Monday 15 January to Thursday 18 January 2024
The Music School,
Methodist Ladies’ College
207 Barkers Rd, Kew
Early bird registration now open – $680 full price, $520 concession, $400 student
Australian Choral Conductors Education and Training (ACCET) welcomes your presence at its 30th Choral Conductors Summer School. Four exciting and involving days of demonstration, participation and learning will fit conductors with new skills and confidence to face the music, and the choir, in 2024.
André van der Merwe
(South Africa)
Stellenbosch University, Voces Cordis, Stellenberg Girls’ (high school)
What astonishing choral sound, vocal freedom, musical accuracy and committed performance Andre van der Merwe gains from the Stellenbosch University Choir, which he has conducted since 2003. The choir has been voted best-in-the-world choir by Intercultur most years from 2012 – 2020. His high school choir, Stellenberg Girls Choir (from 1999) has topped youth categories nationally and internationally, and his Voces Cordis adult choir (formed in 2022) is already establishing outstanding credentials. Andre was awarded Best Conductor at the Llangollen Eisteddfod in Wales in 2012 and 2018. He has been guest conductor, clinician and competition jury member in Austria, China, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Italy Japan, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, USA and Wales. In 2012 he has received a civic Culture Award for work with choirs and youth from the city of Cape Town. From 2012 he has been South African representative on the World Choir Council. In 2013 he was a clinician and jury member of the British TV production of Cor Cymru, the national choral competition of Wales. In 2018 he was Chairperson of the National Artistic Committee for the World Choral Games in South Africa.
Andre has choral compositions and arrangements published by Earthsong.
From Durbanville, Western Cape in South Africa, Andre studied for a B Music at the University of Cape Town before changing to a B Drama (in Directing) at the University of Stellenbosch. He has received national awards and prizes as an actor and director.
Christie Anderson
(South Australia)
Young Adelaide Voices
Adelaide Chamber Choir
Vocal trio Eve
Such passion for development of young talent! Christie Anderson has been Artistic Director of Young Voices of Adelaide for 14 years, has set up a Composer-in-Residence / Commissioning Program, a male-voice youth choir, and the Watu Youth Choir Festival. She is a regular conductor at Gondwana National Choral School. YAV won a San Francisco Gold Medal in 2012 and in Bratislava (Slovakia) 3 Gold Medals in 2016 with Christie receiving the Best Conductor award. She has been guest presenter across Australia, including in Festival of Voices, Hobart, Desert Song Festival, Alice Springs and the Darwin Festival. She has conducted / presented in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, the UK and USA.
Christie is a founding member of the vocal trio Eve, and with Aurora (from YAV) received the 20-21 National Indigenous Music Award for recording The Djari Project. She was chorus director for the Adelaide Festival of Arts production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
In 2022, on the retirement from Adelaide Chamber Choir of its founder Carl Crossin, Christie stepped up from Associate Conductor to its Artistic Director. Contributions to the Adelaide Festival have been, in 2018, Memory – Jocelyn Pook, in 2019 Symphony of Our World, in 2021 The Pulse and in 2022 Watershed – the Drowning of Dr Duncan – Joseph Twist.
“This was brilliant – great balance of large group presentations / master class and small more intense, tailored workshops!”
Emphasis on conducting
Development of your conducting skill is the central goal of the 30th ACCET Summer School. This will occur through group tuition, demonstration and master classes. In five group conducting workshops you will improve your skill and confidence in choral conducting. To assist you in nominating your current skill, for the application form, consider the following:
Basic
- has limited experience rehearsing and conducting a choir
- needs basic conducting patterns
- needs confidence in score preparation
- needs confidence in cueing entries and executing cut-offs
- needs beginning information on running rehearsals
Intermediate
- has substantial experience rehearsing and conducting a choir
- has had previous conducting tuition
- wants to increase technical skills with entries and cut-offs,
phrasing, legato, staccato, accent, pauses, dynamics
and time changes - wants to advance knowledge of music interpretation
Advanced
- is willing to audition on the first day to gain a place
in the advanced group - has had much experience rehearsing and conducting
skilled choirs - has had considerable conducting tuition
- is willing to tackle advanced music
Master classes
Led by Andre van der Merwe and Christie Anderson and observed by the whole school, the master classes will provide learning along with the development of conductors in their midst.
Repertoire for you
In your participant bag there will be complimentary music for you. In sessions you will learn many new works, and the retailers will provide opportunity to browse, purchase and order works for your year’s music making.
The Programme
For conductors of children’s, youth, tertiary, church and community choirs
Download a PDF of the programme
The venue
The Music School at Methodist Ladies’ College is an ideal venue for the ACCET Summer School – Melway 45 E8 – with major sessions in James Tatoulis Auditorium and all other sessions within the Music School building.
There is parking in the grounds and underneath the hall.
Tram 16 runs by the school and trams 24, 48 and 109 are within walking distances. Tram 16 connects with the Glenferrie Station.
Accommodation
Information for Kew and surrounds, and for the City of Melbourne, is available on the web site within registration materials.
Registration
Is available online here and information can be printed out as needed. Payment may be by direct debit (please label it distinctly as from you), cheque or money order.
Or download a Tax invoice and Registration form to print out.
