“In training, there is no winning or losing. There is only Learning.” – Tucker Max
The Choral TIES project offers Cross-border Training on International and European level for professionals in the field of Collective Singing. The project runs from 1 December 2023 to 31 May 2026. It is coordinated by the European Choral Association and will receive 186 649.00 € of co-funding from the European Union.
In addition to physical, hybrid and online training for choral conductors / vocal leaders and managers, Choral TIES promotes youth participation and aims to provide training adapted to different needs and contexts, to train the trainers and others working in the field and to introduce a new online training tool.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Choral TIES aims to benefit hundreds of professionals within the European Union, in other European countries and beyond through:
- making use of new technology and digital tools for training
- strengthening international cooperation in the field of collective singing, especially with EU neighbours
- using online and hybrid training formats to support access and environmental sustainability
The Choral TIES project activities include:
- webinars organised by each of the project partners for choral conductors / vocal leaders, managers and composers
- hybrid and physical trainings, for example in the Baltic and Balkan regions and at Leading Voices 2025
- A peer-to-peer training offering European conductors the opportunity to work with choirs on other continents
- the development of an international youth network through the European Choral Association Youth Committee and YOUNG IFCM, as well as the YOUNG programme at the IFCM World Choral Expo and the Leading Voices YEMP programme
- cross-border workshops and study tours to selected countries, including Georgia and Armenia in 2024 and Lebanon in 2025
Resources planned for development in the project include:
- guidelines on how to organise training activities
- the digital training tool “conductors coach” into several languages
- audiovisual documentation and recordings of streamed hybrid and online courses
Re-visit this page for updates!
NEWS
Choral TIES first project meeting in Frankfurt
Choral TIES second project meeting in Zagreb
EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Hybrid and physical trainings at Leading Voices 2025 | Tallin, Estonia – 6-10/07/2025 | Link to the website
PAST EVENTS
Study Tour to Georgia and/or Armenia | Tbilisi, Georgia & Yerevan, Armenia – 14-26/09/2024 | Link to the website
Seminar for Choral Conductors | Rijeka, Croatia – September 6-8, 2024 | Link to the website
Summer Course for Choral Conductors | Haapsalu, Estonia – August 12-15, 2024 | Link to the website
WEBINARS
FUTURE WEBINAR
Webinar “Creating Choral Music: Talking about the Requirements of Choral Repertoire” | November 23, 2024_8 PM CET
The Webinar “Creating Choral Music: Talking about the Requirements of Choral Repertoire” will focus on the art of choral composition. Three well-known composers will share their ideas on how to create choral music for ensembles today, using their own compositions as illustrations. This Webinar is organised in cooperation with IFCM in the framework of the Choral TIES project co-funded by the EU. To develop this theme, IFCM invited composers from different regions of the world:
• Marie Herrington (USA), Ukrainian-American soprano, composer, and conductor
• Jaakko Mäntyjärvi (Finland), professional freelance translator and composer as well as an amateur/semi-professional choral singer and conductor
• Eva Ugalde (Basque Country, Spain), composer
The webinar is open to everyone and participation is free. Register here -> https://bit.ly/choraltieswebinarifcm
PAST WEBINARS
Webinar “Choose your repertoire wisely” | April 16, 2024 | Watch it on YouTube!
Are you looking for new repertoire ideas, struggling with building the perfect programme for all occasions, or singing with migrants? Discover Musica International choral repertoire database and the Sing Me In repertoire booklet, and get inspired by our speakers. At first, Burak Onur Erdem (TR), principal conductor and artistic director of the Turkish State Choir, guides us through the essential aspects of effective programming, developing, and building the choral repertoire and choosing appropriate program for competitions. In the second part we learn about the online library of one of the world’s richest database of choral repertoire – Musica International – with Pierre-Luc Pfrimmer (FR). To conclude, Alba Roorda Martinez (NL/ES) and Joana Costa (PT), members of the European Choral Association Youth Committee, introduces us to the revised songbook of “Sing me in”, an inspiring project aiming to support the integration of young migrants into the community through collective singing. The project concluded successfully in 2018. However, since then, the world has seen shifts in immigration patterns. To adapt to these changes, the Youth Committee has decided to revisit the project and update the Repertoire Guide with the songs from the countries of immigrants’ origin.
Seminar “Choirs after covid – recover, rebuild, renew” at the Haapsalu Summer Course | August 13, 2024 | Watch it on YouTube!
On August 13th, 2024, our board member Daphne Wassink from the Netherlands presented a lecture titled “Choirs after COVID – Recover, Rebuild, Renew” during the Choral Conductors’ Summer Course in Haapsalu, Estonia. The lecture was available both in person and online, allowing participants to engage in discussions and ask questions. This session was a key moment in the course, focusing on the challenges and opportunities for choirs in the post-pandemic era. This activity is hosted by Estonian Choral Association, as part of the ChoralTIES project co-funded by the EU.
Practice aids for choir conducting
WORLD´S FIRST CONDUCTING APP AND NEW CHORAL CONDUCTING BOOK BY CARUS VERLAG
A clear conducting technique, the ability to lead lively rehearsals and a sound knowledge of vocal training are all essential attributes for any successful choral conductor.
Carus – one of the Choral ties’ project partner – developed the ideal toolkit for all aspiring choral conductors. This new practice aids for choir conducting include a handbook together with a practical manual written by conductors Anne Kohler, Jan Schumacher and Klaus Brecht, plus the world’s very first conducting app Conductor’s Coach.
The practice aids enable students of choral conducting – in fact, any conductors, music teachers or interested amateur choral conductors – to develop their conducting techniques and working methods, resulting in confident performances in front of every choir! (App and handbook available in German; English versions in preparation).
Check it out here
THE PARTNERS
Coordinated by the European Choral Association (DE), the project brings together the following partners:
- Carus-Verlag (DE)
- Croatian Cultural Association (HR)
- Estonian Choral Association (EE)
Some of the activities will be promoted in cooperation with the International Federation for Choral Music – IFCM