Saskatchewan Youth Choir
Information for the 2024 Season will be released soon!
SYC IS BACK FOR THE 2023 SEASON
For Scott's full bio click on photo.
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Saskatchewan Youth Choir (SYC) is an exciting opportunity for talented youth ages 16 - 22 to perform in an SATB balanced choir with likeminded singers in Saskatchewan. The program develops singers ready to participate in premier vocal ensembles across Canada. Singers will be eligible to represent Saskatchewan as part of the National Youth Choir of Canada and as part of other, provincially-sponsored choral projects. As part of their training, singers will prepare a varied program of exciting repertoire designed to enthrall audiences of all ages at a final concert. |
For the 2023 season, the SYC will be under the direction of Scott Leithead, founder and Artistic Director of Edmonton's Kokopelli Choir Association and TIME Association. He has been invited to conduct provincial and state honour choirs on twenty-eight occasions and he has presented workshops in North America and beyond. Notable appearances include: adjudicating the Tampere International Festival in Finland; conducting the 2013, 2015-2019 Ellison Canadian Honour Choir; and headlining the 2017 University of Toronto Summer Conducting Symposium. He has adjudicated both the ACCC National Competition for Amateur Canadian Choirs and the Kathaumixw International Choir Festival (2014, 2016, 2023). Under his direction, Kokopelli was the winner of both the 2015 CBC National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs and both the 2015 and 2016 Canadian National Music Competition. In the summer of 2019, Kokopelli was invited to perform at the IFCM World Choral Expo in Portugal, where they represented Canada on the world stage. Also in 2019, Kokopelli was featured on an episode of CTV's "The Amazing Race Canada”.
Scott has a passion for music from southern Africa, and he has been invited to work with choirs in South Africa and Namibia on numerous occasions. In 2008–2009, Scott was on sabbatical in Namibia, where he worked with the Mascato Youth Choir and many other choirs in southern Africa. Scott’s passion for innovative and unique choral music experiences has shaped the direction of the Kokopelli Choir Association. In February 2023 he will conduct the ISSEA Mass Choir in Johannesburg South Africa featuring international schools from across the African continent.
Scott is a longtime member of the advisory committee for the Canadian Rocky Mountain Music Festival. He is also past president of the Braille Tone Music Society and three additional national boards in Canada, as well as the National Youth Music and Art Development Foundation of South Africa.
Scott was awarded Choir Alberta’s top honour, the Richard S. Eaton Award, in 2015. He also received Edmonton’s Salute to Excellence award in 2016. He has also been awarded the Syncrude Award for Innovative Direction.
Number of Voices: 24 - 36 singers Dates: January 2023 - March 2023
Activities:
Singers must be prepared to commit to the following dates:
1. January 2023 - Virtual Meet-and-Greet with Guest Conductor and Singers (date TBD)
2. January 13-14, 2023 - In-person Rehearsal (Friday evening to Saturday late afternoon)
3. March 9-11, 2023 - In-person Rehearsal, Workshops and Concerts in Regina - (Thursday evening to Saturday late afternoon)
Rehearsal and performance times to be confirmed but will not be more than those times noted above.
Cost: $300 (GST included)
Includes choral training (sectionals, rehearsals & workshops); and most meals at weekend rehearsals.
Travel to and from rehearsal weekends will not be covered. Some meals are not included. Singers will be responsible for their own accommodations for weekend rehearsals.
The Application Information for NEW SINGERS can be found HERE.
The Application Information for ALUMNI can be found HERE.