Raise your voice: Partnering up with the Media for singing

WEBINAR JANUARY 26TH 2021 EUROPEAN CHORAL ASSOCIATION EUROPA CANTAT INARI TILLI, MUSIC JOURNALIST, FINNISH BROADCASTING COMPANY INARI.TILLI@YLE.FI

HOW TO BECOME A “CHORAL MUSIC SPECIALIST AT THE FINNISH BROADCASTING COMPANY”, MY WAY: • Master of Music from the Sibelius Academy (music education) • Lot’s of choral singing (Sibelius Academy vocal ensemble, chamber choir Kampin Laulu, Key Ensemble, Finnish chamber choir, Philomela etc.)

• Love for choral music in general • Choral conducting studies • Radio (and TV) presenting skills • Earlier work as a music journalist and producer (Classic FM, Christmas radio) • Curious and extroverted • Good stress tolerance • Technical skills • Good luck (in the right place at the right time)

CHORAL MUSIC IN THE MEDIA (RADIO, TV, INTERNET) = WHERE YOU CAN HEAR CHORAL SINGING AND TRY TO BE THAT SINGER OR CONDUCTOR:

• Playlists • Music programs (music chosen by the journalist) • Interviews in different kind of programs • Concerts • Competitions • Recordings made by radio companies (played on programs)

WORK POSSIBILITIES IN THE MEDIA: • Journalist • Producer • Recording engineer • Conductor • Singer • You may also be asked to be: • Jury member • Expert • And: • Choirs and conductors get money from recordings made by broadcasting companies

EXAMPLES OF GREATEST RADIO CHOIRS IN EUROPE: • BBC Singers • DR Vocal Ensemble • Netherlands Radio Choir • RIAS Chamber Choir • Swedish Radio Choir • SWR Vokalensemble • No radio choirs in Finland anymore☹

WHAT WE DO HAVE IN FINLAND:

• Youth choir of the year • Choral music recordings • Choral music programs (radio, TV, Yle Areena): • Concerts (also EBU exchange) • Competitions • Music programs and interviews

SINGING ON THE RADIO - TECHNICAL ISSUES: • Recordings are made for the radio (usually less echo and microphones closer to singers than in ”normal” recordings) • Best locations for the radio: Church, concert hall, studio (depends on the program) • Not all microphones are recording � • Let the engineer do his job! � • A microphone setup for radio recording/broadcast contains typically something like this (YLE engineer Antti Pohjola): • A main pair, 2 or 3 omni or cardioid mics. (Neumann U89/ Schoeps MK2, MK21 or MK4/ DPA 4006) • An ambient pair (often DPA 4006/ Schoeps MK2) • Spot mics for the choir, typically a mic per voice (often Schoeps MK21 or MK4) • Spot mics for soloists (often Schoeps MK21 or MK4) • Different types of recordings: live concert, referred concert, recording (no editing), recording (with some editing), recording (with a lot of editing)

PREPARING FOR AN INTERVIEW: • Different kind of interviews: • Live or deferred, audio or visual, or both • Short – long • Gallup - specialist • Will you get money from an interview? Depends on your role.

• Sometimes it is a good idea to prepare beforehand: Ways of preparation: • A call or a meeting with the journalist • Ask for a list of questions and topics beforehand • It might be a good idea not to write everything down

THE INTERVIEW: • Referred broadcasts are more relaxed than live broadcasts • Be yourself • Breath and relax • Try to avoid words like “well”, “like” “I mean” etc.

• Don’t speak too rapidly (but be yourself�) • On TV you don’t need to look at the camera • On TV, ask for the makeup, sometimes you have to take care of it yourself, but it is good to know the situation beforehand

HOW TO CONTACT THE MEDIA: • Think about your goal and try to make it as clear as possible • Contact early enough • Try to find the right person (web pages, your own contacts etc.)

• Email, phone, other ways of contacting • Try to get that person or those persons interested • Don’t be disappointed if nothing happens, you can try again, maybe with some other idea • Don’t be too shy, but don’t be too pushy either

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Thank you for listening!

Any questions?

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Inari Tilli, Music Journalist, Finnish Broadcasting Company inari.tilli@yle.fi