Choir singing today: A journey to the collective voice
Credits: 3
Elective course for Second, Third, and Fourth year
Michal Oppenheim Landau
Michal Oppenheim Landau is a composer, vocal artist, and performance creator. In her work, she deals with questions such as where does the voice come from culturally, performatively, and spiritually, and what are the implications of the voice on the creative process. Michal combines experimental approaches with practices that use music as a tool for altering consciousness. Her works have received acclaim and were presented at the Israel Festival, Mekudeshet Festival, Diver Festival, as well as in museums and art centers such as the Tel Aviv Museum, Petach Tikva Museum, The Center for Digital Art, and the Kalisher Center for Contemporary Art. Besides her work as a creator, Oppenheim teaches actors, dancers, singers, and artists. She has taught at the Tel Aviv University Theater Department, the Midrasha for Arts in Beit Berl, the Choreography Department at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and the Kelim Choreography Center in Bat Yam. She also served as the head of the music track for Art Team (formerly MATAN) - an excellence program for youth in the arts.
What is the significance of choir singing? What meaning does it hold in our present era, in a shifting social, political, and cultural reality? What essence do we wish to infuse into the act of collective vocal expression?
This course will offer a live exploration of these questions through group vocal work, engaging in observation and practice of musical methods, listening, vocal improvisation, and performative inquiry. Students will practice vocal techniques, train in performing vocal works from various periods and cultures, and experiment with improvisation as a means of personal and collective expression.
Throughout the year, they will create original vocal pieces emerging from processes of exploration, listening, and collaboration. The course will integrate musical listening and performance with collective vocal creation, cultivating polyphonic and harmonic singing, alongside developing each participant’s vocal and physical presence.
