Are you looking to explore your voice and sing from your soul?
Viviane Houle is a vocalist, improviser and songwriter with an uncanny ability to mix musical styles as diverse as opera and avant-garde improvisation.
This weekend, Houle presents an improvisation choir workshop starting tonight (Friday) from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and continuing Saturday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at CSJ Active Wellness Community in Gibsons. To register, email [email protected] or call 1-604-879-4013.
In the opera house and concert hall, Houle has performed with Vancouver Opera, Standing Wave Ensemble and pianist Leslie Uyeda. In the jazz world, she regularly performs with the lions of today's improv scene, including such musicians as Ron Samworth, Peggy Lee, Clyde Reed, Paul Plimley and Jesse Zubot. As a creator, she has released two CDs of her original songs and improvisations and collaborates with violist and laptop artist Stefan Smulovitz. The weekend workshop will explore voice, sound, and improvisation where participants are encouraged to discover the full range and palette of their voices through exercises of deep listening, sound and movement, creative vocal warm-ups and conducted group improv singing.
"A collection of voices is always more than the sum of the parts," said Houle. "There is an exchange of energy, ideas, support and creative impulses. When everyone is trying new things with their voices, it's very liberating and inspiring. "
