Choirs Ontario gratefully acknowledges the generous assistance of the Ontario Arts Council and the University of Ottawa

The Ontario Youth Choir, founded by Choirs Ontario in 1971, provides a unique opportunity for young singers from across Ontario to work with some of Canada's outstanding choral leaders. Every summer 40 talented young singers audition to take part in an exciting programme of rehearsals, masterclasses and voice lessons. The choristers are challenged with the finest choral repertoire while enjoying the camaraderie of talented colleagues. This year the choir members of OYC 2009 will spend ten memorable days together under the inspired leadership of internationally renowned conductor Ivars Taurins on the historic campus of the University of Ottawa in the heart of our nation's capital before travelling to Kingston and Toronto for two final performances. OYC is an unforgettable experience; fun and friendship for the singers, and extraordinary training with skilled professionals. There are now over 1,300 OYC alumni who continue to enrich their communities as choristers, conductors, accompanists, composers, educators and soloists.

This year, OYC takes place from Friday, August 21st to Sunday, August 30th, 2009. Singers must be between the ages of 16 and 23 as of August 30th, 2009.

THE COMMITMENT

Each singer's responsibilities include learning the music received before arriving in Ottawa and working with others to make the OYC experience a valuable one for all. The fee of $550.00 includes accommodation, meals, lessons, and masterclasses. Choristers are responsible for their travel costs to and from OYC.

THE AUDITION

Auditions will be held in the spring in various cities. To apply for an audition, complete the attached form and send it, an outline of your musical background, a letter of recommendation and the audition fee of $40 to the Choirs Ontario office by February 16, 2009. You will receive a letter or e-mail with the location and time of your audition.

Please prepare two contrasting solos and bring three copies of each. Ear and sight-reading tests will be administered and an accompanist provided.

Live auditions are preferable, but recorded auditions (on CD) will be allowed in special circumstances. Please contact the Choirs Ontario office if you wish to audition by submitting a CD.

Acceptance letters will be mailed in April 2009.

THE ARTISTIC STAFF

IVARS TAURINS, Conductor

Ivars Taurins conducts symphonic and choral repertoire with equal expertise. Founder and director of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir since 1981, he was also principal violist of the Tafelmusik Orchestra for its first 23 years. Under his direction the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir has been widely praised for its clarity and brilliance, and in 1991 was awarded the Canada Council's Healey Willan Prize "in recognition of the consistently high level of achievement by the choir and its unique contribution to choral art in Canada."

Principal Baroque Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra since 2001, Ivars Taurins is also active as a guest conductor with orchestras and choirs across Canada. Recent engagements include guest appearances with Edmonton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Victoria, Saskatoon and Windsor Symphonies, Orchestra London (Canada), the Canadian Chamber Ensemble, Symphony Nova Scotia, Symphony New Brunswick, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Pro Coro Canada, the Elora Festival Singers, The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Amabile Youth Choir, and Lyra Baroque Orchestra (Minneapolis). Mr. Taurins was director of the 2000 Ontario Youth Choir, the 2003 Nova Scotia Youth Choir and the 2004 Alberta University and College Choir. He was also guest director of the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra. He has been invited to direct the Ontario Youth Choir 2009. He has also collaborated with the Canadian Brass as musical advisor and conductor for various recording projects. Recently, Mr. Taurins directed a Respighi opera with the Glenn Gould School, Royal Conservatory of Music.

His regular appearances as conductor of the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and Orchestra have received widespread critical acclaim and are frequently heard on CBC Stereo. He has conducted the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir on recordings for the Hyperion and CBC labels. His recordings (CBC Records) with Tafelmusik, which include the complete choruses from Handel's Messiah, the complete Bach motets, and a CD of French 19th- and 20th-century a capella music entitled Chants sacrés et profanes, have all received great critical acclaim and Juno nominations. A recording celebrating the 25th anniversary of the choir, featuring the music of Bach, Vivaldi and Mondonville was released last season. The choir was featured at the Toronto International Choral Festival in 2002, and participated in Canadian Voices (Feb. 2004), a festival celebrating 50 years of professional choral singing in Canada. Ivars Taurins and the choir have premiered works by Omar Daniels, Chan Ka Nin and, most recently, Brian Cherney and Paul Frehner with Soundstreams Canada.

A passionate lecturer and teacher, Mr. Taurins teaches conducting and baroque ensembles at the University of Toronto. He is in demand as a guest lecturer, adjudicator and clinician. He was guest lecturer at Podium 2000, the conference of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors. He has been a guest teacher at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Alberta, and at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. Mr. Taurins is director of the vocal/choral programme at the annual Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute.

SANDRA GRAHAM, Vocal Coach

Mezzo-soprano Sandra Graham has established a world-wide reputation for thrilling performances and has performed and recorded with Helmut Rilling, Charles Dutoit, and Sir Andrew Davis. A top prize winner in international competitions, since 1992 Miss Graham has been a guest artist with the Staatstheater in Stuttgart, Germany, most recently singing in the world premiere of Pastorale. In 2007 she will be featured in a BRAVO! documentary about the Incontro Chamber Music Festival in Southern Italy. Miss Graham, an OYC alumna, teaches voice and opera at the University of Ottawa.

INGEMAR KORJUS, Vocal Coach

Bass-baritone Ingemar Korjus is the winner of numerous national and international competitions and has been heard in recital and oratorio in Europe, the United States, and across Canada. A jury member for the Canada and Ontario Arts Councils, as well as a popular adjudicator at festivals, he has given classes in China and Estonia, at the Glenn Gould Professional School in Toronto and at the Juilliard School in New York City. Formerly chair of the Department of Music and co-artistic director of the Opera Lyra Young Artists Program, Mr. Korjus is presently head of the University of Ottawa's vocal program.

THE APPLICATION FORM

The application form for the Ontario Youth Choir's 2009 season can be downloaded from the web here. Please note that the application deadline is February 16, 2009. For more information, contact Choirs Ontario.

Please click here to see OYC 2008!