in the final plenary session to sing Tallis’ colossal forty-part motet, Spem in Alium? If you’ve never sung Spem before, now’s your chance to get to know this extraordinary work – and if you have, you’ll know what a treat you have to look forward to, ending 2015’s Convention on a sublime musical high! 16:00 Tea and farewells Music trade exhibition – open from 3.15pm Friday to 2.30pm Sunday The extensive music-trade exhibition is a major part of Convention and a great place to browse, get ideas, plan new repertoire, plan tours abroad for your choir, book workshops, buy equipment and much more. All the major music publishers, music tour agents and many other music specialists will be there so you can benefit from their knowledge and experience; do earmark both browsing and buying time in your weekend schedule.

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Individual lessons For the first time in a number of years, we are offering one-to-one tuition for delegates from some of our presenters. Available in singing, conducting and composition, they will run through the weekend alongside sessions. Booking is available separately for this; contact Penny Homer for full details and a timetable. 27 August (3pm) to 28 August (4pm) Pre-Convention Conducting Course Jo McNally and Keith Orrell lead this practical course looking at rehearsal and conducting techniques for leaders of all kinds of choir – no minimum experience required. Delegates can opt to participate or attend as observers and a repertoire list is sent out in advance. The focus includes:  non-verbal communication  rehearsal techniques  conducting technique For those conductors with more experience or who have already attended previous abcd courses, individual tuition will be available. Young Conductors’ Course 28-30 August, led by Amy Bebbington. Open to all aged 18 to 25 who do not currently earn their living from conducting, this course runs in parallel with Convention, giving students the opportunity to attend some sessions of the Convention, as well as taking part in conducting technique sessions. There will be group and individual tuition in the basics of choir training and conducting, work on rehearsal and performance technique. It is a practical, hands-on course, with the emphasis on informality and tutoring in a small group. This timetable is correct as of 10 August 2015 but abcd reserves the right to make alterations or substitutions should circumstances make this necessary.

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