EAR - a newsletter for choral pedagogues

EAR #17

Dear choral colleagues

Welcome back to a new season of Pro Coro Canada’s Emerging Artist Program EAR! I look forward to sharing educational materials, spotlights on colleagues and the odd philosophical excursions.

Last season, we ended with a series of Season-Planning perspectives by choral leaders from across Canada. Head over to our website to catch up on those (newsletters EAR #10 through #14).

In November, Pro Coro Canada will present a concert in collaboration with the Canadian League of Composers and their PIVOT program. Six emerging composers have written works for our ensemble, and we’ll be exploring those with their - virtual - participation. Those rehearsal sessions will be available to anyone interested in following the process of rehearsing and performing a contemporary score. We invite you to tune-in to our livestreams, just keep an eye on the newsletters for more info.

In addition, we would like to introduce the 6 composers over the course of the next months. These artists have created a their own portfolios and are invested in various fields and styles of composition. For many it is a new experience to write for a professional choral ensemble. Their approach to writing for choir is of course very diverse and spans everything, from extended vocal techniques, to musical games, to electronic props to traditional choral idioms. It will be quite an adventure. Our first spotlight is Fjóla Evans!

We are also reaching out to all of you with a survey to help us learn more about how our EAR program, newsletters and videos are used. The information you provide will help us assess if our current online format is accessible, enjoyable, and informative, and how the offer for Emerging Artists could be extended. Thanks for taking part in this survey, facilitated by Sydnie Brown, Arts Management Student at MacEwan University, Edmonton.

With my best wishes,

Michael Zaugg

Fjóla Evans is a Canadian/Icelandic composer and cellist. Her work explores the visceral physicality of sound while drawing inspiration from patterns of natural phenomena. Commissions and performances have come from musicians such as Bang on a Can All-Stars pianist Vicky Chow, Grammy-winning ensemble eighth blackbird, and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Her work has been featured on the MATA Festival, Bang on a Can Marathon, Gaudeamus Music Week, Cello Biennale Amsterdam 2020, Ung Nordisk Musik, and the American Composers Orchestra’s SONiC Festival.

As a performer, she has presented her own work at venues such as Cluster Festival of New Music, (le) poisson rouge, Mengi in Reykjavík, and at Toronto’s Music Gallery. Fjóla has participated in residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts, and KulturKontakt Austria, among others. She has studied composition with Julia Wolfe, cello performance with Matt Haimovitz, and completed a master’s degree in composition at the Yale School of Music. In September 2019 she began doctoral studies in composition at Columbia University where her research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Recent projects include a new song cycle for Dúplum duo based on a taxonomy of Icelandic plant life, the premiere of Self-Care by Fonema Consort, VC2 cello duo’s rendition of Ridge & Furrow featured on the album Beethoven’s Cellists, the premiere of Jöklaklukka for Pro Coro Canada, performances of Lung by the Residentie Orkest in the Netherlands, and the release of cellist Maya Fridman’s recording of Reið-Hagall-Bjarkan on TRPTK. Fjóla is the 2017 winner of the Robert Fleming Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts.

www.fjolaevans.com

1 - Major musical influence (either a style or a personality)?

My music is very influenced by time spent outdoors, typically outside of the city. When I am composing I often try to tap into the type of listening I do when I am in a natural setting, quietly observing my surroundings. Another major (and early) musical influence on me was my grandmother. She is basically the reason I am a musician today! Growing up in Iceland we spent long afternoons together in her living room listening to all kinds of CDs... lots of cello music and also Icelandic folk songs.

2 - What is your favourite instrument to write for?

I love writing for strings -- as a cellist myself it definitely feels like my personal musical voice and also my comfort zone. I love the variations in textures available and the long sustained tones that strings afford you...Although it is super fun to get to learn about and write for a new instrumentation. The piece for Pro Coro was my first time writing for choir -- an experience which I really loved. I suppose a choir (much like strings) has lots of textural variation and the ability to create long, sustained tones... maybe I have a new favourite!

3 - Where do you write your music?

Since the pandemic, I write at my desk in my bedroom for the most part. I used to work more at libraries, but haven't gotten back into the habit yet since things have been opening up. I do keep a notebook to scribble down thoughts when they come to me when I'm on the subway or waiting at the doctor's office. Sometimes I like listening to draft recordings while I go for a walk around the neighborhood, I find the change in scene helps me listen differently.

4 - Would you rather read the book before the movie or after?

I would rather read the book before the movie.

5 - Are you an early bird or a night owl?
Definitely a night owl.