Today marks the release of two exciting new choral arrangements of traditional Christmas carols – Patapan and Noël Nouvelet. Patapan Patapan, a traditional French carol was written by Bernard de La Monnoye (1641-1728) and was first published in 1720. Its original title was “Guillô, Pran Ton Tamborin” or "William, Bring Your Little Drum". The carol [...]
It was a proud moment for me to join the ranks of composers known predominantly by their surnames – the likes of Bach, Mozart and Schumann being displayed on the same shelf! So just what, exactly, lies inside this milestone cover? Death of a Giant – an anthology of art songs Death of a Giant is [...]
Newfoundland, Canada – first encounter Back in 2003, I took my choir Voiceworks (part of the then Queensland Youth Choir) to St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to participate in Festival 500, Sharing the Voices. Festival 500 was a non-competitive event, but choirs were required to go through an audition process and had to be invited [...]
March 22 each year has been designated by the United Nations as World Water Day. The UN describes the event as “a day to celebrate water. It’s a day to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues. It’s a day to prepare for how we manage [...]
I recently had the opportunity to attend the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference in Salt Lake City. According to ACDA Executive Director Tim Sharp, the 2015 event set attendance records, attracting 5000 delegates and 5000 choristers, not only from the USA but from 40 countries across the globe. This is a choral music [...]
