“It was all right when it left my lips!”

with Kristin Linklater · Outi Kähkönen · Ron Morris · David Howard · Jenevora Williams · Gillyanne Kayes · Jeremy Fisher · Jonathan Dove

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If you have booked, we look forward to seeing you in Chester!

If not, we are sorry but bookings have now closed. The final deadline for late bookings was 2pm on Friday 8 July, and AOTOS members who have asked to be contacted about national events should have had an email with this deadline, as well as reminders over the last few months. Not getting AOTOS emails? Please contact the Administrative Assistant.

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When we sing, we communicate with the audience through sound, words, eyes and body. When we teach, we communicate with our pupils in the same way.

Are we conveying our intentions accurately? Is what is in our minds what comes out of our mouths? What do our audience and pupils understand from what we have expressed?

And what gets in the way of our message being understood? Do those mixed messages come from our use of language, our tone of voice, our facial expressions, our body language…?

At our summer conference we explore these questions with our resident speakers:

• Ron Morris, who is at the forefront of technical thought on the voice: his work on the tongue has proved invaluable to clear articulation.
• Outi Kähkönen, President of the European Voice Teachers’ Association, who will talk about the importance of co-operating with our European colleagues, and discuss how we can transfer our classical genre skills to other areas.
• Kristin Linklater, whose work with actors using the whole body opens up new ways of creating sound and communication.

Overnight accommodation is now fully booked, but you can still book for an individual day: Friday, Saturday or Sunday – or book a non-residential place and find your own accommodation. 

Friday 22 July

David Howard from York University will update us on his research work on the vocal tract and the way its shape can affect sound and tone.

Liza Hobbs will talk about singing in English, with an opportunity for us all to pay singing homage to Shakespeare.

Saturday 23 July

Jenevora Williams will be joining us to talk about the language we use in the studio.

AOTOS members will lead seminars on repertoire from the examination syllabus in other languages: Italian, French, German, Spanish and Welsh.

Forum with our resident speakers Ron Morris, Outi Kähkönen and Kristin Linklater,

A visit from the distinguished composer Jonathan Dove.

Sunday 24 July

Area meetings and AGM – a chance for us to communicate with each other.

Masterclass with Gillyanne Kayes and Jeremy Fisher.

Read the full programme for the three days.

Find out more about our speakers and their work. 

Download a PDF with all the details of the 2016 Summer Conference.

Venue

The University of Chester is on the banks of the River Dee, surrounded by award-winning gardens, a stone’s throw from Chester’s historic city centre. We’ll be using the two modern lecture theatres in the Beswick building at the University of Chester, with use of nearby communal areas, tea- and coffee-making facilities, and a bar.

Meals

Meals plus teas and coffees are included in the conference fees: Friday dinner; Saturday lunch and dinner; and Sunday lunch. Vegetarian and gluten-free options will be available.

Accommodation

If you booked for the whole conference, or for two days, your breakfast is included, and so is overnight accommodation in the university’s brand-new Grosvenor building. All rooms are generous singles with three-quarter-sized beds, and are en suite with shower and toilet. Towels and bedlinen are provided, but no toiletries, so please bring your own. There is free wi-fi, a communal room, and a bar.

Double rooms are in a separate building, and there are some rooms specially adapted for disabled users: if you need more details, please contact the conference director, Andrea Calladine. The Beswick and Grosvenor buildings have good access for wheelchairs.

Check-in

You can check into your room any time after the 2pm registration on Friday.

Travel

Chester has excellent transport links, and the university is close to the city centre. Find out more at the tourist information website for Chester.

The Beswick Building and Grosvenor building are part of the main university campus, the Parkgate Road campus, and the postcode is CH1 4BJ. View or download a map of the Parkgate Road campus from the university website.  

From the rail station to the campus is about fifteen minutes’ walk, or any bus going to Blacon for the rail station will stop at the campus.

APDC

If you have already booked for the Summer Conference and want to join our Advanced Professional Development Course (which runs before the conference) as well, we offer a £75 discount.