Dear choristers, in Italy we are experiencing a difficult moment that involves the entire planet … a period in which we are forced to change our lifestyle, to limit or even cancel the activities that we love most… It is true, individually, we can feel alone and overwhelmed by sudden and unmanageable events but, please, never forget the true sense of “CHORALITY”, of belonging to a large international family that shares the same passions and ideals as ours. Let’s never forget our motivations… what drives us to sing in choir and to hold each other together to unite voices, hearts, souls… THIS IS OUR STRENGTH, the Choir… chorality… the Federation… a precious resource from which we can draw especially in difficult times. What? Now we can not merge the voices (unfortunately) but we can still be connected to share their situations and stay updated on the programs that the Federation will put in place in the coming months. We have received interesting proposals from many choirs and we are working to realize them: 1. Dedicated blog to communicate between the associated choirs; 2. Choral activities in streaming: MASTERCLASSES, SEMINARS, VOCAL STUDIES, REHEARSALS OF SONGS, etc … all on the net! We already have the support of important directors who have joined the initiative; 3. Chorus Inside score archive on the net; 4. Weekly bulletin on the situation of chorality in 13 European countries and in 5 non-European countries (Russia, Ukraine, United States, China, India). We are sure that soon everything will return to normal and that the desire to sing in choir will explode in thousands of initiatives and events! The smile and joy will triumph again in our choral festivals! WE WANT TO BE READY FOR THAT MOMENT and we will not let ourselves be overwhelmed by an unnecessary fatalistic pessimism. Therefore, I invite you to be careful in these days to follow all the indications that are communicated by the competent authorities and to reconcile them with the activities indicated above that can also be carried out from your home.

A historic step for the category of Italian Choir Conductors, who for the first time have equipped themselves with an indispensable tool for carrying out artistic and professional activities: the Code of Ethics.

Download the full file or read below.

PREMISE The Choir Conductor, to whom this Code is addressed, is a professional figure with a specific preparation aimed at offering the formations with which he collaborates a safe and reliable guide. The term “professional” that in some areas defines the one who has a high preparation and carries out his work adequately for a fee, in the choral field certainly indicates a figure with great skills who, however, often carries out the profession of Conductor not as the main job. This Code of Ethics aims to indicate values, objectives and paths that members of this category can share. All the topics covered want to be a stimulus to the improvement of the Choir Conductor both from a musical and human point of view. Five areas have been identified that the Choir Conductor must address: all are subordinated to the guiding principle of “love for one’s work”.     RELATIONS WITH THE CHORISTERS The work within the choir must be based on a climate of collaboration and sharing the common goal of achieving a degree of preparation and a high quality level. The Choir Conductor must make suitable repertoire choices taking into account the qualities of the individual choristers and the experience of the entire group. The preparation and planning of the individual tests will be an excellent contribution to the achievement of qualitatively satisfactory goals in a reasonable time. The Choir Conductor must demand compliance with the rules with which the choir has equipped itself in relation to the times of the rehearsals and the presence at the same but always in an appropriate manner and with the respect due to the people. To motivate a wide and continuous participation of the choristers it will be useful to give information on the projects for which you are working. A well-defined calendar and aware of the commitment required of the chorister makes him more aware and involved in the projects. The individual growth of the chorister both musically and vocally brings hand in hand an enrichment of the entire choir. The Choir Conductor must aim with his work also to make the choristers more and more autonomous then use a method that aims not only to correct but also to teach.     RELATIONSHIPS WITH COLLEAGUES Collaboration with other musicians such as instrumentalists and singers is of fundamental importance in the performance of this profession. These relationships must be framed in a style of mutual respect and comparison. Particular correctness should be used on occasions when it will be necessary to have the collaboration of “added” choristers for their Choir from other formations. This should always be done by consulting the directors of the choirs from which the choristers come that you intend to use to evaluate with them the compatible participation of these elements in different projects so that they do not hinder the activities of the choir to which they belong. A proper spirit of confrontation and mutual support must be established among the directors because, with this attitude, we can learn a lot from others.     RELATIONS WITH COMPOSERS It is desirable that the repertoires of the choirs also include pieces by living composers with whom the Conductors can have direct relations or use only their works. In the first case, the Conductor can commission the Composer specific pieces, dedicated to his choir that respect precise musical characteristics or related to the choice of texts for the realization of particular events. Appropriate remuneration should be provided for these fees. A different relationship is the one that is established with composers with whom you do not have a direct relationship but whose pieces are protected by copyright. In these cases the practice of photocopying works is very widespread but this is not respectful either of the law that prohibits it, except for a didactic use, nor of the right of the composer to have a compensation deriving from his work. Buying the scores is a sign of respect for contemporary chorality, it is a stimulus to production for those who work in the field of composition and it is an incentive to the director to a careful search for the right piece rather than to the accumulation of scores randomly encountered or already performed by many groups.     TRAINING AND UPDATING To ensure safe guidance during the concertation work and a satisfactory quality level in the performances, the Choir Conductor must take care of his own training and updating through appropriate educational paths and through participation in initiatives. Suitable. It is also important to listen to performances proposed by other formations, especially if of high quality, and, in general, the search for new repertoires. It is also essential the personal preparatory study that the director must do before each rehearsal or in view of a concert to ensure high professionalism at all times. Studying by heart in order to conduct without a score is a advisable practice.     COMPENSATION The Choir Conductor is entitled to compensation for the performance of his work in relation to his “professionalism”, the time spent, the importance of the events in which he participates and the importance of the venues in which they take place. The amount of the remuneration may be established by mutual agreement between the Conductor and the members of the Association, of which he may also be a member, or, in the case of specific events, with the Clients of the same.