The Royal Conservatory’s 2018 Annual High School Vocal Performance Intensive

I’m thrilled to announce that this July I’ll be a vocal coach for The Royal Conservatory’s Summer Vocal Intensive programs from July 9-14 and 16-29 in Toronto. If you’re a singer 14-18 years old and are interested in experiencing the kind of integrated program that is usually reserved for more advanced performers, you should definitely take a look at The Royal Conservatory’s two summer intensives. Take a look at the full faculty list for the program:

• Rachel Andrist, Coaching & French Diction
• Liza Balkan, Acting and Performance techniques
• Lisa Climans, Yoga and Movement
• Chris Foley, Vocal Coach
• Janet Fothergill, Musicianship and Theory
• Julia Galieva-Szokolay, Musicianship and Theory
• Victoria Holland, Voice Instruction & Italian Diction
• Robert Loewen, Voice Instruction & German Diction
• Anna Theodosakis, Acting

Here’s a quick rundown of the program from the RCM’s Dr. Robert Loewen:

For a number of years I have felt there was a genuine need for a High School Voice Performance Intensive in Canada. I am well aware of a number of very fine High School programs in the United States, some of which have been extant for many years now. A number of High School programs exist that seem to have a focus on the High School singer as a young opera singer. While I am sure the intentions are very good, it has always been my opinion that High School singers would benefit from the intensive environment, focusing on exposure to, and acquisition of, important musicianship and performance skills.

The inspiration for content came from hearing of the experiences students of mine had had in various programs around North America. Some of these programs were focused on high school, some for university-level singers.

Based on those experiences, and my own pedagogical perspectives, the important elements I saw as need in a program were:

• Voice lessons
• Coachings
• Movement
• Musicianship
• Acting
• Diction
• Masterclasses
• Performances

While serving as a mentor examiner in the spring of 2015, I found a very willing, and highly capable colleague interested in precisely this type of program. In the Spring of 2015, Dr Victoria Holland (Chicago) and I began to plan; our visionary quickly turned to the concrete planning needed to kick off this great idea.

July 2016 marked our first year of the Royal Conservatory High School Voice Performance Intensive. While talking to teachers and singers across the country, we both felt nervous about whether the vision and singer numbers would actually come together to give us year one. Our required numbers were modest, and we remained optimistic. As an unofficial deadline loomed we actually had 12 registrants, one from Chicago, and the rest from within Ontario.

Victoria and I felt so inspired by the success of year one; we immediately began planning, of course bigger, for Year Two. We mapped out two sessions: a one-week program, and a two-week program. Both programs were full, with singers from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland.

As in 2017, the 2018 Royal Conservatory Voice Performance Intensive will run as two programs, including movement classes, musicianship classes, daily lessons, daily coachings, acting/performance classes, and masterclasses. As well, participants will attend master classes in the Art of Song portion of the Toronto Summer Music Festival.

One Week Vocal Performance Intensive – July 9 – 14

• Movement
• Musicianship
• Lessons
• Coachings
• Acting
• Masterclasses
• Performances

Two Week Vocal Performance Intensive – July 16 – 28

• Movement
• Musicianship
• Lessons
• Coachings
• Acting
• Masterclasses
• Performances
• Scenes