Dr. James K. Bass conducting a Festival of Voices rehearsal in the USF School of Music Concert Hall.
Festival of Voices is undergoing an exciting transformation over the next two years!
The USF School of Music and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay are working together to make the 23rd Annual Festival of Voices the best its ever been. This coming Fall will be a transition year to a larger three-day festival in 2016.
This festival consists of two "All-State" quality honors choruses comprised of high school students, nominated by their choir directors, from public and private high schools through the State of Florida. Students work closely with the Festival directors in intense rehearsals focusing on musicianship skills, voice building, and ensemble performance. The choirs also rehearse and perform ‘side-by-side’ with University of South Florida college choirs and members of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. The 2015 clinicians are Dr. James K. Bass and Dr. Beth Gibbs.
Our goal is to provide students with the highest levels of musical achievement through education and performance experiences. Students will experience concerts, masterclasses, and perform with seasoned professionals on traditional and exciting new choral repertoire, hosted by USF's School of Music faculty and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay.
This year we will be adding several new masterclasses to the student/teacher experience including a Feature Ensemble Masterclass, and a Choral Conducting Seminar.
NEW for 2015:
Feature Voice Masterclass:
Festival of Voices High School Junior and Senior students are eligible to be nominated by their choir directors for an audition to be selected to be featured in this new vocal masterclass. Those two students will then have the chance to perform their solo piece on the Friday evening USF Showcase Concert for Festival attendees.
Feature Ensemble Masterclass:
Two participating High School ensembles will be selected to work with Dr. James K. Bass, Director of Choral Studies at USF, for 30 minutes each and have the chance to perform one or two selections on the Friday evening USF Showcase Concert for Festival attendees. Festival participants are welcome to observe the masterclass. Directors bringing a balanced set of 12 or more singers should apply. Application instructions are included in the Director's Information Packet.
Choral Conducting Seminar:
Festival of Voices has traditionally provided a spectacular two-day experience for high school age singers through intense rehearsal experiences and quality performance opportunities. The Festival is adding a professional development seminar for attending music educators. It is the hope that each of the sponsoring districts, from which the educators are active, will be willing to award 2-4 hours of Continuing Education or Professional Development credits. Two hours for a designed educational module or activity and 2 hours for additional rehearsal attendance and observation. Annually the Festival will contract an expert-in-field to provide the teachers with a guided experience in such areas as programming, classroom management, vocal pedagogy, collaboration, recruitment and retention, motivation and others. This year's expert-in-field will be Mr. Daniel Compher, Peer Evaluator for the School District of Hillsborough County.
Festival of Voices FINALE CONCERT:
Members of the public not already participating in Festival of Voices are invited to join us for the beautiful and inspiring Festival of Voices Finale Concert in the USF Concert Hall on Saturday, September 26 at 4:00 pm. This will be a ticketed event.
Choir Directors interested in participating in Festival of Voices are encouraged to visit the new Festival of Voices website and review the Director's Information Packet. Many changes have been made to the registration process. Save-the-Date postcards were mailed on April 3, 2014 that include the password for the Director's Info tab. You'll want to start telling your students and parents about Festival of Voices now before you break for the summer so they are prepared for it when school begins in the Fall. If you did not receive the postcard and would like to have this information, please email us at fov@masterchorale.com or call us at 813-974-7726.
The USF School of Music and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay are working together to make the 23rd Annual Festival of Voices the best its ever been. This coming Fall will be a transition year to a larger three-day festival in 2016.
This festival consists of two "All-State" quality honors choruses comprised of high school students, nominated by their choir directors, from public and private high schools through the State of Florida. Students work closely with the Festival directors in intense rehearsals focusing on musicianship skills, voice building, and ensemble performance. The choirs also rehearse and perform ‘side-by-side’ with University of South Florida college choirs and members of The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay. The 2015 clinicians are Dr. James K. Bass and Dr. Beth Gibbs.
Our goal is to provide students with the highest levels of musical achievement through education and performance experiences. Students will experience concerts, masterclasses, and perform with seasoned professionals on traditional and exciting new choral repertoire, hosted by USF's School of Music faculty and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay.
This year we will be adding several new masterclasses to the student/teacher experience including a Feature Ensemble Masterclass, and a Choral Conducting Seminar.
NEW for 2015:
- Music will be provided at the Festival
- Two New Masterclasses for High School Students Added: Feature Voice Masterclass and a Feature Ensemble Masterclass with exciting concert performance opportunities
- Choral Conducting Seminar for Choral Music Educators Added
- Friday Dinner Pizza Party Added
Feature Voice Masterclass:
Festival of Voices High School Junior and Senior students are eligible to be nominated by their choir directors for an audition to be selected to be featured in this new vocal masterclass. Those two students will then have the chance to perform their solo piece on the Friday evening USF Showcase Concert for Festival attendees.
Feature Ensemble Masterclass:
Two participating High School ensembles will be selected to work with Dr. James K. Bass, Director of Choral Studies at USF, for 30 minutes each and have the chance to perform one or two selections on the Friday evening USF Showcase Concert for Festival attendees. Festival participants are welcome to observe the masterclass. Directors bringing a balanced set of 12 or more singers should apply. Application instructions are included in the Director's Information Packet.
Choral Conducting Seminar:
Festival of Voices has traditionally provided a spectacular two-day experience for high school age singers through intense rehearsal experiences and quality performance opportunities. The Festival is adding a professional development seminar for attending music educators. It is the hope that each of the sponsoring districts, from which the educators are active, will be willing to award 2-4 hours of Continuing Education or Professional Development credits. Two hours for a designed educational module or activity and 2 hours for additional rehearsal attendance and observation. Annually the Festival will contract an expert-in-field to provide the teachers with a guided experience in such areas as programming, classroom management, vocal pedagogy, collaboration, recruitment and retention, motivation and others. This year's expert-in-field will be Mr. Daniel Compher, Peer Evaluator for the School District of Hillsborough County.
Festival of Voices FINALE CONCERT:
Members of the public not already participating in Festival of Voices are invited to join us for the beautiful and inspiring Festival of Voices Finale Concert in the USF Concert Hall on Saturday, September 26 at 4:00 pm. This will be a ticketed event.
Choir Directors interested in participating in Festival of Voices are encouraged to visit the new Festival of Voices website and review the Director's Information Packet. Many changes have been made to the registration process. Save-the-Date postcards were mailed on April 3, 2014 that include the password for the Director's Info tab. You'll want to start telling your students and parents about Festival of Voices now before you break for the summer so they are prepared for it when school begins in the Fall. If you did not receive the postcard and would like to have this information, please email us at fov@masterchorale.com or call us at 813-974-7726.
