WELCOME AT THE ACADEMY OF VOCAL ARTS

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introduction    organisation    artistic-pedagogical    entrepreneurship    general data

INTRODUCTION

Art belongs to quality of life. The 'Stichting Academy of Vocal Arts' (ACVA) therefore wants to create possibilities for young and old to discover and experience vocal art. Starting point is the child. 

It is essential for the personal development of the child to not only discover the vocal talent and develop this, but also to do this together with others and to find a good balance between individuality and community. 

Quality and customization are central. Because of the organic authority of music, singing in an ensemble is the perfect social activity to create balance between individuality and community-thinking. Core values are: confidence through stage experiences, social self-reliance and resilience, emotional and social well-being.

The Academy of Vocal Arts wants to involve new groups with art music and to offer the best quality for all who  are interested. 

The feeling is one of doing together, accepting challenges, discovering beauty, learning to be your musical self.

At the Academy of Vocal Arts are the following classes/choirs:
Choir Class A (6 and 7 years)
Choir Class B (from 7 years)
Choir Class C and D (from 8 years)
The Hague Children's Choir (8-16 years)
Musicanti Children's Choir (8-16 years)
Young Men's Chorus (mutating and mutated male voices)
The Young Ensemble (SATB-ensemble consisting of members of YMC and Musicanti)
Cantamare Vocal Ensemble (girls/ladies from 16 years and older)
Preliminary phases
For young children (toddlers) there are special Beginner's Classes 1, 2 and 3

ORGANISATION

In 2012 the ACVA adopted the current name, after being called the 'Kinderkoor Academie Nederland', and before that the Zangschool Zuid-Holland. This current name connects better to The Hague as city of internationalisation with the motto: peace and justice. 

From 2012 to now the ACVA is assisted by ...AND.@OFFICE for marketing and design of the organization. 

For the sponsoring of projects a fundraisers is available as of 2020 to further professionalize this process. 

To divide the mounting work pressure and to enlarge the visibility of the ACVA as educating and performing foundation, an expansion of the team is foreseen at the areas of marketing and organization as of 2022. The social media presence will be structurally improved. 

The communication with the students and parents/guardians runs through the website. The interactive part is mostly adapted to the demands and needs of these times in 2019. The coming period this will further be improved. The website is www.acva.nl. The front of the website has been renewed in 2023 so it connects to the current needs and times.

Next to that the possibilities concerning online lessons and materials are being researched because of experiences during the corona period.

artistic-pedagogical

FLOW

In line with current developments in society, starting to sing is possible at any time. To achieve this, the learning process is divided into various small steps, which become visible in the many training groups and choirs. This diversity stimulates motivation and creates possibilities to work at your own level. This division is flexible depending on the influx of children of certain ages.

To increase the diversity of the student population, there is a modest provision for children whose parents are less able to provide, making the ACVA activities open to all. Currently, parents/guardians can submit a personal request for financial support to the ACVA.

In order to reach students in a larger area in The Hague, a room in the Haringstraat will be converted into a waiting area in 2023. This means that families who live further away can also come and sing at the ACVA.

EDUCATION

At the ACVA there is a national education for children's choir conductors. The lessons in this education fro professionals are provided by teachers who have been image- and policy determining for children's choir singing in The Netherlands for the past decades. New teachers at the ACVA are intensively coached by these teachers as supplement to their music education. 

This way of working guarantees a pedagocial-didactical climate of the highest level and has led to choirs that act at the highest musical level possible in and outside of The Netherlands. 

The ACVA also wants to prepare the road to the music world as well as possible for new talent. Therefore the ACVA offers as of 2024 possibilities for (conservatory)students to expand their skills to be able to reach a higher level.

Every year we organize meetings for the team to discuss all content concerning a continuing development of the lessons. For the period 2023-2025 can be expected that this high level will be maintained. 

VISIBILITY

The choirs of the ACVA have been more visible the past years. An impression: 

• 2012 - Performances at the European Festival of Youth Choirs in Bazel (CH)
• 2013 - Overall Prize Kodály Festival Komló (H)
• 2014 - 1st own performance of the entire St Matthew Passion by J.S. Bach in the New Church in The Hague
• 2015 - Performances in the Chorbiënnale in Aachen
• 2016 - 1st own performance of the entire St John Passion by J.S. Bach
• 2017 - Musicanti and Cantamare were guests at the international festival in Székesfehérvár (H); The Hague Children's Choir was at concert trip to Paris; National Children's Remembrance Service at Madurodam and organisor of the first National Children's Remembrance Choir in cooperation with Madurodam, children's choirs and primary schools; own production of 'Ici Paris', an international concert and masterclassproject led by Marc Korovitch, conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir, with the Requiem of Gabriel Fauré for equal (children's) voices and professional orchestra.
• 2018 - 1st own performance of the Mozart Requiem, with a pre-show to which visitors responded very positive: “I didn't know that children from The Hague could do this!”; The Hague Children's Choir receives a first prize at the EMJ Neerpelt; the CD ‘Candlelight’ is being produced and presented by Choir Class C to Cantamare.
• 2019 - Musicanti at concert trip to Dornbirn (AT); The Hague Children's Choir at concert trip to Gelsenkirchen (DE); the Stabat Mater by Pergolesi and Miserere by Allegri performed in Rotterdam and The Hague with our own soloists.
• 2020 - Normally the St Matthew Passion would have been performed for a sold out New Church, but because of Covid this could not take place. In stead of a live Christmas concert, a Christmas stream has been recorded and streamed online to an audience here and abroad. 
• 2021 - Despite the limitations due to covid in June the St John Passion was performed in the New Church in The Hague
• 2022 - The Mozart Requiem and the Passion Motets of Poulenc performed in Rotterdam and The Hague; The Hague Children's Choir and Musicanti at concert trip to Söhlde (DE); Children's Choir Pizzicanto from Dornbirn (AT) was welcomed in The Hague. 

GOALS 2023-2025

The Academy of Vocal Arts sets for the coming years these goals:

1. Expanding the number of students to provide more children with the opportunity to get to know sustainable vocal art. 
2. Expanding the team of teachers, conductors and producers. 
3. Increasing visibility of (classical) children's choir singing as offered by the ACVA through own productions and performances of model choirs by invitation. 
4. Increasing visibility in The Hague and surroundings. 
5. Intensifying the own productions where the education and theme-based programming are central; performances in several cities will be realized to keep stimulating stage presentation.
6. Broadening the offer for (young) adults by creating a professional ensemble on a permanent base (ACVA VOCES is now a project based choir). 
7. Strengthening the financial base by generating more sponsor money. 
8. Supporting young musicians that want to enter the professional world. 
9. Professionalizing the image of the ACVA by a new website and structural marketing activities.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP, COOPERATION AND GEOGRAPHICAL SPREADING

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND GENERATING MONEY

The Academy of Vocal Arts is a Hague, independant private provider of vocal-musical education at high level. To guarantee the continuity of the foundation, recruitment has high priority. The operating costs are for the most part the student fees. Next to that the ACVA incidentally asks for project subsidees at general and private funds for art and culture. Also the foundation generates funds by giving concerts and participating in shows. Lastly the ACVA focusses more and more on generating (regular) sponsors that suppport the ACVA and its work. The ACVA has the ANBI-status. For the pedagocial part the ACVA does not have structural (local) government funding. 

ACTIVITIES

In line with the international character of The Hague, the ACVA organizes: 

• concert trips to festivals (like in 2017 to Székesfehérvár in Hungary);
• international masterclasses (in 2016, 2017 and 2023 with French, Spanish and American students);
• exchanges with international chois (Japan 2017, Dornbirn 2019/2022, Hamburg 2023).

COOPERATIONS NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY

In 2016 a cooperation was established with the Conservatoire Régionale de Paris, where we still cooperate with when possible, for example at the masterclass in 2023. 

Good contats are being maintained with the Europea Music Festival for Youth in Neerpelt, Belgium.

Because of the rich history of the ACVA close contacts are there with several children's choirs and conductors in The Netherlands and abroad. 

GENERAL DATA

PRIMARY GOAL

The Foundation sets as goal: stimulating musical education, firstly for youth between four to sixteen years old, and furthermore, everything that, in the broadest sense of the word, is related to, belongs to and/or can be conducive to this.

SUPERVISORY BOARD

The Supervisory Board (Raad van Toezicht) is composed as follows:

• Henny Westdijk - chair
• Bob de Jonge - secretary
• Henk Roefs - member

Code Cultural Governance

The Academy of Vocal Arts works with a Supervisory Board-construction and a director-manager. The ACVA applies the rules of the Code Cultural Governance.

Standards for Remuneration of Senior Executives in the Public and Semi-Public Sector Act (WNT)

The Supervisory Board does not receive compensation. Both director and manager are well within the standard.

REMUNERATION POLICY

The colleagues at the ACVA work independantly on an hourly basis and receive a market-based hourly wage for their work. The ACVA does not have employees.

Code Cultural Diversity

The ACVA grants access to development trajectories and stage experience for children and youth of any social and cultural background. Also for those that are not financially able to provide, it is possible to participate in the activities.

Office and organization

• Daniëlle van Lieshout - director-manager
• Marijke van Klaveren - locationmanager and studentadministration
• Lisa Korthals Altes - administration
• Janneke Klompenhouwer - clothing and social media
• Evelyne de Kroon - fundraising
• Esmeralda Groen - PR & social media

conductors

• Marijke van Klaveren - Choir Class A, B and C
• Janneke Klompenhouwer - Choir Class D and Beginner's Classes
• Daniëlle van Lieshout - The Hague Children's Choir, Musicanti Children's Choir, The Young Ensemble, Cantamare Vocal Ensemble, Young Men’s Chorus and ACVA VOCES

teachers

• Lisa Korthals Altes (singing, solfège)
• Marijke van Klaveren (solfège, education professionals)
• Janneke Klompenhouwer (toddlers, solfège, stage presentation)
• Daniëlle van Lieshout (solfège, singing, stage presentation)
• Silvère van Lieshout (singing)

STANDARD FORM CULTURAL ANBI - ACADEMY OF VOCAL ARTS