I have worked as a choir accompanist for about 6-ish years now, conducting occasionally when asked to do so. Lately, I have felt the urge to move towards the direction of working with professional choral groups. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in Sing Ireland‘s 40th annual choral conducting course, held at the Irish World Academy at the University of Limerick. It would be an understatement to say that the course was anything less than extraordinary.
For one week, Sing Ireland had us conducting, singing and attending lectures/masterclasses, with exceptional coaches from all around the world. About 100 participants joined the course, with a large majority of them being professional musicians, performers and conductors.
We worked with multiple conductors each day, learning something new from each of them. There was always something to learn, whether one was a complete beginner, or an experienced, professional conductor. The high expectations inspired me to continue expanding my musical knowledge and improve my musicianship/conducting skills.
The Transition Group
There were six levels of conducting offered by Sing Ireland. I was placed in Level three (transition). Our lovely group of 10 was coached by the amazing Josep Prats for the next week. He taught with care and humour, and shared his incredible wealth of knowledge with us. It was a fun challenge to work with repertoire that challenged us musically and linguistically. Our group sang and conducted selections from Schubert’s Deutsche Messe to Milhaud’s Quatrains Valaisans. We also had repertoire from Italian and Latin canons and pieces like Emperadriu from Catalonia and Tres Cantos Nativos, written in Krao, just to name a few.
My experience conducting during the course was an experience different from anything I had ever done. We were able to move past the surface level of the music, diving into things like tonal quality, sound balance and diction.
The Mass Choir
We also received five pieces to learn together during the week, under direction of the different coaches. We rehearsed a wide range of music together, from Mater Amabilis, to O Magnum Mysterium and Canción de Jinete (My favourite piece was Mater Amabilis). During mass choir rehearsals, everyone was so attentive and followed conducting directions so accurately. There was no chatter, just the sounds of pencils on paper, singing and directions from the coaches.
Final Thoughts
My week with Sing Ireland was honestly the best week of my life and I am already thinking about going back next year. I left the course feeling so motivated by the music, the talent, all the things I learned and all the ways I could improve. By the end of the week, we had all become this huge and wacky musical family. When you spend 10+ hours a day for seven days with the same people, you get to know them really well. 🙂
-Chewy
To see more of my travels in Ireland, click here.
What a great way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon! The music is grand. We would go back to ireland tomorrow!
Glad you enjoyed listening to the music, Tom! 🙂
What a wonderful, life-changing, life-enhancing experience, Angela! Thank you so much for sharing with is, reminding each of us of our own crossroads experiences. Our experience of music will be enhanced by your sharing with us! May the road continue to rise before you!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the read and I’m happy to be back again with the choir 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful experience with Sing Ireland, Angela. You’re charting a great musical course. I believe great things are ahead for you.
Thank you so much, Carol!
This so interesting and we are so glad to see some of the adventures you have been having over the summer. Your Sing Ireland time sounds amazing. Seeing your confidence and skill on Wednesday night shows something of what you gained. We are so grateful that you are sharing so much with us at both choirs. It is so good to be back together. You are a real blessing for all of us.
That is really kind of you guys to say, thank you! I am happy to be putting what I’ve learned to good use 🙂