Michael Zaugg and Pro Coro Canada Awarded for "Outstanding Innovation" at the 2020 National Choral Awards

Dear Michael and ProCoro

Congratulations on your National Choral Award 2020!!! This is a very well deserved recognition for all the work you are doing for Choral Music in Canada!! We feel very honored and proud to be part of the ProCoro family and to collaborate with you.

The creative and excellent work you are doing promoting emerging conductors, proposing new repertoires and expanding choral music through your work and artistry deserve such an Award!!

We feel very happy for you!!!!

Our very best regards

Alberto y María

National Choral Awards 2020

Outstanding Innovation WINNER - Choral Art: Michael Zaugg and Pro Coro Canada

Pro Coro Canada and Michael Zaugg are thrilled to have received the Award for Outstanding Innovation at the 2020 National Choral Awards for the creation, development, and direction of the Choral Art Program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.

“A blossoming partnership between Pro Coro and the Banff Centre, Choral Art brings together five emerging composers and five emerging conductors for an intensive three-week residency at the Banff Centre working closely in collaboration with resident ensemble Pro Coro Canada.  The program offers these 10 competitively selected participants an unparalleled opportunity to bring all elements of the choral field under one roof to train, connect, and create together.

Under the direction of Michael Zaugg, Conductors are given the chance to work with one of Canada’s finest choral instruments experimenting with new techniques and approaches to choral conducting, greatly refining their craft alongside decades of professional choral experience. Composers work closely with the ensemble exploring new compositional techniques and developing inspiring new choral works, having their sketches and ideas reflected back with precision within moments of their creation.

Most importantly, the conductors and composers work closely with each other to gain a deeper understanding of the process of creation from a work’s inception to its performance, allowing both to learn from the collective experience of the other. By the program’s end, five composers have produced 10 new works which are given their world premieres by Pro Coro under the leadership of the conductors – each having the opportunity to bring a piece into the world for the first time. This entire process is bolstered by the full backing and support of the Banff Centre, giving the participants access to world-class production staff, archives, and program facilities within the inspiring embrace of the Canadian Rockies.

Under Mr. Zaugg’s leadership, the program has become an incubator for some of today’s top artists. Choral Art has not only offered an opportunity to elevate Canadian composers and conductors, but has also brought international emerging talent to Canada and created advocates of the vibrant Canadian choral field in a growing global community. The program has hosted faculty comprised of world-class leaders in the choral field including composers Ugis Praulins (Latvia), Tarik O'Regan (UK), and Sven Helbig (Germany), along with conducting faculty Lone Larsen (Denmark).

Choral Art also impacts the Canadian choral community for singers as a selected cohort of Canadian community choirs journey to Banff to attend workshops, masterclasses, and lectures working with the participants and faculty to experience new music through collaborative discovery. Choral Art has now welcomed ensembles from three provinces and continues to expand to bring choirs from all across Canada to experience the creative wonder of the Banff Centre.

In only its third year of existence, the Choral Art program has quickly risen to the highest echelon of professional development programs for choral artists and continues to inspire future commissions, partnerships, and global creation for an increasingly interconnected community.”