Chorfest 2018 Children’s Choir

We are excited to welcome you to BCCF Children’s Chorfest 2018! This year’s clinician is none other than the kind and wonderful Sarona Mynhardt. Our fee of $75 per singer includes:

• all rehearsals & performance
• music pack
• snacks and  pizza for lunch on Saturday
• 1 concert ticket for an adult to accompany their child to the concert1 concert ticket for an adult to accompany their child to the concert

Children are encouraged to register as groups, either as a full classroom or community choir or as a smaller sub-section thereof – and must come with their own chaperones. Click here for a PDF flyer that can be circulated digitally, or printed and used as a poster or handout!

CLICK HERE for our online registration form for individual singers. We accept Visa, MasterCard and PayPal with our secure system.

For groups and choirs, we suggest using our print registration form, which can be found here.

CHILDREN’S CHORFEST REPERTOIRE 2018

INSPIRARE SPIRITO – John Fritz (HL 00139978)

An evocative work for treble choir that creates a quasi-ancient mood while integrating a more contemporary accompaniment. Easily learned and it includes Latin and English text and djembe. Feeling of a universal prayer to “breathe in the Spirit” and “to shine the light”

POKARE KARE ANA – TOMOANA / O’LEARY, M (Hal Leonard Corporation Two-Part UPC: 073999126013 Publisher ID: 08551553)

Traditional New Zealand Maori love song – It was also sung in the opening of the World Games in 2009 in Taiwan and has been recorded by several popular artists in many different countries – truly becoming a song of the World.Fabulous story of Hinemoa and Tutanekai that kids just love and that can tie in with the Children’s theme of “sending a message” and “hearing/ listening”.

OYE – Jim Papoulis (HL 48005166) Spanish and English

When asked by composer Jim Papoulis what message they would like to convey to the world a group of Mexican children from Acapulco said: “to listen” – “to have our voices heard”!

Da hai a! Gu Xiang (The Ocean, My Homeland)
Words and music by Wang Li-Ping, arrangement by Yang Hong-Nian
earthsongs catalogue nr. S-353

Description coming soon!

Emakhayeni (At Home) Traditional Zulu/Tsonga song
Arrangement by Alna Smith and Sarona Mynhardt
BCCF manuscript edition

After a night of working through many of my favourite South African pieces I decided on Emakhayeni – I love the three different sections and the text fits with the rest of what will be the children’s story. Click here and here to listen to performances of this piece!

The first part of the song is in Zulu:
At home where they live
They are having fun with their friends
At home
They are living with their parents

The second part of the song is in Tsonga, a story about a girl named Makhanana and a German ship that arrives in the harbour.
What is wrong Makhanana
The German Ship is here Makhanana
Yes it is here

The final part is in Zulu again
We are going home
They are sitting at home

CHILDREN’S CHORFEST SCHEDULE 2018

Friday – School venue TBA (Richmond)
4:00 – 4:30 Registration and check in
4:30 – 6:00 Introductions and rehearsal #1
6:00 – 6:45 Meal break (singers’ own food)
6:45 – 8:30 PM rehearsal #2
8:30 PM check out

Saturday – School venue TBA (Richmond)
9:30 – 10:30 AM rehearsal #3
10:30 – 10:45 AM Snack break (included)
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM Rehearsal #4
12:00 – 12:45 PM Pizza Lunch (included)
12:45 – 2:00 PM Rehearsal #5
2:00 – 3:00 PM group activity, SINGERS LABAN movement workshop
3:00 – 3:30 PM snack break (included)
3:30 – 4:45 PM rehearsal #6

Sunday – School Venue TBA & Fraserview MB Church (Richmond)
10:30 – 12:00 PM rehearsal #7
Lunch (singers’ own food)
1:00 – 2:30 PM massed choir rehearsal Fraserview MB Church
3:00 PM Concert (1 adult ticket included in each child’s registration)

CLINICIAN

Born and raised in South Africa, SARONA MYNHARDT is a graduate of the Teachers’ Training College in Pretoria where she majored in Math and Child Psychology, and specialized in Classroom Music, Voice, Choral Conducting, Drama, and Special Education. Her formal voice training culminated in postgraduate work at the Conservatory of Music at North-West University in Potchefstroom.

In 1997 she founded the White Rock Children’s Choir, which worked with choirs at three levels under her artistic direction. The Choir participated regularly in International Festivals and travelled as far as Calgary, California, Montreal, Italy, Hawaii, Mexico, South Africa and England. Three years ago Sarona was the Artistic Director of WorldBeat 2015 – A provincial choral festival with 350 singers and a final concert in the Orpheum under the direction of Henry Leck.

Here in Canada she has taught in the public and private school systems and conducted / directed both Elementary and High School Choirs and Musicals. Sarona regularly presents workshops on Teaching Children to SingConductingLaban Movement approach to conducting and choral singing, as well as introducing South African Music & Movement. Sarona was on the board for the BC Choral Federation for five years, and has been a guest conductor for several honour Choirs in the Lower Mainland. She regularly serves as Adjudicator at Music Festivals & Clinician for Conductor and Choral workshops. She has been on the faculty for the BCCF Summer Conducting Workshop for the past seven years and has also taught Vocal and Choral workshops in Taiwan and South Africa. She has recently moved to a new home on the Sunshine Coast, where she has founded a new women’s choir, and is planning activities for young sngers.  She was the proud recipient of the Willan Choir Award 2015 – an annual award presented for outstanding service to the British Columbia Choral Foundation.