OFADAC Argentinean Federated Organization of Choral Activities
Nongovernmental entity, Cultural, nonprofit. Legal Personality 806/2003 Bundle 4888 - Mendoza Province Legal Address Moreno 474 – 5501 GODOY CRUZ Mendoza Province Secretariat Calle 47 nº 1121 Dpto 2 1900 LA PLATA, Buenos Aires Province E-Mail: ofadac@yahoo.com.ar
YEARBOOK 2010 Responsible Editor Rubén Videla Civil Choral Association “Cunka Inti” from Venado Tuerto
Design and Layout Matías Cirstófaro
››› During the last ten years, Argentina has seen an increment of European and American choirs on concert tours around the country. Choirs of varied styles, quality and size have arrived from Germany, Canada, Colombia, Spain, France, Puerto Rico and Czech Republic among others, although most of them come from the United States and Venezuela. It is significant that these choirs are stimulated to come on tours to Argentina by the high acoustic quality theatres, concert halls and churches. Undoubtedly, the most essential element is the enthusiastic local audience all across the nation and a great variety of accommodation facilities. In addition, due to the current global economic situation, it is possible for Argentina to improve any tour costs offered by European and other Latin American countries. The city of Buenos Aires and also La Plata, Mendoza, Necochea, Trelew, Tandil, Tucumán, San Juan and Venado Tuerto and others like Bariloche, Córdoba, Mar del Plata, Puerto Madryn, Rosario, Salta and Jujuy and even some cities in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay are chosen as concert locations by the touring choirs. These cities are not chosen randomly but rather as the result of the constant work carried out by the local choral institutions and non-profit organizations which count with national and international prestige in the choral world. Concerts, festivals, encounters, contests, cantats, and symposia for choir conductors and vocational choir singers guarantee the most serious development possible. Cultural and social activities are organized by the mentioned associations by means of a net of regional, national and international cooperation.
mncristofaro@hotmail.com
During the 1996’s International Choral Festival “America Cantat II” in Mar del Plata city, a Letter of Intent was signed with the purpose of reaching to an Agreement between the Argentinean Choral Organizations. They all wished to promote the choral integration of all the nation’s regions with a federate sense, to favour exchange, to impulse improvement and excellence in the choral activity, to fix mechanisms of mutual support and to incorporate all analogue institutions with no discrimination.
editorial
a new
choral paradise? In 1997, in the city of San Rafael in the province of Mendoza, eight non-governmental choral entities joined their wills to form the Argentinean Federate Organization of Choral Activities –OFADAC- in order to create a second grade association, representative and federal, which they did not doubt it, would have an avid and active participation in the country and in Latin America. Furthermore, it would be a valid interlocutor before the public and private national powers and the international organizations. Today, twelve years later, the following institutions are members of OFADAC: - Society of Friends of the Coro Estable from Tandil. Buenos Aires Province - AMCET; - Argentinean Association for Choral Music “America Cantat” - La Plata, Buenos Aires – AAMCANT; - Civil Choral Association “Cunka Inti” from Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe Province VENADO CORAL; - Civil Association Coro Alta Mira from Necochea, Buenos Aires - CORALIADA; - Association Chamber Choir Arturo Beruti from San Juan, San Juan Province Coro de Cámara A Beruti; - Choir of the Catholic University of Cuyo from San Juan, San Juan - Coro de la U C de Cuyo; - CIC Foundation (International Choir Contest) from Chubut Province - Fundación C.I.C.; - COPPLA Foundation from Mendoza, Mendoza Province - CANTAPUEBLO; - Argentinean Choral Net from Buenos Aires City, Buenos Aires - R.C.A.; - Society of Choral Encounters of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province - SEC.
tival AMERICA CANTAT VI, that will take place in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, from 7 to 15 May, 2010 and is organised by the National University of that city, through Presidencia de la Pro Reitoria de Cultura, represented by Jose Alberto Pinho Neves (Pro Reitor), Paulo Soares UFJF Director of Communication, André Pires UFJF Choir Conductor, and Ricardo Denegri standing for OAC and AAMCANT, sponsored by OFADAC, IFCM and Europa Cantat. The Festival will be a great event in Latin American choral music. The Artistic Committee, formed by Maestros André Pires, Eduardo Lakschewitz, Roberto Fabri, Sérgio Sansão and Oscar Escalada for OAC and AAMCANT, has planned Workshops on Works Preparation (TPO) under the direction of musical conductors from all over the continent. A very important program of conferences will be carried out by outstanding Maestros. There will be opening and closing concerts of the Festival and others, in which the especially invited choirs of the continent will perform together with the participating choirs and ensembles, in addition to the many social activities for the registered to strengthen links of knowledge and friendship.
The extraordinary enterprise that summons us is the IFCM World Symposium on Choral Music that is being prepared by the CIC Foundation (President: Mº Daniel Garavano) in the city of Puerto Madryn, in Argentinean Patagonia and facing the Atlantic Ocean. This new Symposium will be carried out during 3 to 10 August 2011, sponsored by the Municipal Government of Puerto Madryn, OFADAC and ADICORA, with a great variety of Conferences and Master Classes in charge of the most esteemed Maestros from all over the world and a program of concerts that will gather together choral ensembles of the highest quality. It is worth remarking that the choirs invited to participate in the Symposium in Argentina, will be able to plan several concerts across the country and also in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay aided by the member institutions of OFADAC. In spite of the world’s financial situation, a new choral Paradise is developing in Argentina. •
By Ricardo Denegri IFCM Counselor AAMCANT and OFADAC President
However, there will be two events which, due to their importance, transcend the usual choral activity in South America. They are directly related to two institutions and the support of those ones which form the OFADAC: the International Choral Fes-
02
AMÉRICA CANTAT
Argentinean Association for Choral Music By Ricardo Barrera Good evening. Some years ago, at the America Cantat I, I found myself once again complaining to Horacio Alfaro and Ricardo Denegri about those organizational aspects I disliked, as I had done on several other occasions. They had both heard my complaints too many times. At some point in the conversation, Ricardo said to me “Why don’t you come and work with us instead of complaining?” He had a point. So I had no other choice but to accept the offer. And that acceptance turned out to be very important to me. As a member, participant in the various activities, and later member of the Board, the AAMCANT has had a significant role in my job as educator. Youth choirs, and in particular school choirs, being one of my main interests, the AAMCANT activities are a powerful tool and reason for the growth and development of my choirs. I have been able to participate in the America Cantat on four occasions. On two of them - Mar del Plata II and Caracas- by presenting my choir, and on the last one - La Habana- as a workshop presenter. Everything you ‘live’ -whether participating in the workshops, attending concerts both as a singer or audience, or during the daily personal exchange of those ten days- is one of the most enriching experiences that we can have as singers, conductors, or just as human beings that can share knowledge, ideas and emotions with people from other countries, cultures and languages.
Following AAMCANT’s first goal: “To carry out all activities aiming at artistic, interpretative, compositional and formative development of choral music” , I must say I have been able to attend and participate with my choirs in the Academia Coral Volante and Florent Stroesser’s, Robert Harris’, and Michael Hartenberg’s Master Classes. We have not only received from them a significant contribution to the development of my singers in Contemporary European music, the Negro Spiritual and Gospel music, and Classical and Baroque German music, but we have also been honored with the visit of these maestros to the choir I conduct at a public school. They generously taught a special lesson “in situ” to all the students who had not been able to participate in the Master Classes. Such close contact with so
distinguished maestros was decisive in the choral training of several of my students. I have also had the chance to participate in the La Plata Cantat Festival with my choir, and also as a speaker and workshop presenter. That was a wonderful experience for my singers, which included attending different workshops, presenting concerts and participating in plenary sessions and forums within the framework of “Musical Diversity in a Globalized World”. They were able to work with different maestros who contributed with diverse viewpoints about music in our region of the Mercosur. This resulted in the widening of their musical spectrum and increased their taste for musical forms they had never heard before. No less important has been our participation in the La Plata Festival of Religious
RICARDO BARRERA Burzaco City, Argentina Music Graduate with a major in Choral Conducting. He is the Dean of the Instituto Municipal de Música de Avellaneda (Province of Buenos Aires). He also teaches Choral Practice for Teaching Training at Escuela de Música Popular de Avellaneda. He is the conductor of the following choirs: Coro del IMM, Coro del Colegio Nacional Alte. Brown Adrogué, Coro Juvenil Adrogué and Orquesta Escuela de Alte. Brown.
AAMCANT
Choral Music, which faced us with the challenge of building a beautiful repertoire that included works of all periods, composers and countries. I must also mention the Choral Singing Contest of South American Folk and Popular Music, which I attended with my choirs on the first three occasions, and as a member of the Jury on the fourth one. Needless to say, participating in a contest is one of the most effective tools to develop the highest degree of excellence in a choir’s interpretation, and it forces us to reach our best performing skills. A few hours ago, Poli, one of my senior students at the Coro del Colegio Nacional (National High School Choir), who has decided to major in choral conducting, was telling me about her goals for college: “I would also like to have the same opportunity the guys had”. The “guys” are four of my former students at the Coro del Colegio Nacional Alte. Brown Adrogué (Alte. Brown Adrogué National High School Choir) and Coro Juvenil Adrogué (Adrogué Youth Choir) who auditioned to participate in the
World Youth Choir the past two years. The international jury that met in Namur, Belgium this past year decided to invite Fede for the second time and Pupi for the first time. Lucy and the “Colo” were invited in reserve. I do not think this is just coincidence. These young fellows, as many others that have been in my choirs and that are now professional singers, conductors and musicians, have not only put their best effort forward, but they have also participated in most of the above-mentioned activities organized by the AAMCANT in the last
few years. Great is my satisfaction when I see them taking on a more active role in the AAMCANT, whether as new volunteers in the organization of an event or as members of the Board. Much is what we - my singers, students and I - have received from the AAMCANT. I wish that through the AAMCANT - and with our effort, dedication and love- we can give part of it in return to all of our colleagues throughout the country. Good evening.•
04
By Gustavo Maldino
Villa Gesell … halfway through the morning. In the Choral Campsite, the sun hitting against the metal sheets of the bungalows causes us to begin to melt inside the sleeping bags - the same sleeping bags that barely kept us warm during the night- and forces us to seriously consider getting up even though we do not want to (I should also add that the sandy ground and the surrounding snores contributed as well). We have the intuition that our faces look like a combination of those of Fernández Meijide and Keith Richards. Nonetheless, we pluck up courage and, holding our toothbrush as an emblem and with our towel over our shoulders, we struggle through the path leading to the public restrooms. Right then we run into Cesar Ferreyra, already up and briskly starting his morning walk downtown. To avoid rudeness we
mumble a few interjections in the hope that the great maestro will take them as a legitimate “good morning”. At that time, the deserted landscape of the campsite is only interrupted by one or two singers- one of them surreptitiously blowing into a mug, the content of which looks more like the red wine we had around last night’s bonfire than a refreshing morning coffee. The gang of cooks already up, we get ready to go grocery shopping for lunch, a task as important as the volleyball games and the evening rehearsal… Mar del Plata… first America Cantat. After a hard day’s work at the workshop – in which I was lucky enough to have among the participants: my dear Argentinean colleagues; members of a choir from Karlsrhue whose conductor‘s last name, Werner
Pfaff, sounded like the onomatopoeias of the fights in Batman; and the great Lúcnica Choir from Slovakia with female singers whose fiati1 were as long as their legs- I was heading up the hotel stairs ( elevators being crowded) to a much-needed rest when , almost running over me, there comes a group of Venezuelans carrying four maracas and a bongo. Retracing my steps, I hesitantly follow them, worried about being fresh to resume my job the following morning. I am relieved to find most of my colleagues and almost all of my workshop participants there, which will put all of us on the same conditions. The night was unavoidably won. Throughout my life, I have participated in several attempts to create “intergalactic” choral associations that never went past the step-by-step discussion of the bylaws. My delirious, passionate, and dear friends
GUSTAVO MALDINO Córdoba City, Argentina The author is the Conductor of the following choirs: Coro de Cámara de Córdoba; Coro de la Facultad de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño UNC, and Coro del Diario La Voz del Interior.
AAMCANT
from La Plata who formed the basis for the Asociación de Encuentros Corales de Villa Gesell and the later AAMCANT- now even more consolidated among the international associations in charge of spreading our beloved and wonderful activity- started from the most important aspect: to bring aesthetic pleasure and continuous development close to us , and to facilitate exchange between colleagues, “parceros”2, brothers, “panas”2, “cumpas”2, and definitely friends from different parts of the choral world. There aren’t many secrets. The two initial anecdotes reaffirm it. My sincere gratitude – most probably shared by all those of us who love and work for choral singing- to the Makers (with capital letters) of the AAMCANT, leaded by my dear friend Ricardo Denegri. Reporting from the land of peppermint, “choripán”3 and “fernet”4.• 1
fiati: breath parceros, panas, cumpas: colloquial terms used in different Latin American countries meaning friends or pals. 3 choripán: a popular Argentinean sandwich consisting of a chorizo sausage served in a roll. 4 fernet: a type of bitter, aromatic spirit. 2
06
Society of Friends of the Coro Estable from Tandil A GERMAN CHOIR IN ARGENTINA
The Maulbronner Chamber choir meets the Argentine choral life Three Argentina concert tours, in 1993, 1997 and 2003, left everlasting memories in the singers of the Maulbronner Chamber choir. Deep impressions left the Iguazú Waterfalls, the Andes, Pampas and Patagonia, but we were most fascinated by the hospitality and excitement of the argentine public and the quality of the choirs we met. Each time we were hosted by the Coro Estable of Tandil and participated in the Choral Festival of that city, conducted by maestro Bernardo Moroder. We remember great performances from choirs from Mendoza, La Plata, Montevideo (Uruguay), Tandil and had important community concerts with other choirs. (It was a great pleasure singing the “Foundling Hospital Anthem” by Handel, with the choir from Tandil, as our choir performs Handel Oratories since 1996). Original ideas, like the “promenade among the hill” together with choirs and public, give the festival a valuable experience. We also remember the meetings with Grupo Canto Coral and Néstor Andrenacci, Coro Universitario de Mendoza and Felipe Vallesi, Coro Municipal de Trelew and Daniel Garavano; concerts in San Juan (Auditorium), Río Cuarto, Neuquén, Bolsón, Santa Fé, Nogoyá, Tucumán, Salta y La Plata, además de Buenos Aires (Salón Dorado del Teatro Colón).
JÜRGEN BUDDAY Maulbronn City, Alemania Music Director of the Evangelical Seminary Maulbronn Director of the Chamber Choir Maulbronn Lindenstraße 38 75443 Maulbronn; Alemania info@jbudday.de
AMCET
08
The remarkable organization of our tours by maestro Moroder, allowed us to get in touch with the Argentine families and also to know the full extent of the choral life of that beautiful country. The visit from some Argentine choirs to Maulbronn emphasizes the permanence of those meetings and their reciprocal fructification. • Translation from German: Bernardo Moroder
09
AMCET
San MartĂn esq. 14 de Julio - Tandil Tel: 02293 448750/440267 www.epocadequesos.com
10
VENADO CORAL · VOCAL Civil Choral Association Cunka Inti
By Damián Sánchez In order to talk about the Choral Contest in Venado Tuerto I should go back to 1990 when we began to forge ahead with the idea of having a Choir that sang popular repertoires in the city. Even though there had already been choirs for seveal years, the contents of their repertoires was made up of European music and there was an intense desire to experiment with our own national folklore, bearing in mind that the introduction of folk tradition in choral repertoirs had been initiated in this country a long time ago, they incorporated
those songs that had been in the mouths of every one into choral groups. That group of friends, decided to set this idea in motion. For this one had to have not only the desire to sing, but also have clear ideas why the selection was chosen. At that moment, the Director of Culture and the Mayor of Venado Tuerto gave the support for the creation of a Municipal Choir following our idea: we named it "Coral de las Espigas". There was a meeting that attracted many interested people who, little by little, got involved in the proposal: to seek identity for the popular song, and folklore - the choir, also incorporated religious and ethnic songs. Once everything had started, there was great enthusiasm and we could see the audience response. So we began to work on our performance, the meaning of the choral song and the poet’s intention in
each lyric. We searched for accurate details in order to transmit the story properly; the understanding that performing popular music in choirs is not just getting the right tune but finding the right way to set the sound of each part within the song, with a logic that has a direct relation to the text, to the poetry, and to the story that is being told; that is to say: it is the word, the story that gives fundamental importance to the song. It is obvious that consideration and preoccupation must be given toward the technical musical aspect -tuning, harmony, counterpoint. At times these purely musical elements are the only elements used and the word or the story remain without importance for the director. Under these patterns of work, time passed, and we managed to reach the necessary personal and choral maturity we sought for
DAMIÁN SÁNCHEZ Mendoza City, Argentina Professor of cello and choir, graduated from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. A pioneer in the composition of choral arrangements for popular music in Argentina. His compositions have been performed by great artists. Integrated and managed the troubadours. He then formed headliners including Canturia and Markama. He has directed the Choir of Race (Mendoza), the Coro National Polyphonic Choir Coro SADAIC Bank and the Province of Buenos Aires. He is the author of the choral version of the Mass for Peace and Justice Ariel Ramirez.
ACCCI
and, little by little, we shaped our growth. Coral de las Espigas went through different political Governments that stimulated it, or ignored its existence, but people remained. People that left the choir, but still kept in touch with the group. The idea of working our cultural legacy, that forms part of our being, that constitutes our identity, remained solidified, well constituted and that is the major reason why the knowledge of our choral music strengthened, it expanded and enlarged its spectrum, reaching the citizens, different parts of the province, other provinces and, even other countries. People from Venado Tuerto, some of them being the protagonists around that time (20 years ago), continued working on the investigation, knowledge and diffusion. They added new choirs to the choral activity of the City, not just to arrange Conferences but to set other ways, and from these new searches something appeared, which is necessary in every phase of growth: the competition. A way to challenge the choirs so that our choral music is spread in another way , is that our choirs should take the responsibility of getting involved in competitions with our music and that of Latin America, a new and unexisting method until then. Out of this “great power to work� arose Venado Coral with popular repertoires, folklore with Argentinean and Latin American music. Knowing that the choral music from our country and the American Continent can be compared to other European music as well as to the rest of the world and we can thus assume that there are no differences between ages and places. It is these cultures which identify us and make us different, we should know our musicians and poets, and know that the technical and artistic aspect of a performance is not what
makes a choir part of a competition but also the cultural factor of it. The proposal was to call Argentine choirs and also those from other countries (and since 2009, also vocal groups), choosing qualified and hierarchical professionals, like juries. As a stimulation prizes can be given to the choirs for the pieces of work being presented. I believe that this project is an example so that our music occupies its place, establishes a new step and lifts us to esthetic places not only to spread our continental cultures that are so rich but also by means of the application of the techniques that exist to act as tools that permit us to achieve artistic works that are also cultural ones. We have been able to leave behind the traditional choral repertoires, with the idea of focusing on religious and foreign wor-
ks. At this point, we can motivate, not only Argentinean choirs but those from other countries, to compete with and from our music. As in the past and even now our choirs must get involved in European music to be able to participate in competitions. To balance the situation but not from an emotional place, is simply to be aware of esthetic values, of elements that composers, arrangers of choral works, choirs, directors and choral people have already found and value in the same way. Stravinsky said: "There is no difference between genres but of qualities". We use music in the right way or the wrong one. And to do it well or badly, the knowledge in the middle is fundamentally from the Director of the Choir. Venado Coral awoke in the directors this responsibility: it is impossible to participate by only performing fancy musical works. The popular repertoire, folklore and ethnic, are a loosening up of the people in the choosing of the songs. For the choral competition there is a story, as in all songs, which must be shown in complete clarity. In the arrangement of the composition there are folklore elements typical of the type of song, that are the only tradition of the region from which the work comes, and the composer or arranger uses these to give atmosphere, movement and identity. These are facts that this group of a few people managed to establish so that year after year, the Choirs and now also the vocal groups, have the opportunity to be measured with their peers, not for the sake of winning but of knowing where they are within this concept that originated and mobilized this Contest in Venado Tuerto. •
12
By Hugo César de la Vega Those of us who have had the chance of participating in different contests and/or festivals -choral contests as well- and also, of being jury in some of them, have no doubt about the level and the high quality that Venado Tuerto has and upholds in this respect. And if anything was necessary to round off the proposal, on behalf of the organizers, in the last year’s Edition, they added to the habitual proposal of the Contest, focused on choirs, and the competion for Vocal Groups. I can assure that Vocal Groups as well as Choirs, initiate their yearly activity, thinking about and preparing themselves, to be able to participate in some of these events. There are many points to emphasize on the matter: the impartiality and uprightness of its organizers; their neatness, determination, effort and dedication, have permitted that which Argentinean people have longed
for, for such a long time and that concerns the culture: the continuity of it. The affection and passion these people have is not meant to be left aside. They host the participants and, what is remarkable, they are able to solve any last- minute problems, in order to achieve a unique comradeship among singers, choral people, directors and jury. Also I have been able to appreciate throughout these years, that in their eagerness to better themselves to perform; the different participating choirs have experienced a notable growth in artistic asnd interpretive quality. This has and has had international repercussion since Argentina is considered to be cradle of a very important choral activity, as regards quantity and quality, and Venado Coral has contributed greatly to it. It would be not fair in this biographical sketch, not to mention the different social actors that have contributed and made possible this musical utopia: sponsors, bu-
sinessmen, governments and politicians, without distinctions, nor factions. During many years the speakers have changed, which marks even more, the spirit of selfsacrifice the organizers work with. Surely Venado Tuerto has varios other aspects to be proud of within the Argentinean map, but they should neither avoid nor underestimate this idea: VENADO TUERTO IS ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE "CHORAL BASTIONS" FROM THE ARGENTINA REPUBLIC. It is an example to which other provinces should imitate and follow. Those who by age have tried, almost since the beginning of this beautiful but at times hard task, to live on the choral activity, should thank these initiatives, to this great contribution to Culture, Music, Art, finally to life. I hope, these examples, multiply and grow.•
HUGO CÉSAR DE LA VEGA Córdoba City , Argentina Current President of Choral Directors Association Choral Argentina (ADICORA). Director, founder choir singing workshop of Libertador San Martín Theatre. He directed the Children's Choir Cantores de Córdoba. Has been a judge of numerous festivals and competitions throughout the country (including Deer Coral, National Folklore Festival Cosquín Eisteddfod). Creator and director of the Blue Group and currently the group Magüey.
ACCCI
By Eduardo Ferraudi I had the opportunity to know from different roles – as the winning director of "Vocal Consonante" (2003- 2004 -2005), musical guest with "Albahaca" (2006), judge (2007-2008), and in 2009 simply as part of the audience, of the popular choral music contest (and recently in its 1º edition of vocal groups) Venado Coral –Vocal since its foundation, thanks to a happy coincidence: Visiting the radio program "A que Florezca mi Pueblo" hosted by the Mtro. Damián Sánchez, I met one of the organizers of the contest, whose notable persuasion, due to his own firm conviction, persuaded me to participate in it, even though I had already arranged another presentation with my choir in another festival. As regards this experience I can say that in the first contest and in the rest I had the chance to see and feel how each one of the members of the organization, from the ideologists to those gentle and careful companions of the respective choral groups
involved, fulfilled their task with great passion with the final objective of presenting our own cultural legacy, in this case choral art as applied to our popular music. Having this previous idea in mind, it is necessary to take into account the challenge of using our popular music. And going deeper into this last concept, there is not in the least doubt that putting a cultural value on it, is fundamental to the challenge of undertaking interpretively with greater seriousness our popular music, with all its formal, stylistic, harmonic, rhythmic, melodic wealth, and its artistic depth. We are invoking each group to know, frequent, want and appreciate its own cultural heritage, the so-called political fact Argentinean culture needs so arrogantly. Our outlook was always to value that from abroad and to disdain our own. The importance in this contest is to put special emphasis on enriching the outlook and overcoming our own limits, those which make a hierarchical arragement, and give a true value to the popular music in Argentina, together with its influences, tendencies and multiple developments; a product belonging to a time in which a cosmopolitan period can enrich us by continuing to paint with the great
beauty and authenticity that we can find in our own village. Beyond the anecdote I have mentioned at the beginning - I found this warm place and such good friends, - some of them makers of this wonderful and prestigious contestI can affirm with absolute conviction that I have seen the capacity and intelligence with which the organisers of Vendo Choral, (the beloved Ruben Videla and Horacio Nicolari together with Asociación Civil Cunka Inti) work with such love and professionalism; and all those who colaborate without asking anything in return, working for the sake of an indispensable culture. Also thanks to this intelligent group and its " great power to work" as Roberto Arlt would say, also to the City Hall of Venado Tuerto and the Department of Cultural Innovation of the Province of Santa Fe who provide necessary funds for the realization, year after year, of this Cultural Festival that is "Venado Coral", during spring time, around October or November, in the beautiful city of Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe, Argentina. You are all cordially invited. • Translated of all texts by Luciana Fernández
EDUARDO FERRAUDI Buenos Aires City , Argentina Arranger, composer, singer and choir director. Took courses with Josep Prats, Verner Pfaff and studied harmony and composition with Manolo Juarez. In 1998 he won first prize in the national choral work. In 2004, Vocal Consonante won first prize in Venado Coral, and was sworn of the competition in 2007 and 2008. Directs, manages and sings in the quintet Albahaca.
14
A surprise in “CORALIADA 2008”
Civil Choral Association ALTA MIRA In a moment of the movie “Mr. Holland’s Opus” the main character – a composer – discovers that his son is deaf… The camera catches the brutal effect of this irony.
good. But beyond their artistic success there exists something more essential: the fact of singing, that marvelous physic process that pours away the feelings of the soul.
Something alike happened to Carlos D., a friend and musician: one day he was told that his daughter was deaf. I didn’t see the expression of Carlos in that moment, but it must have been similar to the one taken by the camera.
In 2008 I participated with the Adults Choir of the Marín Educational Group in Neco-chea’s CORALIADA and I confess that we were not prepared for what was going to happen.
In the film one day the boy comes to a rehearsal of the student’s orchestra conducted by his father. He sees his father moving his arms and also the students with instruments, all very concentrated. Even though he hears nothing, he notes that something is happening: he closes his eyes and begins to move his arms, imitating his father, with an expression of joy and peace in his face. In real life, Carlos daughter enters a living room where, besides the known furniture, she found an electronic devise with buttons connected to two wooden boxes, each with a cloth on one side. When she saw her father in an armchair, eyes closed and a concentrated state that he never had when he was with her, she knew that there was an unknown ceremony going on. She went to one of the boxes and noted a vibration coming from the part with the cloth and understood that that was the cause of her father’s state.
After the performance of many choirs a very different choral group came to the stage. In fact, this choir didn’t sing. The Argentine Language of Signs Choir “Your soul lays in my hands”, from Necochea, is formed by students and graduates from the Argentine Language of Signs School, from the Deaf and Integrated Hipoacusic Association. During an immeasurable time they showed us their way to make deaf people compre-hend if not what music is but what it can transmit and awaken in us. It is hard to express what we experienced
there, so as it is impossible to explain music. I only remember that group of students and their teachers making us shudder through the movements of their bodies, and particularly their eyes, and transmitting feelings of joy, sadness, optimism or despair. What I remember better is the reaction of every one of us, a ceremony of tears mixing with astonishment, our applause and our silence. We discovered, and perhaps repeated, the moments in which the children of Carlos D and “Mr. Holland” discovered that there is something magic and impalpable that awakens sensations in us, conveys feelings, separates us from reality and makes us better. We understood that there is a way to transmit and appreciate all what music gives us also by other senses, different from the one we always attach indissolubly with music: the ear. •
I am going to choral concerts, meetings or festivals since many years. Some times the quality was good, the choirs performed well, and sometimes they were not so
MARCELO VALVA Haedo City, Argentina Advocate, composer, arranger and choral director. He has composed works for mixed chorus, children's choir and piano, symphonic corals, having managed large number of popular works. He was founding President of the Choral Directors Association Choral Argentina (ADICORA) and former member of the Board of the Argentine Council of Music.
ACCAM
JOSÉ BUCK S.A. 16
By Cabañas Río Quequén We, the family of “Cabañas Río Quequén”, consider Alta Mira Chorus a synonymous of joy, harmony, constancy, perseverance… Through the years the choir has achieved respect and admiration because of its performances everywhere as “community choir” with their ubiquitous programmes that distinguishes it from the rest. Their idea of CORALIADA makes us all very proud because it creates an important cultural activity but also an economic development in the city. Therefore we salute you and may never invade us the silences, just their meaning: the return of CORALIADA after a ‘pause measure’!!! •
17
ACCAM
18
Am茅rica Cantat Asociaci贸n Amigos del Coro Estable de Tandil
Venado Coral Venado Vocal
Sociedad de los Encuentros Corales
Coraliada Fundaci贸n CIC
Cantapueblo
Coro de C谩mara A. Beruti
ANSILTA
National Choir Contest and Festival in San Juan By Antonio María Russo
"In August 2007, due to the initiative of Mrs. María Elina Mayorga de Blech and with the wonderful and efficient participation of Arturo Beruti Chamber Choir, where María Elina Mayorga is main conductor, was born "ANSILTA National Contest and Festival in San Juan" This event took place again in October, 2008, it has a biannual character, and its third version will take place this October. Every time I have been invited to participate as a Jury, invitation which has made me feel absolutely honoured, I have accepted gladly every time for the reasons that I will detail as follows: The Argentinean choral activity is intense, it covers a wide and complete range of possibilities and it has produced many high quality ensembles that have earned a lot of international awards. Likewise, there is a stimulating amount of young conductors who are beginning their artistic life with a much more solid preparation and there are more young voices who will intensify and develop even more the Argentinean choral activity. The idea of a National Contest-Festival has an inestimable value in the way that it has significantly captured this vigorous choral movement and has created and ar-
tistic mechanism of healthy competition through an appropriately chosen repertoire, a rigorous artistic excellency demand and very valuable awards. San Juan's Government was sensitive to María Elina Mayorga's and ArturoBeruti Chamber Choir Association's idea and they have absolutely supported their proposal. The possibility to choose either to participate in the Contest or the Festival gives every choir the opportunity to share and participate according to their own possibilities and interests.
The way it is conceived, the proposal offers: a) Performances in the magnificent Juan Victoria Auditorium and in churches; as well as in schools, museums and other cultural institutions. San Juan city responds massively to this event. Press, Radio and TV widely cover all the information and each one of the programmed activities. Each one of the concerts has a numerous attendance, and the audience of San Juan is warm and appreciative. b) Simultaneous Workshops in charge of Teacher of renowned suitability. This Wor-
ANTONIO MARÍA RUSSO He is one of the most important personalities of the Argentinean musical environment. As a choir and orchestra conductor. Since its creation in 1999, he is the Main Invited Conductor of Juventus Lyrica. He has written pieces for a cappella choir, voice and piano, chamber ensemble, symphonic orchestra, children choirs and many diverse vocal and instrumental ensembles. He has earned numerous awards for his work as an interpreter, composer and teacher.
CORO DE CĂ MARA A BERUTI
kshops had the active attendance of choir conductors and singers from many Argentinean provinces. c) Score reading and repertoire knowledge Sessions, which gave all of us the possibility to know the work of new composers from Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Canada. Knowing a wide repertoire and its adequate selection are a key element among all the diverse aspects that we must consider when it comes to the growth and evolution of any choral ensemble. d) Vocal Technique Master Classes, which were a significative contribution for all the attendant singers and conductors. e) Forum "Choral music: the educational value of repertoire. Sharing experiences",
with the participation of the Jury. In the last forum, where I had the honour to share with Maestro Cristian Hernandez Larguia, a rich dialog took place regarding repertoire selection and the approach to choral arrangements. A special paragraph deserves what leaves everyone admired about ANSILTA National Choir Contest and Festival in San Juan: The great efficiency in the previous production regarding activities organization, accommodation, transportation and the extreme attention towards the participant choirs, as well as the absolute transparency in all the complex development of the event. From its previous organization to its pleasing closing party for all the attendance, ANSILTA passes in an extraordinary balance of artistic and organizational balance and a warm choral
fraternity environment. Finally, a modality of work was established among the jury members which I support without any reservations and that constitutes a very important plus to all the choirs: it consists of giving the contestant choir conductors the chance to have a direct and personal dialog with the jury and giving them a wide foundation of the verdict. This fundaments go together with specific suggestions for each choirs, this way the interested choir has the possibility to grow and evolve. I want to close up by saying that I am convinced that this Contest-Festival is one of the great artistic events of Argentina, and I consider it worth of all the appreciation and support that any artist could give. •
22
By Silvana Vallesi
“Congratulations Ansilta!! After such an intense choral weekend I want to congratulate ANSILTA for its brilliant effort!!! First of all, as it is usual when it comes to María Elina, the organization was excellent and absolutely transparent in every detail. A wonderful Concert Hall as the Auditorium, where everything is magical, perfectly exploited by the people who are in charge of it.
An excellent jury, where for the first time, in my short experience as contestant and as jury, the organization gives them the possibility to give the contestant choirs an evaluation of their work.THAT WAS PURE GOLD for all of us who seek in contests for a chance to grow!
That is why I want to congratulate María Elina for the success of her hardworking effort, the jury for their quality and their valuable evaluation, the conductors for their human and musical warmth and the choir member for their vocation towards good choral music.
The quality of the choirs gave the event the musical content that Argentinean choirs are capable of giving. The time invested with love and generosity by Coro Beruti's members was truly an example for all of us.
Finally, I would like to impel all Argentinean choirs to participate in ANSILTA 2010, and to all Argentinean choral organizations to keep on promoting the birth of this kind of events, in order to multiply the possibilities that a choir has in this point of the planet, making them richer and highly qualified musically, as we all deserve.
Not less important was the support given by official and private entities who trusted ANSILTA and gave very generous awards for the contestants.
CONGRATULATIONS!! •
Silvana Vallesi Choral Conducting Graduate from the Arts College of the National University of Cuyo. She conducts Mendoza University's Choir, Mendoza University's Polyphonic Choir and the Voxx in Scena Project. She has been jury in many international choral contests. Under her conduction, Mendoza University's Choirs has earned many awards, being the most recent one the Grand Prix of the XX European Grand Prix for Choral Singing in Tours in 2009.
CORO DE CÁMARA A BERUTI
24
THE CIC TRELEW 2009 AN UNFORGETTABLE WEEK
By Tulio Pablo Fiorentino More than once, when you emphatically try to defend the vital importance of planning and organizing an artistic event with anticipation and having in mind even the smallest of details, there are those who criticize arguing that excess of efficiency destroys the spontaneity and warmth that a choir event should have, and that what really matters is enjoying the Music.
This statement, which in theory may sound reasonable to many people, falls apart in an unyielding way when in practise we analyse any of the events that take place in the context of our choral life. And it falls apart in such a way that it becomes simple to demonstrate that when organizing efficiency is absent, music quality is missing too, and as a result, the event ends up being a real fiasco, to the point that some of them are carried out never again. On the contrary, every time we have attended an event seriously organised and carefully planned, Music was not only pre-
sent but it had the opportunity to manifest in a full, authentic way, and the audience could enjoy it in all its splendour. I am not going to exemplify the first case. However, the second fact is demonstrated undoubtedly by one of the best and the most recent of the events that I attended: the International Choir Contest of Trelew, whose ninth edition took place last September. I knew of the existance of CIC since those days in 1992 when Daniel Garavano promoted its first edition during the First Am茅rica Cantat in Mar del Plata, and more
Tulio Pablo Fiorentino Buenos Aires City, Argentina BA Music and Superior Teacher of Music, especiliased in Musicology at the Facultad de Artes y Ciencias Musicales de la Universidad Cat贸lica Argentina. Teacher of History at the Music Conservatory of Music in Mor贸n, in the Music Conservatory of General San Martin and the School of Music "Juan Pedro Esnaola" of Buenos Aires. Since December 2007, Secretary of the aff铆liate of Gran Buenos Aires Zona Oeste/Norte de ADICORA.
CIC
than once I had wanted to attend it personally, but due to different reasons, I had never been able to do it until, perhaps because of my growing interest in the organization of choral events, maybe because we are already living the atmosphere of the coming World Symposium on Choral Music 2011, or as a consequence of all these things together and some other reasons, I decided that this was the chance to pay off the doubt I had with myself. Even when I was well aware that I was going to attend a choral event considered as one of the best organised and most internationally prestiged of our ambit, I could not help by surprising when on my first day, a day before the beginning of the contest, I could witness a meeting in which Daniel Garavano, with detailed conceptual clarity, was explaining step by step everything that was going to happen during the following days to a group of your collaborators, in such a way that all the people present there learnt what would happen beforehand. In the end, we were able to see everything happen as it had been planned, without failure, as clockwork. Butt the best of all, is that by the end of those seven days of concerts and competitions, the people who had the happiness of attending every instant of the CIC were able to enjoy Music, in a way that had not happened to me in a real long time. Part of the organising efficiency I have been remarking from the beginning of this
note, has to do precisely with this: with having the goal of a choral event which summons choirs and vocal ensembles of the highest level possible that can take advantage of what the institution can provide them with in order to empower their musical qualities. CIC Foundation was so assertive in this point that as for me, I could give seven points to the lowest-quality choir if I had to give a numeric qualification to each participating choir, especially to those which competed in the different categories in which the Contest was divided. On the other hand, we witnessed music demonstrations of supreme excellence, as, for instance, the performance by Cantoría de la Merced, the “Cordobes” choir conducted by Santiago Ruiz, which got many of the awards given by the Jury and that will surely have an open door from now on to the International Stage, showing once again, the very high quality that Argentinean choirs can reach. As if all of these arguments have not been enough to decisively refute all those who mistrust competitive choral events, I must point to the friendship developed among the participants, triggered by the very warm relationship with the organisers and the excellent mood of the members of the Jury –who provided their deep knowledge and expertise during the Workshops-, converged into this edition of the International Choir Contest of Trelew, one of the greatest episodes of our Choral History, which, at least for me, will be very hard to forget. •
26
New and important advancements have taken place in the organization of the 9th World Symposium on Choral Music By Daniel Garavano New and important advancements have taken place in the organization of the 9th World Symposium on Choral Music to be held in Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, Argentina, from 3 to 10 August 2011, some of which were explained by the Symposium’s Executive Director, Daniel Garavano, in the General Assembly of the IFCM held in late October in Örebro. Thanks to cooperative agreements celebrated with the founding members of the IFCM including Europa Cantat, A Coeur Joie and Japan Chorus League, it was possible to send information to every region of the world. Tim Sharp and Daniel Garavano recorded a video, which was uploaded to the ACDA website, to encourage choirs and conductors to come to Patagonia for the coming Symposium. As had been established, November 1 was the registration deadline for choirs interested in being considered for the Symposium. A hundred and nineteen choirs from forty countries of the five continents registered at www.wscm9.com. The registered choirs were from Australia and New Zealand to Estonia and Canada, from South Africa through Spain to Finland and from China and Philippines through Hungary, to Cuba and Venezuela. Argentina and the United States were the
two countries with the biggest number of registered choirs. November 15 was the deadline for the reception of Conference and Round Table proposals, with the presentation of eighty-five projects coming from more than thirty countries, with topics for conferences, workshops and round tables. The 9th World Symposium on Choral Music Artistic Committee met in Puerto Madryn from 18 to 23 November 2009 to analyze and discuss the presented material. Theodora Pavlovitch, Lyn Williams, Philip
Brunelle, Nestor Andrenacci and Daniel Garavano, members of the Artistic Committee, worked through a huge amount of material, previously organized by Diego Lenger, general secretary of the Artistic Committee. By the end of long sessions carried out in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, the general programme for the Symposium was determined and, to that end, twentyfive ensembles from twenty-one countries with a total number of seven hundred and sixty-five singers were chosen to constitu-
DANIEL GARAVANO Gaiman Ciudad de City, Gaiman, Argentina Argentina Professor–- Director Docente Choral Director de Coro- –Composer Compositor andy Arranger Arreglador Miembroofdel Member theBoard Boardde ofDirectores Directors ofdethe la International Federación Internacional Federation for para Choral la Música Music (1999 Coral -(1999 2005 –- 2011) 2005 – 2011) by elected elegido directpor vote Voto in the Directo General en Asamblea Assembly.General. ElectedElecto vice president Vicepresidente of the de International la Federación Federation Internacional for Choral para Music la Música in 2008. Coral Founding en el año Partner, 2008. Socio Member Fundador, of theMiembro Drafting de Committee la Comisión of the Redactora Statutes deand los Estatutos yofSecretario Secretary International de Relaciones RelationsInternacionales ADICORA - Choral de ADICORA Directors – Asociación AssociationdeofDirectores Argentinade(2003 Coro de to la República 2006). Participated Argentina in organizing (2003 – 2006). the World Participó Assembly en la of organización Choral Directors de la Asamblea Association Mundial - WACCde- Buenos Asociaciones- de Aires August Directores 2006.de Coros – WACCA - Buenos Aires - Agosto de 2006. Socio Fundador Founder and Treasurer y Tesorero of the deOFADAC la OFADAC - Argentinean – Organización Federated Federada Organization Argentina of de Choral Actividades ActivitiesCorales (2003 -(2003 2006–-2006 2009). – 2009). President Presidente of the Foundation de la Fundación "CIC" “C.I.C.” organizer organizador International del Certamen Choir Contest Internacional of TrelewdeCoros de Trelew Patagonia - Argentina. – Patagonia – Argentina. Adjunto por Argentina attachment Argentinatoalthe Comité Steering Directivo Committee de la ALACC of the ALACC – Asociación - Asociación Latinoamericana Latinoamericana de Canto de Canto Coral (1997 (1997 Coral – 2005) - 2005)
CIC
te a beautiful mosaic of the World Choral Singing. In addition, the Committee appointed four Maestros in charge of the four master classes in choral conducting, two conductors for the Common Singing, and thirty lecturers and other participants in the round tables. More news: three of the six composers commissioned to create new choral pieces for the Symposium have already finished their work and their beautiful compositions are ready to be sent to the selected choirs. Once more, the World Symposium on Choral Music will demonstrate the magnitude of the choral movement in the world and the high quality of choirs and maestros who will lend their prestige to the greatest of the IFCM activities. The Organizing Committee is now working to contact the choirs and lecturers to confirm their participation; all of them will be announced during the second half of February 2010 on the Symposium’s website www.wscm9. com. On the same site, individual participants will also find updated information. Costs for accommodation and food at various price leves will be available together with tourist services offered by Argentina Visión, the event’s official tour operator. The website will offer interesting side trips as well as the essential APPLICATION FORM for participation in the 9th WORLD SYMPOSIUM ON CHORAL MUSIC. Patagonia is not so far away, the Symposium is getting closer and closer. WE ARE WAITING TO WELCOME YOU!•
28
CANTAPUEBLO COPPLA FOUNDATION
By Elisabeth Guerra
I welcome the idea that the COPPLA Foundation had open this space to Child coral music, because singing is one of the most sublime forms of expression and as such becomes a right for the children. In the past month of October I had the very pleasant opportunity to lead as a guest teacher Closing Mass Choir of the 3rd Edition CANTAPUEBLO NIﾃ前S Festival recognized within the framework offered by imposing Cerro de la Gloria in our city, Mendoza, and I feel very grateful.
The combination of so many enthusiastic and happy children joined in coral singing (about 600) and regardless of frontiers, customs and conditions - that often divide us - and songs outstanding masters of past and present coral Argentine Latin American interpreted together with joy, made this experience, a memorable fact where the music and the values deep that we must continue to cultivate in our children, such as peace, freedom, friendship, tolerance, love and care for our land, became the real stars of the show.
It is my desire since I personally as a teacher and as a choir director and children for a considerable time, that these meetings and festivals continue to promote children's choir singing in all its facets, which undoubtedly will result in enriching and overcoming the various choral groups participating. I thank all the human and musical confidence placed in me and attention to each child participating directors and members of the organization sponsored me and had the best success for the next issue! 窶｢
Elisabeth Guerra Professor of Music, specializing in Choral Conducting degree from the Faculty of Arts and Design UNCuyo. He obtained a Diploma in Cultural Management and Creative Industries Foundation 2009 organized by COPPLA, Tikal Ideas and Valparaiso Group Foundation. Member and Head of rope Mendoza University Choir under the direction of Philip Vallesi. Since 2001 she is Director of the Boys Choir of the Municipality of Mendoza. Founding member of the Choral Directors Association of Argentina (ADICORA) and current Chairman of the Steering Committee on the Filial Mendoza.
COPPLA
30
How the Summer Choir Encounters were created I never imagined, while walking through the school hallway, that in a few minutes I would live one of the most important and significant moments of my life. I was taking a course in Orchestra Conduction at The School of Fine Arts- La Plata University- and I was devoted to figuring out any muical score I could lay my hands on. It was in 1963 when three students stopped me in that hallway to tell me that the Students' Centre had decided to start a choir and that they wanted me to be their director. I still remember who they were: Carlos Martinez, Roberto Capalbo, and Ricardo Denegri. Right there we agreed to work together and we started from scratch. It was not easy; we had to work really hard to keep our choir going. Luckily, the school authorities as well as the students' parents gave us their support. A few years later, the choir began to sing not only in La Plata but also in other countries such as Brazil. The presentations included a wide repertoire of songs from "madrigales de Palestrina y Monteverdi" to "zambas, chacareras y tangos". The highest point of all this was when the choir was invited to sing "El Oratorio San Fracisco Solano" together with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Buenos Aires at Colon Theatre and afterwards, at La Plata Argentine Theatre. We were ready to take part in Arezzo's Festival when a grant we had been given was cancelled at the very last minute; our country was going through one of the darkest moments in our history.
JORGE ARMESTO Argentina Degree in Orchestral Conducting from the College of Fine Arts at the Universidad Nacional de La Plata. He directed the Choir of the College of Fine Arts. He studied, among others, with Mariano Drago (Orchestral), Luis Gianneo (Membership), Guillermo Graetzer (Choral) James Ficher (Harmony and Counterpoint), Antonio De Raco (piano), and Ljerko Spiller (chamber music).
SEC
No one could have ever imagined what would happen some years later. After a presentation at Easter, 1968, in Villa Gesell, the idea of the Summer Choir Encounters (Los Encuentros Corales de Verano) started to take shape. That "magical" place in Gesell, surrounded by sand and pine trees, later became the "Anfiteatro del Pinar". After so many years I still remember when the choir sang and, even without knowing it at the time, it created bonds with other choirs that would last in time. It was really impressive to see the energy and commitment shown by those young choristers because despite all the difficulties and complications, they succeeded in turning that "magical" place into the meeting point for different choirs of different places. I was part of that outstanding event and now I'm a privileged witness who praises what it meant and still means for the development of choral music in Argentina for over 40 years. Nowadays, choirs have a lot more possibilities to work than they used to because of the development of technology. Apart from that, there are a lot of festivals and meetings all over the world where choirs perform and exchange knowledge and ideas. I'm really proud of having been part of that choir which set an example of persistence and hard work for others to follow. •
32
Choral March of the BICENTENARY PROCLAMATION day 22nd May, 2010 time 11 am. place in every city of the country. organized by OFADAC and its associations
On behalf of this year’s celebration of the bicentenary of the May’s Revolu-tion, the Argentine Federated Organization for Choral Activities – OFADAC – and its member associations have agreed to invite the choirs of all the country’s cities to participate in a march towards their municipali-ties or monuments dedicated to celebrate that Revolution, under the motto
THE PEOPLE WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S… THE SINGING The choirs in every city will walk a path established in each case, singing (suggested is “Aurora”on the arrival), and when they arrive to the meeting point – at 11 am – each choir will perform some songs, and afterwords all choirs will join to sing together “A que florezca mi pueblo”, by Damián Sánchez, and the Argentine National Anthem, if possible in the 4 parts choral arrangement by Vivian Tabbush, or unisonous. OFADAC and its member associations will prepare notes for the interested choirs to request the incorporation of this March in the official activities programme from their municipalities. Also OFADAC will invite the Choral Conductors Association of the Argentine Republic – ADICORA – to join this proyect through their associated conductors. In each city, the choirs involved can decide whether or not wear uniforms, and other organizational details that meet the particular characteristics of the place. In the case of the Province of Santa Fe, given the school choir program has been developing ADICOFE there OFADAC invites the respective provincial authorities, taking advantage of such work, meet children from different cities to sing together at the Monument Flag, the same day and time. The same applies to the case of other provinces with similar programs, whose school choirs / children could meet in a specific monument.
Associated Institutions OFADAC Society of Friends of the Coro Estable from Tandil – Tandil Argentinean Association for Choral Music “America Cantat” – La Plata Civil Association Coro Alta Mira – Coraliada – Necochea Civil Choral Association Cunka Inti – Venado Coral – Venado Tuerto Association Chamber Choir Arturo Beruti – San Juan Choir of the Catholic University of Cuyo – San Juan COPPLA Foundation – Cantapueblo – Mendoza CIC Foundation (International Choir Contest) – Trelew MARDELCANTO – Mar del Plata Argentinean Choral Net – Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires Society of Choral Encounters of La Plata – La Plata
33