Conducting Corporate Choirs in Brazil

Corporate choirs represent a large part of choral music-making in Brazil. Many Brazilian companies hire choral directors to develop group singing activities with their employees, thanks in part to the recent Music Education Bill. These directors face very particular challenges that are rarely considered in their training at colleges and universities. Nonetheless, they are a significant part of the work of choral directors in Brazil. Leading a peripheral activity in relation to the company’s core business, lack of rehearsal time, volunteer singer participation, inappropriate physical conditions, management that is not akin to the arts field, and easy access to contemporary urban activities and gadgets are some factors that create these particular challenges. The corporate choir director must bridge these factors with musical procedures of their work, and approach with a more critical view issues such as repertory choice, conducting techniques, and rehearsal procedures.