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Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year
2020 has been a challenging year for most of us. A year filled with challenges, where we had to rethink, adapt & keep a positive attitude, while thinking of the wellbeing of our communities, keeping them informed and being taken care of. Thank you for being part of our wonderful choral family and giving us the motivation to push through!
We hope you will be able to take some well-deserved quiet time during the holidays and spend some days surrounded by the people you love. All the best for 2021!
The ECA-EC office will remain closed during the holidays, returning with a fresh mind and fresh powers on the 4th of January 2021.
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Ending the year together
After a full day in the office, we've decided last Tuesday to end the day by grabbing a drink and meeting with our lovely ECA-EC members during the 'end of year party' online and just celebrate being together!
It warmed our heart to meet & chat over our cups of mulled wine, eggnog or other drinks we had lying around, sharing stories & jokes, to reflect on the year and argue about what everybody would be doing on the evening of the 24th of December.
We hope to see many of our members at the online events we are preparing for the next year and keep our connections alive!
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Membership Days 2020 went online
Until the last possible minute, we were hoping to be travelling to Galway, Ireland this autumn and enjoy the Membership Weekend of 2020. Since this was not possible, we have organised our first-ever digital Membership Days & General Assembly. We were so encouraged and positively overwhelmed by our members' desire to contribute, to share, to be curious and open and joyful, even miles apart from each other.
During these days, we touched on important points of the future of ECA-EC at:
- A discussion round on strategy, membership structure & regional development of ECA-EC
- A discussion round on the name & branding of the association
- A members’ project presentations session
- The General Assembly
We are happy to confirm that all proposed initiatives proposed by the board of ECA-EC regarding the future vision, mission, strategy and action plan of ECA, as well new approaches regarding membership & regional development were approved by the present members with a clear majority. This means that in 2021, our work will already be guided by the outcome of the votes and head towards implementing new processes and working towards our desired goals. We will keep you informed on the process, so stay tuned!
See initiatives of the choral sector across Europe and have a look at the topics we've discussed right here.
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Developing the association in a sustainable way
Five busy bees in the office. We have been working, together with the members of the Board on developing initiatives for ECA-EC which will ensure the association's stable future, allowing for a wider financial independence through its activities.
The team, with the support of board members Burak Onur Erdem and Martine Spanjers, started the process in September 2020 with Ernst Houdkamp, a business consultant. The goal is to have some finalised proposals to share with relevant parts of the membership at the end of February.
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Collective Singing is essential | Press Release
We are deeply concerned and strongly request a careful review of all global bans of collective singing, which can result in serious consequences on the financial situation of professionals in the sector, as well as causing emotional and psychological distress for everyone who takes part in collective singing. It was never singing that is dangerous, Covid-19 is.
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We call on governments to:
1. monitor the general spread and containment of the virus and on this basis allow rehearsals of choirs and vocal ensembles where other group activities are permitted, on the condition that all necessary measures for safety and hygiene are respected.
2. offer sufficient financial support, whether from the EU Recovery Fund or national/regional resources, to professionals in need within the choral sector, in order to ensure collective singing activities survive the pandemic.
Please share the statement widely within your network.
For more information on the situation of collective singing in Europe, check our dedicated webpage.
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Help choirs have a better experience with online rehearsals during the lockdown
During the Covid-19 lockdown most choirs and ensembles across Europe and beyond are no longer able to rehearse or perform as usual, and the digital tools they can currently use are not satisfactory. Your donation will help the non-profit initiative digital-stage.org to develop further the software that will help them have a better experience and really make music together online. Read more about this initiative, which we are supporting as a contributing partner.
If you want to contribute to the further development of this tool that can make a change for so many artists out there, including singers in choirs and ensembles, please support digital-stage.org by donating here.
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Zala Horvatič joins the Youth Committee
You must've met her! As one of the YEMPers at the festival in Tallinn in 2018, smiling back at you during the last Membership Weekend in Ljubljana or warmly inviting you to contribute to the next Europa Cantat Festival as a volunteer or a YEMPer online. Zala is part of the EC2021 Festival Team and will now be joining the Youth Committee as well, as a link between them and the festival.
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Read a little bit about her:
'' Hello everyone! Here are some facts about me: I'm very proud of my finished double Master's studies. In addition to my amazing job at JSKD (The Public Fund for Cultural Activities of the Republic of Slovenia) I'm a certified dance choreographer and I regularly participate in different projects with Slovene National Theatre Maribor. Therefore, I am surrounded by all different aspects of culture in my professional and personal life.
People often say that sarcasm is my second language and two of my other favourite things in the world are travelling and animals - I love dogs. ''
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Call for TLV Bursary Applications to increase your international audiences
As part of the Training Leading Voices project, the European Choral Association – Europa Cantat is delighted to be able to offer bursaries of up to 2000€ to organisations looking to increase the international audience of their events.
The bursaries are available for events for vocal and choral leaders/conductors and are intended to cover costs that allow the organisers to enhance the international element of their event. Online, physical and hybrid events are all eligible.
The deadline for applications is 31 March 2021.
Please see the webpage for more information and to access the application form. We look forward to receiving your applications!
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Raise your voice | New EPIC Webinar
Can media channels help with that? Join the Raise Your Voice webinar on partnering up with media for singing and let yourself be guided by Inari Tilli through this topic.
Inari is a specialist in choral music at the Finnish Broadcasting Company (Yle). She holds a Master’s degree in music education from the Sibelius Academy and has been working with digital media for about two decades. At Yle, she has a programme about vocal music on Yle Radio 1, presents choral concerts and produces choral recordings. She is also Artistic Director of Yle personnel choir. In addition to her broadcasting work, she has still found time to sing in many choirs, such as Kampin Laulu Chamber Choir, Philomela, The Sibelius Academy Vocal Ensemble and The Finnish Chamber Choir. She is at present a member of the Key Ensemble, a chamber choir based on Turku.
This webinar is part of a series for young singers in the frame of the EPIC Project, co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Join and 'bring' a friend! Register by clicking right here!
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CHORAL ACTIVITIES
(under the ECA-EC label)
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Registrations for EC Festival 2021 are OPEN
Let's fill up the streets of Ljubljana next summer!
The registration to the Europa Cantat Festival 2021, organised by the Public fund for cultural activities Republic of Slovenia, is now OPEN!
The festival’s patron of honour is President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor and the event has been recently been granted the patronage of the European Parliament.
You can enter the registration form via the official website, where you’ll also find the important steps you need to take before the actual registration. It is important to read the instructions, so the team recommends you to use the personal computer for the registration and not the mobile phone or tablet. This way it’ll be much easier for you.
Will we see you there? You must know, there's only ONE right answer to this question!
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Brochure of EVENTS 2021
After the year we've had, it sure feels great to share this with all of you:
We've just released the 2021 brochure of choral activities!
Read the brochure!
Hopeful and delighted, we're proud to have gathered a selection of activities open to singers, conductors, composers and all choral lovers around Europe and beyond.
Found something that caught your eye? Make sure to check the website and social channels of the organisers for more details & updates.We'll meet & sing again, friends!
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Preparing for the European Video Award?
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The European Video Award welcomes videos that showcase inspiring and real stories on the impact of collective singing in the care of the environment, the promotion of physical & mental health, the access to music education, the facilitation of social inclusion and cultural exchange between different age/social groups.
Don't forget, there's less than a month left to register!
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Applications for this Award will be open until January 31st 2021. Read more here!
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NEWS FROM THE EUROPEAN AND
INTERNATIONAL NETWORK
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The new Board of Directors for IFCM
The International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) held its first online General Assembly on December 3. Prior to the GA, the 2020 Elections of the new Board of Directors were fully organized online from November 1 to 15, having elected the new Board of Directors 2020-2023:
- Emily Kuo Vong (Macau/Portugal.USA), President
- Ki Adams (Canada), Vice-President
- Jan Schumacher (Germany), Vice-President
- Yveline Damas (Gabon), Vice-President
- Maria Guinand (Venezuela), Vice-President
- Yoshihiro Egawa (Japan), Vice-President
- Dominique Lecheval (France), Treasurer
- Thierry Thiebaut (France), representative of A Coeur Joie International (ACJI)
- Lynne Gackle (USA), representative of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA)
- Burak Onur Erdem (Turkey), representative of the European Choral Association-Europa Cantat (ECA-EC)
- Saeko Hasegawa (Japan), representative of the Japan Choral Association (JCA)
- Niels Graesholm (Denmark), representative of Nordisk Korforum (NKK)
- John Rosser (New Zealand), Board member
- Gábor Móczár (Hungary), Board member
- Victoria Liedbergius (Norway), Board member
- Ana Patricia Carbajal (Mexico), Board member
- Tim Sharp (USA), co-opted Board member
- Roula Abou Baker (Lebanon), co-opted Board member
- Sonja Greiner (Germany), Governance advisor
Congratulations to all, and looking forward to fostering meaningful connections and fruitful cooperations! Read the full press release right here.
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NEWS FROM ACROSS THE EUROPEAN CULTURAL SECTOR
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Culture Sector
Mobility Funding
i-Portunus is a Pilot Action funded by the EU to offer mobility grants to artists and cultural professionals. The second round of this Pilot Action will also offer specific funding opportunities for the music sector. The calls for proposals are expected to be published in December 2020 and January 2021.
i-Portunus’ main focus is to connect artists and to support international collaborations. This will be done via physical mobility but also, if necessary, by virtual or blended mobility variations.
Read the full call here!
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Culture Action Europe
2.2 billion for Creative Europe under the final MFF deal
On 10 November some white smoke spewed out from the inter-institutional negotiations rooms, announcing a deal between the German Presidency of the Council and the European Parliament on the next MFF. The deal also featured a substantial increase for Creative Europe: less than the doubling the cultural and creative sectors had been asking for, but still a very significant +53% in comparison to the amount foreseen in the 2014-2020 period. Under the now agreed compromise text, Creative Europe has been incremented by €600 million and will now have an overall envelope of €2.2 billion.
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Culture Action Europe
A cultural deal for Europe
On 18 November, Culture Action Europe together with the European Cultural Foundation and Europa Nostra (representing the European Heritage Alliance) presented their proposal for A Cultural Deal for Europe during an online webinar with more than 500 attendees (more about the event here), that featured interventions by, among others, European Parliament President David Sassoli, Commissioner for Culture Mariya Gabriel, French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clément Beaune, CULT Committee Chair Sabine Verheyen, and Committee of the Regions President Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
Time is ripe for an overarching European strategy to put culture at the centre of the political debate and fully realise its potential for the European project, starting with the much needed recovery of our societies, and the future of Europe.
The Cultural Deal for Europe has the ambition to bundle together both short and long term objectives, eyeing the post-pandemic recovery and pushing culture as a driver for the upcoming Conference on the Future of Europe.
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NEMO
Political Internship in Museums
Launched in 2018, the programme NEMO Political Internship in Museums is an important advocacy tool to provide EU policymakers with a greater understanding of museum work and museums’ imperative value for society – especially during a pandemic.
You may find the video here as well as additional information here.
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