This workshop is in three parts:

workshop #1 ➝ workshop #2 ➝ a short performance

In this workshop aimed at vocal group & choral singers and conductors alike, Jim Daus Hjernøe will present an overview of his innovative concept, “The Intelligent Choir & Vocal Painting”, for learning and rehearsing jazz/pop choral music. As a participant in this workshop, you will experience instant music-making, music created on the spot, in a spontaneous and easy-going manner.

The Intelligent Choir methodology is an offspring of Jim’s musical philosophy: to train vocal leaders to inspire their singers to take more initiative and, through co-creation, share responsibility in the musical process.

Vocal Painting (VOPA)

VOPA is a headliner in The Intelligent Choir (TIC) concept that refers to Jim Daus Hjernøe’s musical philosophy of letting every singer feel the Kucheza (I Am Music). VOPA is a vocal evolution of Soundpainting by Walter Thompson, a universal multidisciplinary sign language to create and direct improvised live performances with musicians, actors, dancers, and visual artists. In VOPA, it has become a new language for vocal art, used to complement conventional conducting techniques of choir music. VOPA currently consists of 75 signs, and more are in the making. The VOPA technique makes it possible to spontaneously adjust musical details on form and content (dynamics, harmonisation, metric, transposition, text, sound colours, etc.). It is also possible to implement pre-rehearsed modules on the fly and be creative with re-composing, re-arranging, etc. You can also extend musical details within the traditional repertoire.