VIVA! YOUTH SINGERS OF TORONTO INC.
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : a***n@v**************s.c*m
Mission Statement
VIVA Singers Toronto is a not-for-profit family of choirs with a mandate to give members, ages four through adult, the opportunity to achieve artistic excellence in a singer-centered, collaborative choral community.
About This Cause
VIVA was founded in 2000 by Carol Woodward Ratzlaff in response to widespread cuts to public school arts programs. As a lifelong vocal music educator, she believes that every person should have access to a singing experience. With this in mind, VIVA is committed to putting chorister voice at the forefront of our organization through the core values of performance artistry, vocal music education, inclusion, leadership and mentoring, and community. VIVA offers diverse musical programming - including regular performance and international touring opportunities, chorister composition collaborations, digital musical literacy, Orff - based creation activities, and commissioned works and partnerships with distinguished musicians and composers. Ongoing partnerships include those with The National Ballet of Canada, The Toronto Consort, Jumblies Theatre, and Trinity-St. Paul's Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts. VIVA's dedicated effort to put choristers first informs our rehearsal structures and music-making processes. We provide ongoing vocal music education through theory classes and exam preparation, one-on-one vocal training, sight-singing, and an annual fall Performing Arts Camp. Children collaborate with Teaching Assistants and Vocal Coaches to explore their own creativity and ideation through songwriting and other forms of musical creation. VIVA's Choral Mentoring and Leadership Program provides young leaders and aspiring educators with vital opportunities to assist with and instruct singers of all ages and needs. This unique program is essential to VIVA's structure, as from it are drawn Teaching Assistants, Conductors and Vocal Coaches to work with singers in most of our choirs. VIVA has a total of seven choirs which continue to bring people of all ages, all abilities, and all levels of musical experience together through the power of choral music. We continue to push boundaries by applying current research in vocal pedagogy (including transgender voices, changing adolescent voices, supporting aging voices, etc.), vocal music education, inclusion studies, and academia to best meet the needs of our singers. When youth or adult choristers need to engage in 'at home learning', VIVA's responsive pedagogy and innovative approach is readily adaptable. At the heart of VIVA's family of choirs is the Every Voice Matters Chorus, a chorus of teens and adults with disabilities. We continue to advocate for all voices, and push for inclusivity to ensure that anyone who enjoys music is welcomed - and challenged - at VIVA. VIVA's goal of authentic music-making and community building through the best possible repertoire is achieved by a team of fine musicians and educators, members of the Choral Mentoring & Leadership Program, and a dynamic Board of Directors.