What does COVID-19 mean for Canadian choirs and choral workshops?

From Feb. 9 to March 2, 2020, mere weeks before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity welcomed nine choirs, five conductors and five composers to its facilities in the Rockies to take part in its third annual Choral Art program.

"The last week was already under a COVID-19 shadow," explained Michael Zaugg to CBC Music via email. He runs the program, which has received the 2020 award for outstanding innovation from Choral Canada.

To composers and conductors, the program offers a residency with a professional choir (Zaugg's Edmonton-based chamber choir, Pro Coro Canada) as well as visiting faculty (one for composing, one for conducting) over three weeks.

"Each weekend, we have community choirs come for workshops, coaching, lectures and concerts," Zaugg said, pointing out that it's the only program of its kind in Canada and among a handful worldwide. "Feedback is very positive."

We reached out to Zaugg to know more about the Banff Centre's award-winning Choral Art program, and to find out what its future might look like in the wake of COVID-19.

When and how was the Banff Centre's Choral Art program established?

I brought it to the Banff Centre in late 2016. Then, through 2017, we designed the curriculum, content and schedule. Then we selected the applicants. We have done three editions: 2018, 2019 and 2020.

What is the program's goal?

The Banff Centre itself provides an incredible environment for artists and for the creative process. The basic goal or overarching idea is to provide space to focus on creation and creative discourse.

How is this goal achieved?

With Pro Coro Canada, we provide a professional vocal instrument to the participants, to explore and practise aspects of the choral craft — composing and conducting, primarily, but also various styles, forms of intonation, vocal techniques, etc.

With the faculty we have world-renowned specialists that lead the participants into new realms, be it improvisation, movement, composition techniques, electronic sounds and how to present a performance with voices and choirs.

The round tables and discussions, almost daily, cover any topic possible, from programming, to ethics and cultural appropriation, to mental health for performers, to marketing and design of one's brand to networking.

Each week ends with a concert where newly written works are presented, i.e. "wet ink." Those are very concrete goals: the writing, rehearsing and performing of new works.

How do participating community choirs benefit?

They bring it back to their own practice. Some choirs have come three years in a row, and you can see how they have grown into a new understanding of what the voice can do, what performance and improvisation is, how to sing solos freely and safely in front of 80 to 100 strangers.

What is the experience like for the resident pro choir?

Pro Coro (12 singers per week) is the guinea pig and they work five hours a day with the participants, plus individual work (score study, coaching), and then sing the concert on the weekend with all new music.

They also coach the community choirs on the weekends (vocal technique, movement, basic musicianship). Pro Coro singers are great pedagogues with very different approaches, and also expertise in other fields such as recording, composing, arranging or yoga and other movement types.

The singers have to jump from Mendelssohn or Bruckner or Britten, to free improvisation to new vocal techniques within the course of one hour, constantly adapting to a different conductor up front or working with faculty and with changes and experiments from composers. They have to get into movement in one piece, and into body percussion in the next, and then quickly memorize it for the next day.

What will COVID-19 mean for the future of the Choral Art program at the Banff Centre?

Choral Art is a valued and important program at the Banff Centre. In discussions with the leadership — early stages — we're looking at how to adapt the main components to work under restrictions and how to move other components online for more people to access.

The community choir element will not be possible for the moment and also the participation of Pro Coro might be limited to four or eight singers. This is also pending if travel restrictions will make it impossible for participants to go to Banff.

We need to consider how we can provide a safe environment for all participants, and must also assume that not everyone will want to meet under the current (even when relaxed) restrictions.

In general terms, what do you perceive to be the short- and long-range impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canada's choral community?

At this time, with Pro Coro Canada, we're focused on building our resilience and adapting operational behaviours to take into account the parameters of this current pandemic. When this is over — however the "end" will be defined — our operations will not go back to normal, but will have become best practice for our organization, and hopefully can withstand another wave, or different crisis.

For me, singing is the essence of choral music. It is the purpose and the foundation on which all other expressions rest. So it is important to keep the individual singer/chorister challenged and accountable for the very purpose of choir, i.e. singing. As the conductor of a professional choir, this means establishing routines and habits that engage the singers in their vocal technique, ensemble technique, musicianship, knowledge of styles, language and idioms. This is what I do in a regular season context with the full group, and now can do online, or possibly in small groups in person.

I believe that keeping the purpose of choir — singing together — on the horizon and providing stepping stones to get there, is the essential factor for the choral community.