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Call for Singers

Join an Innovative Choir Research Project at McMaster’s LIVELab

Have you ever wondered how the acoustics of a room – or the gestures of a conductor – shape the way we sing?

We are looking for choral singers (SATB) to take part in a unique music-science project at McMaster University’s LIVELab – an extraordinary concert hall and research facility equipped for immersive acoustics, motion capture, and physiological measurement.

The project “Conducting Against the Room”

“Conducting Against the Room” is led by an international research partnership between McMaster University, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW, Switzerland), and the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (Germany), together with Danish conductor Prof. Morten Schuldt-Jensen.

The project explores how singers and conductors adapt to different room acoustics and how this may shape vocal effort, ensemble sound, and the overall performance experience.

You’ll have the rare opportunity to sing in one of Canada’s most advanced research performance spaces, contribute to cutting-edge music science, and perform in two public concerts with a live audience and acoustic manipulation in the LIVELab.

The Conductor

Morten Schuldt-Jensen

Morten Schuldt-Jensen is an internationally acclaimed Danish conductor and choral specialist. Former Professor of Choral & Orchestral Conducting in Freiburg (until 2024), he was Chief Director of Choral Activities at the Leipzig Gewandhaus (1999–2006) and founder of the internationally renowned Gewandhaus Chamber Choir. As choir master, he has worked with world-class ensembles – including the Berlin Philharmonic – and alongside maestros such as Sir Simon Rattle and Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

www.schuldtjensen.com

Project schedule (April 2026)

Monday, Apr 13 — Evening optional reading session

Wednesday, Apr 15 — Evening rehearsal

Thursday, Apr 16 — Evening rehearsal

Friday, Apr 17 — Evening rehearsal

Saturday, Apr 18 — Full-day rehearsal

Sunday, Apr 19 — Concert 1 at LIVELab (with audience measurements), matinee

Monday, Apr 20 — Concert 2 at LIVELab (with audience measurements), evening

Saturday, Apr 25 — Measurement day (choir & conductor)

Sunday, Apr 26 — Measurement day (choir & conductor)

Auditions

Dates: March 5–7, 2026

Location: McMaster University

Application deadline: March 3, 2026

Auditions will include:

• a short prepared excerpt from a choral piece provided in advance,

• one classical song or aria of the participant’s choice (max. 2 minutes), and

• a brief sight-reading task.

Participants who take part in and complete the LIVELab measurement sessions will receive a $50 CAD honorarium to acknowledge their time and effort.

Please see the Letter of Information for full details.

Interested?

Please complete the registration form by March 3, 2026.

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Platte (FHNW, Switzerland) at sarahlisette.platte@fhnw.ch.

(Sarah is one of the project’s lead researchers and will coordinate singer participation and scheduling.)

This study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance from the McMaster Research Ethics Board (MREB#7202).