FOR ADVANCED CHORAL SINGERS
JULY 29 – AUGUST 2, 2026
Victoria, BC, CANADA
“WHEN THE STARS ALIGN…”
“Her sound had warmth and fullness but also purity and innocence. The line was flawlessly even but never bland, always dignified and human” OPERA TODAY
“An unwavering spirit carried aloft above the tumult of earthly existence.” TORONTO STAR
World-leading choral recording artists, soprano ANDREA HAINES (formerly of Voces8) and countertenor and conductor DANIEL TAYLOR (Sony recording artist, Director of the Trinity Choir & Toronto Consort) invite singers with a passion for choral singing to join them by the ocean in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada for a unique summer intensive on the rare art of consort singing.
invites singing students, graduates, and professional musicians to a course dedicated to the study and performance of choral music written to be sung by small groups. Repertoire will feature early Renaissance vocal music paired with music from today.
Singers will perform in Consort Masterclasses, and will attend Ensemble Rehearsals, Lectures and are welcome to book Private Lessons. The course culminates in a final public concert with Andrea Haines and Daniel Taylor celebrating this magnificent but often neglected repertoire.
Dates: July 29-August 2, 2026
Places Available: A maximum of 24 singers will be admitted to the course.
Deadline: Early application recommended. Singers will be selected based on their audition package until places are full.
Singers will perform in Consort Masterclasses, and will attend Ensemble Rehearsals, Lectures and are welcome to book Private Lessons.
The course culminates in a final public concert with Andrea Haines and Daniel Taylor celebrating this magnificent but often neglected repertoire.
Please send the items below to consort (at) singthenorth.ca
FEES: $1000 CAD plus applicable local taxes. Optional private lessons booked and paid separately.
BURSARIES: A limited number of bursaries of up to $700 CAD are available to singers who sing as section leaders in the Sing the North Summer Choral Festival from August 3-8.
ACCOMMODATION & MEALS: Singers are responsible for their own transportation and for their accommodation and meals while in Victoria. These are not included in the course fee.
ANDREA HAINES
DANIEL TAYLOR
NANCY ARGENTA
HOWARD DYCK
KATHRYN WHITNEY
The iconic soprano Andrea Haines has defined the sound of the soprano voice for a generation of singers, following in the steps of the great Emma Kirkby. As the star of Voces8, Andrea toured extensively worldwide, giving around 130 concerts each year, and performing an extensive repertoire between a cappella concerts and collaborations with leading orchestras, conductors and soloists. Andrea has sung and recorded in venues including Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Vienna Konzerthaus, Abbey Road Studios, National Cathedral Washington DC, Tokyo Opera City, Sydney Opera House, and Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. During her time with VOCES8 (signed to Decca Classics) she recorded 24 albums, and had a great time collaborating with artists including Paul Simon, Jacob Collier, Cody Fry, and Sami Yusuf. She continues to appear as a soloist and ensemble singer in concerts and recordings, most recently with composer Eric Whitacre, and also enjoyed collaborating with Justin Vernon, Blake Morgan, and Kurt Wagner on indie-artist Lambchop’s upcoming album. Andrea leads workshops and masterclasses internationally, focusing on developing singers’ ensemble musicianship and communication. Beyond her work as a vocalist, she also has experience in audio production, and has a particular interest in vocal health. In her own words: “Be kind, ask for advice, and love your art.”
Countertenor and Conductor Daniel Taylor, the General and Artistic Director of the Toronto Consort as described in the Official Citation from the Office of the Governor General of Canada: With a voice that draws global applause, countertenor Daniel Taylor is one of our country’s most celebrated cultural ambassadors. Distinguishing himself with moving performances and known for his warmth and humour, he has appeared on the world’s greatest stages with prestigious orchestras, composers and artists. Serving as founding artistic director and conductor of the Theatre of Early Music, and of the critically acclaimed ensemble The Trinity Choir. As a University Professor, he is highly regarded as a mentor to the next generation of singers. Broadway.com praised Taylor as “the beloved singer, leading figure in the field of opera and early music and perhaps Canada’s most popular voice teacher”. Appearing on more than 120 recordings on the worlds’ leading labels, Daniel is one of the most sought-after countertenors in the world. Recognition of Daniel’s work can be seen in the Grammy, Gramophone, Juno, Opus, CBC-SRC, BBC and Adisq Awards.
Soprano Nancy Argenta’s ethereal voice has enchanted audiences around the globe in opera, oratorio and song. She has appeared with the world’s leading orchestras (Philharmonia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, and the Toronto, Montreal, and Sydney Symphony Orchestras) at numerous international festivals such as Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, Mostly Mozart, and the BBC Proms and collaborated with major conductors, including Ozawa, Gardiner, Davis, Blomstedt, Pinnock, Hogwood and Norrington. Her discography of over 50 recordings includes Bach’s St. John’s Passion, Mass in B Minor, Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio (Gardiner), Purcell’s King Arthur (Pinnock), and Mozart’s Requiem, Magic Flute, and Don Giovanni (Norrington). Nancy has recorded Schubert Lieder, Scarlatti Cantatas, two discs of Bach Solo Cantatas and two of Purcell songs, the first of which O Solitude won a Classic CD award. She was on the faculty of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama (London) from 1994-2003, and has given classes in Germany, Japan, Israel, England, Spain and Canada.
Visionary conductor Howard Dyck, CM, was Artistic Director of The Grand Philharmonic Choir for 38 years. He is well known to music lovers across Canada as the former host of Choral Concert and Saturday Afternoon at the Opera on CBC Radio. Howard’s conducting career has taken him to 20 countries on three continents where he has conducted, among others, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir of Vienna, the Mozarteum Orchestra (Salzburg), the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and Obretenov Choir (Bulgaria), the Kunming Symphony Orchestra (China), and the State Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg. Educated in Canada, the United States and Germany, Howard holds honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University, and has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Ontario Choral Federation as well as the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors. An Honorary Professor of Music at Yunnan Arts University (Kunming, China), Howard is a Member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals.
Kathryn Whitney is the Artistic Director of the Sing the North Summer Choral Festival, of which this course is a part. She is a singer, choral conductor, artistic director, voice teacher, choral clinician, musicologist, and arts entrepreneur. She held concurrent teaching positions at Oxford University and the Royal Academy of Music in London. She is the Artistic Director and conductor of the global family of choirs, SING THE NORTH, which she founded in September 2020. Kathryn is Artistic Director of Ensemble Laude, Victoria’s award-winning treble choir, and Music Director of the Newcombe Singers. Kathryn is also founding Artistic Director of the One World Baroque Virtual Orchestra & Chorus, run together with Music Director, Daniel Taylor. Performances include with the Budapest Chamber Opera, the English Baroque Soloists, the Munich Bach Choir. A clinician with the BC Choral Federation, she has travelled throughout British Columbia to coach choirs. As a conductor, she has prepared choruses and consorts for Daniel Taylor, Steven Devine, and Laurence Cummings. A champion of new music, Kathryn has sung the world premieres of more than 50 compositions, the majority written for her voice.