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America Cantat 8

Music in Paradise

August 29, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

singing-children

“The bulk of music teaching in this region centers around rote training and follows the model of the Royal School of Music system… It was more common than not for students to have incredible improvisational skills, beautiful voices, and the ability to perform on more than one instrument. Their creativity abounded and their enthusiasm was infectious.”

In the August issue of Choral Journal, Christy Lee (Maryville, Tennessee) writes about her experience in The Bahamas in 2008 when she accepted an opportunity to teach music in an international setting. She describes her first weeks of teaching, challenges of island living, and how she began to learn the true meaning of “Music in Paradise.”

As the international festival America Cantat 8 continues this week in Nassau, choirs and conductors are experiencing island living and the joy of creating music with people from other languages, other countries, and other cultures. She mentions her first time hearing junkanoo, a native art form: “No recording or description had prepared me for the riveting impact of the beat of goatskin drums combining with brass, whistles, and cowbells.”

Sonovia Pierre, a Bahamian singer, songwriter, and music educator, is hosting a workshop for America Cantat 8  called “Join the Junkanoo!” It explores contemporary music of The Bahamas, including pop and sacred works, and everything in between. To learn more about junkanoo, goombay, and other Bahamian art forms, click here.

You can also read more about Christy Lee’s Bahamian experience in the August issue of Choral Journal! Just click here. (Note: you must be logged into the ACDA website as a member to view the Choral Journal online.)
Click here to “like” America Cantat on Facebook to see photos and videos live from concerts and workshops in The Bahamas!

Filed Under: Choral Journal Tagged With: America Cantat 8, American Choral Directors Association

America Cantat 8 ~ Sights & Sounds of Celebration

August 28, 2016 by T.J. Harper Leave a Comment

“Sing a Song of Joy and Gladness ~ Sing a Song of Peace and Harmony
Sing Across the Islands ~ Sing Across the Sea
Sing a Song of Peace and Harmony ~ Oh Sing! Sing! Sing a Song!”

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The Hamilton Children’s Choir at America Cantat 8

 

America Cantat 8 continues to represent the very finest musical and cultural exchange in one of the most beautiful settings in the world. It is marked by the open exchange of ideas and new friendships that defy national borders and geographical distance. In truth, these friendships are enhanced because of the power inherent in the universality of choral music. There is power but there is also joy and happiness when people come together in the creation of beauty and fellowship. This is at the very heart of the American Choral Directors Association and this is why America Cantat exists.

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Workshop on the choral music of Cuba
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Dr. Cristian Grases (Venezuela) at America Cantat 8

 

Filed Under: International Initiatives, Others Tagged With: ACDA, America Cantat 8, Bahamas, Cristian Grases, international, tim sharp, Zimfira Poloz

America Cantat 8 – A Confluence of Inspiration

August 27, 2016 by T.J. Harper Leave a Comment

AC8: It takes a village…

Highlights from America Cantat 8

Over ten days, singers of all ages and abilities participate in overlapping five-day-long workshops, led by some of the most prestigious choral clinicians in the world. During these workshops participants rehearse choral pieces indigenous to participating choirs including some previous America Cantat host countries. At the end of the Festival, the workshops present joint concerts to showcase this music. In the evenings, participants attend Gala Concerts, performed by acclaimed choirs from each host country and our sister festival, Europa Cantat. Additionally, there are Opening and Closing Ceremonies, hosted by The Bahamas, a mid-week Dinner & Beach Party, and plenty of time to explore the island, relax on the beach, and take part in excursions to fully experience all that The Bahamas has to offer.

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America Cantat 8 would not be possible without the tireless efforts of a small, dedicated team of superstars. This team have been responsible for imagining what AC8 could be and working out the details required for all logistics involved in the day-to-day execution of this festival. ACDA is forever grateful to these individuals and their commitment to cultural exchange through ensemble singing.

Please join me in expressing our heartfelt gratitude to Eden Badgett, ACDA Festival Development Director; Audrey Dean-Wright, Associate Professor of Music at the College of the Bahamas; Cleveland Williams, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; Christy Lee, Lecturer in Collaborative Piano & Orchestra Conductor at Maryville College; and Adrian Archer, Music Director Christ Church-Bahamas, Conductor Highgrove Singers.

 

 

Filed Under: International Initiatives Tagged With: ACDA, America Cantat 8, Bahamas, international, tim sharp

America Cantat 8: Celebrating the Rich Musical Heritage of the Americas

August 27, 2016 by Amanda Bumgarner Leave a Comment

Bahamas Logo

On August 21, choirs and conductors from around the world gathered in Nassau, The Bahamas, to participate in America Cantat 8. This premier music festival closes on August 31 with a free afternoon concert series and final closing ceremonies in the evening.

ACDA is proud to partner with America Cantat to host AC8. In the words of ACDA’s Festival Development Director, Eden Badgett: “We think of ‘international’ as European or even Asian, but so often we forget the rich musical heritage of the countries in the Americas…. The challenge of language barriers falls away when we are united with a common goal of making music, and it is thrilling to see America Cantat 8 come together in a way that makes the global choral community feel simultaneously that much smaller and close-knit, and larger and more complex than we ever could have dreamed.”

“Like” America Cantat VIII on Facebook for videos, photos, and updates live from The Bahamas! You can also read more about the workshops of America Cantat 8 in the August issue of Choral Journal! Just click here. (Note: You must be logged into the ACDA site as a member to view the Choral Journal online.)

Click here to see just a few of the exciting moments from AC8!

Filed Under: Choral Journal Tagged With: America Cantat 8, American Choral Directors Association

America Cantat 8 ~ Color & Charisma

August 26, 2016 by T.J. Harper Leave a Comment

A Celebration of Cultural Enrichment through International Collaboration

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“Music is the universal language: We the participants in America Cantat 8, pledge to use our love for music and our gifts in music, to promote universal accord, foster harmony and peace among nations, and to represent our countries proudly, with honor.”

Entering the sixth day of this historic international festival, America Cantat 8 is not simply spectacular because of its ideal location in Nassau, Bahamas. Rather, it is the people from around the world who have traveled to be together for AC8 that have made this festival a once-in-a-lifetime event.

ACDA feels a special privilege to welcome performing ensembles Bel Canto Singers – Eldridge McPhee, director (Bahamas), Youth Choir of Talinn Music High School – Ingrid Kōrvits, director (Estonia),  The Bahamas National Youth Choir – Cleophas Adderley, director (Bahamas), Coro de Cámara de la Universidad de las Américas – Gisela Crespo, director (Mexico), The College of the Bahamas Concert Choir – Audrey Dean-Wright, director (Bahamas), Highgrove Singers – Adrian Archer, director (Bahamas), and Coro Arturo Beruti – María Elina Mayorga, director (Argentina).

Additionally, AC8 features a collection of outstanding international clinicians and workshop leaders including Daria Abreu (Cuba), Cleophas Adderley (Bahamas), Audrey Dean-Wright (Bahamas), Cristian Grases (Venezuela), Sonovia Pierre (Bahamas), Naomi Faran (Israel), and Zimfira Poloz (Canada).

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Filed Under: International Initiatives Tagged With: ACDA, America Cantat 8, Bahamas, international, tim sharp

America Cantat 8

August 24, 2016 by T.J. Harper Leave a Comment

America Cantat 8 ~ Nassau, Bahamas

 

Highlights from the first days of America Cantat

This month, the American Choral Directors Association is hosting America Cantat 8 in Nassau, Bahamas. AC8 is an international gathering of choirs, conductors and choral artists that celebrates the spirit of collaboration and cultural diversity of the Americas.  This 10-day festival is a complete immersion into the musical traditions that represent the Americas and our host country, the Bahamas.

ACDA is grateful to the members of the Artistic Committee for their tireless efforts in preparing an incredible roster of choirs, conductors, and clinicians. Special thanks to Camilo Santostefano (Argentina), Cristian Grases (Venezuela), Ki Adams (Canada), André Thomas (USA), Digna Guerra (Cuba), Adrian Archer (Bahamas), and Audrey Wright (Bahamas).

America Cantat 8 is the premier cultural music festival of the Americas, and is the only noncompetitive choir festival to unite singers, conductors, and festival choirs from North, Central, and South America in a ten-day cultural and musical immersion program. The Festival began in 1992 in Argentina as celebration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s landing on the island he would call San Salvador (part of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas today). Now, 23 years later, America Cantat continues to unite people from all over the world in a celebration of choral artistry, cultural exchange, and unforgettable experiences.

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Filed Under: International Initiatives Tagged With: ACDA, America Cantat 8, Bahamas, international, tim sharp

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