Performance with the sisters of St. Catharinadal

The Genetic Choir will give a very special performance in a Monastery tomorrow as part of the

1. Kunst Biennale Kunst in de Heilige Driehoek

We embark on a vocal adventure with the songs the sisters of the monastery St. Catharindal sing during their mid-day prayers.

The performance is embedded in the Expert Meeting ‘Kunst en Religie’, organised by the Van der Leeuwstichting. If you are interested to join this symposium in full (10:00-17:00), send an e-mail to vanderleeuwstichting@gmail.com

Date: Friday the 20th of October
Place: St. Catharinadal, Kloosterdreef 3, Oosterhout

 

Exploring Structures and Flow this weekend

For those who thought that “Flow” and “Structures” are opposites of each other, come join our upcoming Voice Improvisation workshop to see how they are completely intertwined!

Take river deltas and city traffic: flow creates structures (by itself) and structures create flow. But sometimes, certain structures block the flow in improvisation. So when does that happen, and how can we prevent it?

Sing, research and play with Genetic Choir singers around this theme this coming weekend in Amsterdam!

When: Saturday and Sunday, 7+8 October, 10:30-17:00

Where: studio de Eester, C. van Eesterenlaan 266, Amsterdam

How much: € 110,- exBTW (€ 130,10 total)

How: Inscribe via workshops@genetic-choir.org

 

Four Genetic Choir workshops coming up!

If you were waiting for the possibility to do Genetic Choir singing yourself, the coming months are filled with ample opportunity to do so.

17 September 2017  One-Day Genetic Choir workshop in Amsterdam (for newbies and for refreshing your knowledge of the principles).

24+25 September 2017  Weekend Genetic Choir workshop in Prague.

7+8 October 2017  Weekend Genetic Choir workshop in Amsterdam on the theme Structures and Flow. Read more here.

18+19 November  Weekend Genetic Choir worskhop in Amsterdam on the theme of Rhythm and Time(ing). Read more here.

Interested? Find more info here and/or write an email to workshops@genetic-choir.org to inscribe.

 

start kids Genetic Choir – Voicelab kinderkoor – 4 September

Het Voicelab kinderkoor bij Eester Imps gaat weer van start met het nieuwe schooljaar!

Nu op de maandag: 15:15-16:15 uur in de Eester, C. van Eesterenlaan 266, Amsterdam.

7 sessies van 4 september t/m 16 oktober. Schrijf je kind in via voicelab@genetic-choir.org — Meer info: klik hier.

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ENGLISH:

The Genetic Choir for kids is recommencing, with school starting next week!

Now on the Monday afternoons: 3:15pm – 4:15pm @ De Eester, C. van Eesterenlaan 266, Amsterdam.

7 sessions from 4 September to 16 October. Inscribe your child via voicelab@genetic-choir.org — More info: click here.

 

Looking for the regular Genetic Choir workshops for grown-ups? 🙂  Look here.

Genetic Choir Workshops in Prague and Amsterdam in 2017

After the summer, our workshop season starts again, with workshops in Amsterdam and Prague. There was a Genetic Choir workshop in Prague six years ago and when the www.hlasohled.cz asked Thomas back for this autumn, we found this video they made then, which is still really fun to watch. If only for the attempts of Thomas to explain it all  🙂

See below or on the workshop page all upcoming dates for having your own experience.

17 September 2017  –  GENETIC CHOIR ONE-DAY SESSION

A day of simply celebrating music making the Genetic Choir way: Some crisp training of the principles, but most of all lots of singing and creating pieces!  What is the Genetic Choir way of working?  Click here for more info.

   

One full day, Sunday 17 September 2017, 10:30-17:00  /  60,- exBTW (72,60 incl.)  /  Amsterdam / Inscribe via workshops@genetic-choir.org

   

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4 September – 16 October 2017 – VOICELAB KINDERKOOR

The Genetic Choir also gives Voice Improvisation sessions for kids!

There will be a new block of 7 sessions from 4 September to 16 October.

Every Monday afternoon, 15:15-16:15

place: studio De Eester (buurtcoörperatie OHG), C van Eesterenlaan 266, Amsterdam

Register/more info: voicelab@genetic-choir.org

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23 + 24 September 2017  –  PRAGUE workshop GENETIC CHOIR 

We are invited back by Hlasohled to give a Genetic Choir workshop in Prague, Czech Republic.

More info, or do you want to join in Prague? Look here: www.hlasohled.cz

    

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7 + 8 October 2017 – STRUCTURES & FLOW

Flow is probably one of the most important aspects of improvising together: when there is no flow and vivid engagement in the moment, up comes thinking, doubt, trying to do it ‘right’ – all the things we need to avoid when creating music on the spot.
Definition, however, seems just as important: How to define, sharpen en deepen you material while working with it on the spot, so that it doesn’t go in all directions at once? How to tame the river of inspiration and let it flow at the same time?

One thing that can help with gaining more definition are structures: self-imposed limitations to your improvisation. We will find that limitations and structures are not the opposite of freedom or flow, but that all these aspects need each other and are always present, whether you want it or not. But what sort of structures/limitations work well within improvised performance? What is smothering the improvisation or numbing it, rather than bringing it to life? There are many ways to create frames or structures for improvisation.

The ambition of this workshop is to find out – through learning by doing – what works best for you to set you up for singing and composing in the moment.

Two full days, 10:30-17:00  /  110,- exBTW (130,10 incl.)  /  Amsterdam / Inscribe via workshops@genetic-choir.org

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18 + 19 November 2017 – RHYTHM & TIME(ING)

“Marking and moulding the time that is passing”, that is one way to define what you do when working with rhythm in improvisation. Looking at it from a Genetic Choir point of view, we are less interested in counting rhythms and more interested in the simple exhilaration of singing in ’many times’ (polyrhythms) or the thrill of falling together in the ‘same time’. We will explore how we can let complex rhythms appear, how we can groove together and groove on our own, in short: A weekend to become a true rhythm animal without ever counting a beat!

Two full days, 10:30-17:00  /  110,- exBTW (130,10 incl.)  /  Amsterdam / Inscribe via workshops@genetic-choir.org

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coming back in 2018:

FRIDAY MORNING SESSIONS 

Regular training/composing sessions in Genetic Choir work on Friday mornings. We do it in a two-week rhythm (every other Friday) and have blocks of 8 sessions in a row, with a fixed group for that block.

No specific singing background is required, but we ask you to do at least one Genetic Choir workshop first. Participants commit for a set of 8 sessions, so that we can deepen the work from one session to the next.

More info on the training is here. The next block would start 15th of January 2018. We are waiting for workshop pioneers to gather and when we have a group, we’ll get in touch about the dates. .

PLACE: Studio Wladiwostok, Bogortuin 16, Amsterdam, Java-Eiland.
DATES: every second Friday morning, starting 15 January for 16 weeks (8 sessions)
TIME: 10:00-12:30
COSTS: 192,- euro (excl.VAT / 232,32 incl. ) / pioneers pay 160,- excl.VAT

       

           

If you would like to join any of our workshops, send a message to workshops@genetic-choir.org

Underground Concert Repercussions

Such a big project, such great moments!

The Amsterdam Central Station concerts of Loop-Copy-Mutate felt like a celebration of the unique Genetic Choir way of bringing experimental/modern music to wider audiences, by involving them in the concerts.

And we were so happy that this organisational monster of a project went smoothly and to such great results in terms of audience numbers and artistic result. A BIG THANKS again to everyone involved!

We will come soon with our own concert registration, but for now you can read these articles about the project in the Dutch Newspapers Het Parool and Volkskrant.

You can also look at the below video report made by our hosts, the Noord/Zuidlijn people themselves.

More background info about the Loop-Copy-Mutate project can be found here.

“Baden”: Genetic Choir performers collaborate in Cure Park, Amsterdamse Bos

This Friday, 7th of July, you can experience a very special performance-on-location involving Genetic Choir singers during ‘Cure Park’ in the Amsterdamse Bos!

Baden (Bathing), by Cathalijne Smulders

7 July 2017, 16:00 & 17:30 

Place: close to the Amsterdamse Bostheater, on the beach (‘strandje, naast de kabelkaan’).

A map for when you are in the park is here.

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The Genetic Choir collaborated before with Cathalijne Smulders in the performance CIRCLE which also was based on working with people with a speech-handicap. ‘Baden’ is a development on the same theme, now also involving movement and dance.

In Baden (Bathing), Cathalijne Smulders works with people who have difficulties with language, speech or gestures as a result of brain damage. In her performance Smulders illustrates the sense of disorientation that occurs when words lose their meaning. Speakers suffering from aphasia or spasms describe their surroundings. Their words and actions are distorted by hesitations and physical reflexes. This distorted speech subtly influences the way in which we perceive the surroundings.

The influence of impeded speech on perception is reinforced by the presence of an improv choir and dancers reacting to the speakers. They support the speakers by mirroring or slowing down their words and gestures, or alternatively, make them sound more fluent. During the performance words make way for sounds, and the emphasis shifts to more physical, sensitive and fragile forms of exchange. When words lose their meaning, a new form of exchange originates.

About the Cure Park festival:

Cure Park is a contemporary health resort that will pitch its tents this summer from June 4 to July 16 among the trees of the Amsterdam Forest. Centered around the Bostheater, Cure Park brings together over 30 artists, creatives and thinkers with audiences and care professionals in a multidimensional program, comprising installations, experiments, interventions, workshops, exercises, lectures, performances and films. www.curepark.nl