UofA Cortona Choral Tour

PLEASE NOTE: "Making Music in Tuscany: the Choral Vacation” has been cancelled for 2012 due to low enrollment. If you wish to be notified of future programs, feel free to send your name and e-mail (see right for contact information).

Making Music in Tuscany

Do you enjoy singing with others? Would you like to combine your choir experience with the pleasures of a vacation in Tuscany?

Join renowned choral conductor Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff at the University of Alberta’s School in Cortona Italy for 10 days of choral delight from May 25 - June 3, 2012. Focusing on repertoire of the Italian masters, as well as Canadian choral pieces, the program provides a rich musical experience in an idyllic setting.

Choral Program

Intended to provide amateur singers with a rewarding musical experience, the University of Alberta Choral Vacation is directed by Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff (DMA (Iowa), Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada). Participation in the choral vacation does not require an audition, but we ask that singers identify themselves by voice part (SATB) and that they have recent choral experience. Music scores of the repertoire will be distributed in advance of departure to facilitate learning of the music prior to arrival in Italy.

Rehearsals will be held daily from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon from Friday, May 25 through Saturday, June 2 with the exception of Wednesday, May 30 which will be our "excursion" day. Afternoons and evenings are open for you to explore the beauties of Tuscany/Umbria or relax in the charm of one of Italy’s medieval hillside towns. The closing public performance will be held on the afternoon of Sunday, June 3 followed by a final dinner for all participants. For a complete listing of important dates, please click here.

Cost

The registration fee includes all aspects of the choral program (director, accompanist, music scores, daily rehearsal and final concert), 4-star accommodation with breakfast for 11 nights, transportation from Florence (Firenze) to Cortona, welcome reception and final dinner.

The cost per person is $2,850 (price includes all taxes)

NOTE: Airfare, most meals, travel and health insurance, and return transportation to airport are not included.

Please see the photo galleries to the right to view recent photos taken at the Hotel San Luca and Hotel San Michele (the two accommodation options for the tour) as well as the San Agostino complex where you will be practicing each day.

*In the event that insufficient registrations are received by the February 1, 2012 deadline, the University of Alberta reserves the right to cancel the program; in this case, 100% of the registration deposit will be refunded.

Registration and Payment Options

For your convenience, we are pleased to offer you two different registration and payment options.

For online registration and deposit payment, please click here.
To print and mail your registration and deposit, please download the registration form here.

Dr Leonard Ratzlaff is Professor of Choral Music in the Department of Music at the University of Alberta, conductor of the University of Alberta Madrigal Singers and the Richard Eaton Singers, Edmonton's symphonic chorus. He is a frequent clinician and adjudicator, and has guest-conducted numerous Canadian ensembles, including the Alberta Baroque Ensemble, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Choir, Pro Coro Canada and the Winnipeg Singers. As director of the Madrigal Singers, he has led them to numerous first prizes both in national and international competitions. He has conducted premieres of new works by a number of Canadian composers, including Allan Bevan, John Estacio, Malcolm Forsyth, Allan Gilliland, Christos Hatzis, Imant Raminsh, Sid Robinovitch, James Rolfe and Mark Sirett. He sang in numerous projects in North America and Europe with the late American conductor Robert Shaw, and participated as soloist in the Classical Music Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria for many years.

Awards include the Julius Herford Dissertation Prize for his study of the Te Deum of Anton Bruckner (Iowa, 1985); Faculty of Arts Undergraduate Teaching Award and induction into Edmonton's Cultural Hall of Fame (2001); the Richard Eaton Award of Distinction for Exemplary Service to Choral Music in Alberta, presented by the Alberta Choral Federation, and the Queen's Jubilee Medal for service to choral music in Canada (2002). In 2003 he was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence, and in 2004 he was named as a Member of the Order of Canada, in recognition of his contributions to choral music in Canada. In 2009, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

The University of Alberta in Cortona

The University of Alberta has developed a strong relationship with the town of Cortona. Since 1999, U of A students have had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the daily life of the town while also studying U of A courses. To learn more about the history of the School and the town of Cortona, we invite you to go here. You may also find it useful to explore the town of Cortona's official tourist website. Please feel free to go through the photos taken by previous students.