UTC RAVE Alert

Summer Institutes - Choral

Choral group being conducted by young woman
Woman conducting with hands
Man conducting with hands
Participants in conducting institute 2023

Registration

If you wish to take the Pedagogy and Conducting Institute as a graduate student and earn 3 graduate credit hours, email [email protected] immediately to discuss the application process. If you wish to participate for professional development/continuing education, either as a Conducting Fellow or Auditor, follow the steps below.

To Register Online:

  1. Go to this link: Register
  2. You will be prompted to log in to your account or create an account.
  3. You will see the "UTC Marketplace Calendar." Forward through the calendar to June 2.
  4. On June 2 you will see a button for "Conducting Institute." Click on "Conducting Institute."
  5. A pop-up box with event information will appear. Click "Register." Note: You should click "Register" even if the institute week you wish to register for is the week of June 9. 
  6. You will see a page with Event Details. Again, do not be concerned about the start and end dates you see on this page. Click "Continue Registration." 
  7. Fill out the information requested on this page. Click "Continue," and proceed to the invoice page.
  8. If you have any questions, email [email protected].

Early registration is open now through April 15. After April 15 the registration costs will go up 10%, and the final registration deadline will be May 15. We can only take ten Conducting Fellows each week, so register now to secure your spot!

Headshot of Dr. Lynne Gackle at the piano

Week 1: June 2-6

Engaging the Hearts and Minds of Adolescent Singers (MS/HS) Through Choral Pedagogy and Appropriate Choral Literature

 

Building a vital choral community of adolescent singers (both middle school and high school) is a wonderful opportunity for choral educators to engage body (voice), mind, and heart through vocal development (individual and choral) while relating to and inspiring the spirit of these young singers.  This week’s sessions with Dr. Lynne Gackle (Professor Emeritus, Baylor University), will focus on research-based information for female and male adolescent voices; appropriate choral repertoire (Unison, SA, SSA, including a deeper look at selected sections of the treble masterwork, Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten, TTB, SATB and 3-part Mixed); vocal techniques and warm-ups; choral diction; choral formations; vocal health; gesture which encourages both musicality and free; healthy singing as well as the opportunity to work with a demonstration group of adolescent female voices.  We hope that you will plan to be a part of this exciting week of music-making and exploration of the adolescent voice!

Dr. Lynne Gackle

Lynne Gackle is Professor Emeritus of Music at Baylor University where she served as the Director of Choral Activities and Chair of the Ensemble Division.  Dr. Gackle previously taught at the University of South Florida, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Miami (FL).

An active choral clinician/conductor, nationally and internationally, Lynne has also held various positions within the American Choral Directors Association, including National President; President, Southern Region; President, ACDA-Florida; and VP of College/Community Choirs for TCDA. Internationally recognized for her research on the female adolescent voice, Lynne is the author of Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart.  She is a contributing author for other books published by GIA, Oxford, Hal Leonard/McGraw Hill including the Oxford Handbook for Singing (2019), Choral Reflections: Insights from American Choral Conductor/Teachers (2022). Gackle serves on the Editorial Board of Walton Music and maintains a choral series with Walton and Colla Voce Music. 

Headshot of Anton Armstrong conducting

Week 2: June 9-13

Body, Mind , Spirit, Voice: Our Calling as Vocal Music Educators

Dr. Anton Armstrong, Conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, will begin our time together with a reflection of why we have been called to this work as vocal music educators. The topics for the week have relevance to singers of all ages, from children through adolescents and adults. We will explore topics and issues that can contribute to creating a more nurturing, vibrant, and artistically expressive vocal ensemble for your singers. 

During our time together we will explore a myriad of subjects, including:

  • Rehearsal Framework: Mission Statements, Goals, Priorities, and Strategies
  • Building Ensemble through Choral Seating Arrangements
  • Nurturing the Developmental Singer and Recommended Literature
  • Performance Practice in the African American Spiritual and Issues of Cultural Appropriation
  • Pioneering Schools of American Choral Singing

Dr. Anton Armstrong

The 2024-25 season is Anton Armstrong’s 35th year as Conductor of the St. Olaf Choir, marking him as the fourth and  longest tenured conductor in the ensemble’s storied 112 year history. He is the Harry R. and Thora H. Tosdal Professor of Music at St. Olaf College, becoming the fourth conductor of the St. Olaf Choir in 1990. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College and earned advanced degrees at the University of Illinois (MM) and Michigan State University (DMA). He is editor of a multicultural choral series for Earthsongs Publications, co-editor (with John Ferguson) of the revised St. Olaf Choral Series for Augsburg Fortress Publishers, and has initiated the Anton Armstrong Signature Choral Series with Gentry Publications. In June 1998, he began his tenure as founding conductor of the Oregon Bach Festival Strangeland Family Youth Choral Academy. Dr. Armstrong currently serves as Chair of the National Board of Chorus America and has returned to serve on the National Board of The Choristers Guild.

Music

Music