ICEP Spotlight – ICEP Horizons
(Swedish ICEP Conducting Fellows in Salt Lake City, UT with ACDA Executive Director, Dr. Tim Sharp, ICEP Director, Dr. T. J. Harper, and SWICCO Director, Fred Sjöberg)
This weekend, the 2015 exchange with Sweden comes to a triumphant close with the last group of ICEP Conducting Fellows convening in Malmö, Sweden for the 2015 Nordic Choral Conference. With a total of twenty-eight conductors participating in this year’s exchange, the ACDA International Conductors Exchange Program continues to take large strides forward in its efforts to increase cross-cultural exchange and enlightenment. This was only made possible through our friendship and cooperation with the Swedish International Choral Center Örebro (SWICCO) and their Artistic Director, Fred Sjöberg. As a past participant in the first ACDA conductor exchange program, Fred has been able to help administer and execute this program so it could reach thousands of choral musicians throughout Sweden.
(2015 ICEP Conducting Fellows in Örebro, Sweden with Voces8)
Since 2012, the ACDA International Conductors Exchange Program has provided opportunities for US conductors with successful exchanges with Cuba, China, and Sweden. Our upcoming exchanges with South Korea and South America have accelerated our ability to support the current ICEP objectives to build bridges and create connections with choral communities from around the world.
(2015 ICEP Conducting Fellows Becca Kenneally, Lars Fredén, Amy Johnston Blosser, Gisela Hök Ternström, Dr. Kimberly Dunn Adams, and Dr. Karl Nelson)
Recently, ACDA Executive Director Tim Sharp responded directly to the question of the impact and future of the ACDA international initiatives in his Choralnet ChoralBlog, Ask Tim Anything. He wrote:
“In 2016, ICEP will boast nearly 90 alumni worldwide who have helped to promote the objectives of ACDA and strengthen our relationship with choral communities international music exchange and cross-cultural collaboration. The ICEP Conducting Fellows are in essence international goodwill ambassadors for the choral profession whose primary focus is at once artistic and humanistic. On behalf of ACDA, they are connecting every member of their singing communities with their international partners. As a result of these initial international residencies, ICEP alumni are creating new opportunities for collaboration and real dialogue beyond the borders of the original exchange. These new projects allow ACDA to expand their mission of choral excellence and leadership to countless choral communities.”
I am absolutely thrilled and excited for the current class of ICEP Conducting Fellows from the US and Sweden. The friendships made through this exchange will no doubt last a lifetime and the musical partnerships that have been created will impact the lives of no less than thousands of choral musicians in both countries. However, the strength of this years’ program lies in the quality of the individuals involved who are committed to contributing to the common good and well being of the world. These wonderful people are:
FROM SWEDEN
Ann-Sofi Stål
Gisela Hök Ternström
Gunnel Sjöberg
Helene Stureborg
Ida Fahl
Jakob Patriksson
Karl Magnus Jansson
Lars Fredén
Mats Bertilsson
Michael Strand
Pär Olofsson
Stefan Ekblad
Sofia Ågren
Kicki Bejstam
FROM THE US
Adam Steele
Amy Blosser
Brian Schmidt
Cameron LaBarr
David Puderbaugh
Dominick DiOrio
Emily Williams Burch
Giselle Wyers
Joshua Bronfman
Joshua Habermann
Karl Nelson
Kimberly Dunn Adams
Michael Murphy
Becca Kenneally
On the Horizon, the ACDA International Conductors Exchange Program is continuing its work to open doors for collaboration and intercultural dialogue with South Korea in 2016 and South America in 2017. The current and future international exchange programs offer windows of opportunity for our profession to walk forward into the vanguard of our profession and fully participate as citizens of the world.
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