Batchvarova, Vocalists Featured at Indiana Music Education Conference
Professor Madlen Batchvarova and three members of the Hanover College Chamber Singers will be featured presenters at the Indiana Music Education Association professional development conference. The annual gathering, slated for Jan. 17-19, will be held at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Batchvarova, director of Hanover’s choral programs, will present “YouTube or Study Abroad: Authenticity in Bulgarian Ethnic Music Performance” at 2:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 17. This interactive and entertaining introduction to Bulgarian folk music will demonstrate experiential learning strategies for informed and authentic ethnic music performance. The session is designed to provide music professionals with a complete package of tools to seek, find, hear, learn and teach Bulgarian music in a culturally correct manner in accordance with the Bulgarian performance practice.
Batchvarova, a native of Sofia, Bulgaria, is an experienced conductor, pianist, singer, clinician, adjudicator and Grammy Award recipient. She has directed festival, honor and all-state choirs in the U.S., Canada, Austria and Bulgaria. She has also presented scholarly lectures and publications in the U.S., Canada, Austria, Spain, Portugal and Bulgaria. From May 6-19, 2019, she led Hanover’s choirs during tour of Bulgaria that featured performances and in-depth educational and collaborative opportunities with native choirs.
During her presentation, Batchvarova will provide insights from guiding Hanover’s choirs while learning folk-style singing and dancing while traveling and performing in Bulgaria. In addition, Hanover choir members Ty Allen ’21, Cecilia Susott ‘21 and Arianna Harris-Kawano ’22 will also share their experiences during the tour of Bulgaria. The students will illustrate the advantages of cultural immersion as opposed to a recording study in achieving an authentic choral performance.
The Hanover College Chamber Singers will perform as a demonstration choir during the presentation.
Vocal music has been part of Hanover’s curriculum since 1838. During its 180-year history, the College’s choir has performed throughout the U.S., including such venues as New York City’s Carnegie Hall, and abroad. In recent years, the ensembles have performed at Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s swearing-in ceremony, prior to professional sporting events and toured Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.
The Hanover College Chamber Singers is a select choral ensemble that explores diverse choral works from motets to spirituals. The group strives to achieve a captivating performance atmosphere especially with multicultural compositions representing the music of the world.
The Indiana Music Education Association is a not-for-profit professional membership organization serving music teachers of all primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Through its nearly 2,000 members, the organization strives to support and advance music education in the state by representing the united interests of music educators and students and by providing professional leadership and service to enhance arts education in schools.
