ReportPevoc12GhentAugust29–September1byLieveJansen(EVTA-Be)Attendees430personsAugust29RegistrationandwelcomedrinkAtthewelcomedesk,everythingwaswellpreparedandregistrationwaseasy.Everygoodybaghadaprogramandsomeflyers,includingEurovoxflyers.TherewasalsoaPevocsmartphoneappinwhichalltheinformationcouldbefound.HighlyrecommendedforEurovox!Intheevening,therewasanopeningceremony.ItwasataverynicelocationwithverygoodfoodanddrinksandwithwelcomingwordsbyMarkusHess,MiekeMoerman,andthedeanofthefaculty.

August30AfterthewelcomeceremonyandspeechesofMarkusHess,MiekeMoermanandJohanSundberg,Pevocstartedwithatouchingtestimonyofamanwhohadundergonealaryngectomy:Shoutatcancer.HerecitedapoemandatextaccompaniedbyapianistwithSchumann’sOp89N°2.

FlorianHeyerickdidthefirstkeynotelecture.Hispresentationwasaboutthepencilmethod,amethodtoteachchoirstostayontone.Detonationistheresultofmicrosmalldeviationsinpitchdistances.Byworkingonintervalsandconstanttuningbetweenchoirmembers,everybodylearnstosingpuredistances.

Afterthislecture,variousroundtables,workshopsandfreepaperstookplacein5differentrooms.Itwassometimeshard,butunavoidable,tomakeachoice.(AllabstractscanbeseenatthePevocwebsiteuntiltheendofSeptember.)

Theroundtable“Aestheticconceptsofthebeautifulvoice”madeusawareofthecontentoftheword'beautiful'.Unityabouttheinterpretationofthewordbeautifulwillneverbefoundbecauseeveryone'sperceptionof'what'sbeautiful'andtheobjectivityinjudgingavoicebyeachindividualcanbeinterpreteddifferently.Itwasinterestingtoseeonwhatdifferentaspectsavoicecanberated.

TheafternoonkeynotelecturebyPaulSimoens“OftalkingbirdsandsingingWhales.Onthevocalizationofmammalsandbirds”describedtheimportanceofdifferentsoundsandpitchestocommunicate,alsoinanimals.Thiswasaninterestingpresentation.Intheafternoon,IfollowedtheworkshopsKinesiotapingforsingingandspeaking(R.Stallinga)withmixedfeelingsaboutwhoisallowedtodothisand‘Physiologicalinsightsinsingingandspeaking’(M.Echternach)aboutthenewandinterestingDVD.August31WithJaniceChapmanandherkeynotelecture‘Thevoiceofexperience’abouttheimportanceoftheprimalsound,weallwereindeeprespectforthisgreatladywhoisstillamonumentinvocalpedagogy.

Whenatnearly80at8:00inthemorningyouareabletogiveexamplesinfrontofanaudiencewithvoiceexperts,onhownottosingandhowtosingintherightwaysustainedphrasesasWhenIamlaidinearth,youonlycanagreethattherightwaytosingisongoinglearningandworkingtogetherwithvoiceexpertsindifferentfieldsinaholisticapproach.

AftertheworkshopofDr.Vox(I.Denizoglu)andLaxVox(withnowamasktoputon,sothatyoucansingwordsandstillfeelthebubblingeffects(Igotonetotryandgivefeedback)Igaveawell-attendedworkshopFlowBall.(ThankyouFilipaLãforintroducingitattheEvtatutorialinPrague).TheWorkshopPrimalsounds,fiveelementsandqigong(E.Haupt)gaveusanideahowtoworkwithmovementandsound.Theafternoonstartedwithkeynotelecture‘Stemcelltreatmentofdamagedvocalfolds’byS.Hertegård.Stillinexperimentalphaseitcouldbeofhelpinfuture.Mostcommondiseaseisvocalfoldscarring.Stemcellinjectionsprobablyhealthescars.bFGF(basicfibroplastgowthfactor)injectionsinagedhumanvocalfoldshasshowntoimprovevoiceacousticsandglottalclosure.AmongstthedifferentandinterestingFreepaperpresentationsintheafternoonIattended,Iwouldliketomention‘Theimpactofateachingorsingingcareeronthefemalevocalqualityatthemeanageof67years’(singerskeepbetterandhealthiervoice)and‘Phonatoryvs.respiratorybreathingstrategiesinprofessionalsingers’.September1Duetothetimingat8:00inthemorning,unfortunatelyjustafewpeoplegatheredforthekeynotelectureofFelixDeJong.Hislecture‘Thevoiceinaholisticperspective’,adifferentapproachinENTdoctorsandpatient’srelations'provedtobequiteinteresting.

Inthesameplenaryroom,theEVTAroundtabletookplace.‘Voicetherapyandsingingpedagogy:redundancyorcomplementary?’Withwell-preparedquestionsandapanelthathadbeenabletomeeteachotherhalfanhourbeforetheroundtable,thedebatewasverytothepointandhadaveryrelaxedatmosphere.Thenumerouspersonsthatwerepresentfeltthisandtookpartinthediscussionspontaneously.Afterwardswegotalotofpositivefeedbackandcongratulationslike‘Thiswaswhatwewerewaitingfor’.

Laterthatday,IngoTitzetalkedabouthisfavouritestrawmethod:'TheScienceBehindSemi-OccludedVocalTractExercises'.StillveryexcitedaboutthemethodandtheadvantagesofaSOVTheexplainedhowtoworkwiththedifferentstrawsandtheeffectsontheclosureofthevocalfolds,abettermixedvoice,goodstretchingofthevocalfolds,pressureandunpressuredetcetera.WhatsomelistenersmissedwasacomparisonwiththeLaxVoxandotherSOVTtoolsincludingtheflowball:Wheredoesthedifferencecomeintoeffect?Whataretheeffectsofthebubblesofwaterresistance?IntheafternoonIattended‘Voicesofpowerandpassion’byK.Scherer.Itwasinterestingalthoughsomeoftheparticipantsbegantofeelfatigued.AlsotheCOMETsession‘Vocalregisters:currentopinionsandconcepts’startedpromising.Everyoneacknowledgedthatthereareregistersbuteveryonehadadifferentinterpretation.Unfortunatelytherewasnorealdiscussion.StillcontroversialwasthelectureaboutHoarsenessandreflux-isthereascientificrelationship?Areacid-reducingagentsalwaysneeded?Thelastkeynotewasthesecondpartofthechoruspencilmethod.Pevoc12endedwithachoirofparticipantssingingindifferentlanguages.TherewerealsowordsofgratitudebytheorganizersandtheannouncingofPevoc13inCopenhagen2019.InallPevocGhentwasaverygoodedition,wellattendedandwithinterestingsubjects!