I’m sure that there were some in attendance at the Association of Canadian Choral Communities “Podium” conference in Halifax, that might have assumed they were at the Amabile Awards!
At the conference Amabile Youth Singers co-founder the late-John Barron was honoured as the winner of the 2014 ACCC Distinguished Service Award. It had been presented to John at his home in Toronto just a month before he lost his long-time battle with cancer.
Among the performers at Podium was Primus: Amabile Men’s Choir, including long-time member Mathew Emery. Matt was received the Diane Loomer Award as the winner of the 2014 Competition for Choral Writing. Matthew’s composition, “The Lover’s Chant”, will be published by Cypress Music and was premiered at the conference by the 2014 National Youth Choir/Chœur National des Jeunes, conducted by Hilary Apfelstadt.
Emery, who is back home after receiving his Bachelors of Music from UBC, and will be singing as a member of Primus next season. It was announced at Podium that Matt will also be Amabile’s first-ever “Composer-In-Residence” next season. More information on that will be forthcoming soon!
Also at Podium, Amabile Youth Singers Assistant Conductor Liska Jetchick received the Iwan Edwards Award. Lisa was selected from all of the participants in the Podium Masterclasses with the National Youth choir. It is named for the celebrated Canadian conductor. Over a forty year span he has founded and conducted has founded and directed the 110-voice St. Lawrence choir, along with several other notable choirs.
Amabile Alumna Dr. Julia Davids, who was our guest conductor for this years Amabile Festival, was presented with Outstanding Choral Publication for her publication, “Vocal Technique: A Guide for Conductors, Teachers and Singers,” published by Waveland Press in 2012.
Congratulations to all of the Podium winners!!