about
Underpinning VoicEncounters is the belief that the voice is a communication tool that can transcend language and cultural differences. We gather to reflect on the phenomenon of human voice and musicality and on how they are realised in music. The aim of VoicEncounters is to provide a rich space in which many different vocal cultures from around the world can be brought together under one roof. Each VoicEncounters practical seminar includes workshops, concerts, discussions and lectures focusing on the diverse ways of using/working with the voice which can be included in the creative process, enriching the performer’s skill set. The first instalment of the event, ‘The Phenomenon of Latin Confraternities’, was held in 2010, followed by two editions dedicated to Armenian heritage and history in 2012 and 2013. This year’s VoicEncounters will be divided into four sections: ‘Mediterraneas’, ‘Giving Voice’, ‘My Voice is My Country’ and ‘Traces’. It will also feature an international conference on ‘Voice Pedagogy’.
Voice Pedagogy
MON.–THU. 18–21 April | 15:00–18:30
Faculty of History Lecture Hall, University of Wrocław, ul. Szewska 49
In English and Polish (simultaneous interpretation) | ADMISSION FREE
MON. 18 april
Scientific Influences on Voice Training, Including Neuroscientific and Cognitive Research with Impact on Singing and Acting
15:00 Welcome and introduction to the conference
15:15 Keynote Speech: Rhonda Blair(Southern Methodist University, USA) |‘4E Cognition and Cognitive Linguistics:Some Uses for the Actor and Her Voice’
16.00 COFFEE
16:30 Tiina Syrjä (University of Tampere, FI) | ‘Acting in a Foreign Language – Voice at the Intersection between Language and Body’
17:00 Kristin Linklater (UK) ‘Natural Voice’ | work demonstration followed by commentary and discussion panel with Rhonda Blair, Tiina Syrjä, Ewa Głowacka-Fierek and Ditte Berkeley, chaired by Joan Mills
18:00 Open discussion
TUE. 19 april
Voice Training and Practice: Developing and Encouraging the New Generation
15:00 Joan Mills (CPR, Wales) | ‘The Influence of CPR’s Giving Voice Project over the Past 25 Years (a contextual presentation)’
15:30 John Hunter (UK) | ‘Tuning the Human Instrument: the Role of the Alexander Technique in Performing Arts Education’
16:00 COFFEE
17:00 Jorge Parente (Portugal/France) | ‘How I Found Back My Roots: My Vocal Identity’, in dialogue with Jarosław Fret
18:00 Open discussion
WED. 20 april
The Empowerment of Voicing: Social and Political Resonance, Identity and Ensemble
15:00 Frankie Armstrong (UK) | ‘Voices From The Edge – Why the Voice is Politics’, in dialogue with Joan Mills
15:30 Tran Quang Hai (Vietnam/France) | ‘The Empowerment of Overtone Singing: Development and Expansion’
16:00 COFFEE
17:00 Jenny Sealey, MBE, and Jude Mahon (Graeae Theatre Company, UK) | ‘Trust and the Voice’