Shir Madness is excited to announce their partnership in March 2012 with the Australian Jewish Choral Festival (AJCF). Presented by Jewish Arts Inc., this inaugural event will take place at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. It is modeled partly on the North American Jewish Choral Festival, now in its 22^nd year, where many Jewish singers come together annually to learn about, sing and celebrate Jewish choral music. It also draws elements from the excellent vocal ensemble workshops at Smith College, Massachusetts, presented by the acclaimed 6-voice New York a cappella vocal ensemble, the Western Wind. Jewish Arts has really pulled one out of the hat by successfully engaging this fine group to travel to Australia next year as the teaching faculty for the festival.

ACC/GTM Convention: This is the joint annual convention of the American Conference of Cantors and the Guild of Temple Musicians. Members of the ACC are accredited cantors in the Reform movement who have completed the course of study through the Sacred School of Music at Hebrew Union College. Members of the GTM are diverse, including composers, accompanists, choral directors, choral singers and cantorial soloists who have completed other cantorial programs and/or are informally active in their congregations in this role.

Approximately 300 people dedicated to the ongoing life of synagogue music attend the annual convention. It includes concerts, choices of workshops, and separate plenary sessions where the ACC and GTM report to their respective memberships on the year past, and discuss matters relevant to members. Throughout the convention there are many opportunities to network with colleagues, an aspect of the event that is highly valued by attendees. This year’s convention took place in Boston.