November 16 - (Edmonton) The Department of Music choral program is hitting all the high notes. Fresh from the Music Conference Alberta 2011 earlier this month, Dr Debra Cairns and Dr Len Ratzlaff returned to the Department with three distinguished awards marking not only their own outstanding accomplishments, but also those accomplishments of the Graduate Choral Conducting program.
Dr Debra Cairns, who was awarded the prestigious Richard S. Eaton Award acknowledging exemplary service to choral music in the province of Alberta, said of the recognition "it is an honour to even be nominated ; this award celebrates a great number of talented people in Alberta who are dedicated to maintaining and growing the choral community. Richard Eaton founded the Department of Music, and was hugely influential in the Edmonton musical community. It is a distinct honour to receive this award in his name."
Cairns, currently serving as the interim Chair of the Department of Music, has led a storied career in choral pedagogy and conducting. As co-coordinator and co-supervisor of the graduate program in choral conducting, Cairns teaches graduate conducting and choral literature, undergraduate conducting, diction, and directs the University of Alberta Concert Choir. She is also the director of i Coristi Chamber Choir, an ensemble she formed in 1994. Both choirs are regular semi-finalists in the CBC Radio National Competition for Amateur Choirs, and just this past summer, Concert Choir won second prize in the Mixed-Voice Collegiate Choir category at the 2011 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs.
An active workshop and conference presenter on both the national and international stage, Cairns has not only published a number of articles and a book, but is also in demand as a lecturer, adjudicator and guest conductor across Canada. Cairns is also the past president of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities.
In concert with Cairns, Dr Leonard Ratzlaff oversees the graduate Choral Conducting program in the Department of Music. Ratzlaff, Professor of Choral Music and past Department chair, was awarded the inaugural Alberta Music Education Foundation Award, recognizing excellence in music education.
"It truly is an honor to be recognized for both what you know professionally and how you've shared that knowledge with the community," says Ratzlaff. "It was an extremely influential evening - I had the opportunity to also see a past student of mine receive an award on the same night. It was such a gratifying experience."
Ratzlaff conducts of the University of Alberta Madrigal Singers and Edmonton's symphonic chorus , The Richard Eaton Singers. As director of the Madrigal Singers, Ratzlaff has led the ensemble to numerous first prizes both in national and international competitions. A frequent clinician and adjudicator, Ratzlaff has guest-conducted numerous Canadian ensembles, including the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, The National Youth Choir, Pro Coro Canada and the Winnipeg Singers. He has conducted premieres of new works by a number of Canadian composers, including Allan Bevan, John Estacio, Malcolm Forsyth, Allan Gilliland, Christos Hatzis, Imant Raminsh, Sid Robinovitch, James Rolfe and Mark Sirett.
In 2003, Ratzlaff was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence, and in 2004 he was named a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his contributions to choral music in Canada. In 2009, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Both Cairns' and Ratzlaff's accomplishments have been greatly influential in creating one of the leading graduate choral conducting programs in Canada. Recognized with the Patricia Cook Memorial Award for dedication and commitment to arts advocacy and the important role of arts in education, the Department of Music's Graduate Choral Conducting program has been cited for its influence in training conductors in the province of Alberta and its dedication to the growth of the choral music in the province.
"We truly believe the success of the program lies in the varied strengths of our professors," explains Ratzlaff. "We offer complementary skills which, when coupled with the structure of our program, offers a balance of academic, practical and performance opportunity."
"The structure of the program prepares students with the skills necessary to pursue a career in choral conducting, while also laying the groundwork for further study," Cairns adds. "It is a multidimensional learning environment which combines practical and theoretical training in a way which prepares students for a successful career in choral performance and study."
The program, which has seen more than 45 students graduate at the masters and graduate levels, takes only a limited number of students per year, allowing for optimal class sizes for supportive learning.
"The students really support one another, really push one another to succeed," says Ratzlaff. "Students are offered an unparalleled amount of individual attention and time on the podium."
This is proven by the fact that a large number of choral conducting students choose either to stay in or return to Alberta to flesh out their careers.
"We have an extremely vibrant choral community in Alberta considering the size of our population," says Cairns. "There is opportunity here to make a living in our field, and there is a passion in our community to support it."
Both Cairns' and Ratzlaff's choirs have upcoming performances. The i Coristi Chamber Choir performs Muses, a program celebrating the sources for creative inspiration in such works as Britten's Hymn to St. Cecilia and Whitacre's Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine on Saturday, November 19th at 7:30pm at Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 84 Avenue). The Madrigal Singers present The Rose in the Middle of Winter, a concert of anthems, carols and motets appropriate for the season of Advent, including compositions by Brahms, Britten, Chilcott, Hammerschmidt, Schutz, Sweelinck and Willan on Sunday, November 27 at 8pm in Convocation Hall.