Jo Annemans was born on October 15, 1971 in a musical family. He conducted a children's choir and was an active singer in various amateur and semi/professional choirs. Two times he joined the musical journeys of the World Youth Choir.
Jo has been a singer/arranger in the pop a capella band Voice Male for several years now. Besides more then 2000 shows in the past 15 years all over Europe and South Afrika, they were also the support act for Mariah Carey, and sang a number of duets with national and international Artists. Along the way, while lecturing at workshops, he got his appreciation and was recently invited to join the jury of the European Festival for Young Musicians (vocal-edition) in Neerpelt (B).
Leading the following workshop in EUROPA CANTAT Pécs:
Many choral singers are too dependant on confident singing neighbors. Imagine the vocal-joy if every singer in a choir would know what they are doing. Progressing the value of the sound and energy of the choir.
How?
We listen to and discuss all kind of pop-acapella samples by:
• selectively learning to listen to what is going on behind the leadvocal
• learning to understand by experiencing what meaning your part in an arrangement gives to the other parts.
• try to copy what you are hearing and experiment in little groups..
• hearing and feeling if you can keep your voice in the harmony.
“It is too far away from the classical approach to sing without sheet music... - To surrender to what is created in the moment, is making us feel uncomfortable…“ But what if individual choir singers get the opportunity to leave their prescripted lines and be part of a polyphonic sound in motion? One thing is certain, though you never know exactly what will happen, musical surprises will blossom at rehearsals and performances. Still, many questions come to our minds: How do you loose control as a conductor/singer? What skills do we need to have? What does a mainstream audience think of that?
We think this is a subject worth discussing with experienced and non-experienced conductors.
Moderator: Jo ANNEMANS
