By Jules Lemmens – choir enthusiast
For as long as I can remember – and that's quite a while – I've been involved with choirs. As a singer, accompanist, or conductor, in whatever capacity, I've always been closely involved with (a part of) the Flemish choir scene. Flanders may be small, but we have many choirs, and some of them are even of a high standard.
Besides the Flemish choir scene, I've occasionally been involved with choirs across borders, mainly in Germany and the Netherlands. What struck me most was the sobering reality upon returning to Flanders. Especially compared to the Netherlands, the differences with our own choir culture were sometimes remarkably large. The choir life in the Netherlands is considerably richer than ours. While we (according to a 2015 study by the European Choral Association) have around 3.8% singers in Belgium, a full 10.7% of Dutch people call themselves choir singers (6.3% in Germany).
This is noticeable in many aspects of the national choir experience. There are plenty of Dutch choirs, there are also many large Dutch choirs, and these choirs can usually boast more developed support, financial and otherwise. Choir conductors in the Netherlands are also more often full-time, (semi-)professional choir leaders.
Of course, this comes at a cost. This infrastructure doesn't fall out of thin air. A Dutch choir member often pays almost as much per month in membership fees as what a Belgian or Flemish person pays to sing for an entire year. In our country, few choirs work with annual contributions of €100 or more. Many choirs manage at most €50, some operate for free. The consequence is that compensation for conductors is not always adequate, choirs don't have money to purchase scores, to commission compositions, to attract professional accompanists or soloists, and so on. Did you know, by the way, that there are official fee scales for the compensation of (choir) conductors in the Netherlands? Our choir leaders can only dream of such things!
It should come as no surprise, then, that various choir conductors in our country are actively campaigning for a change in mentality among the many choirs our country has. There is demand everywhere for good conductors, but then there must also be proper and fair compensation that enables the conductor to 'buy' time to prepare, study, and so on – from which the choir naturally benefits. To realize this and many other things (including supporting our composers by fairly purchasing scores instead of the widespread illegal copying), choir members' contributions must also be fair. It's unrealistic to expect a choir member to enjoy at least two hours a week of professional accompaniment for less than the price of a takeaway coffee each week.
Let it be clear: it would be positive for the country's choir culture if this were taken seriously. Fortunately, there is a Flemish choir federation, 'Koor&Stem', which represents the interests of choirs and choir conductors. This choir federation also publishes a magazine several times a year for choirs and choir conductors. And wouldn't you know it, in the latest edition (#21) there's an article about choir financing, on the occasion of the withdrawal of provincial subsidies. I quote verbatim: "Also consider the conductor's compensation. Of course, a conductor's work is very labor-intensive and it goes without saying that something should be offered in return. Yet we challenge you to ask yourself some questions: does my choir really need a professionally trained conductor, or can we achieve the maximum equally well with an amateur? Should the conductor's compensation be financial, or are there alternatives?"
How does the Flemish choir federation have the audacity to, through one of their most visible employees, undermine their own country's conductors so thoroughly and minimize their importance in the choir landscape? For this group of people, it's already not a given to make their living doing what they're good at (many combine it with a day job as if what they earned their master's degree in conducting for is merely a hobby), and the situation is at times heartbreaking compared to our neighboring countries – and then their one ally shoots them in the back.
In my opinion, there is no organization that disrespects the professionals it's supposed to represent as much as Koor&Stem does. That it's all about saving money from the political side – that's to be expected. But Koor&Stem should have a feel for the professional field, should support choir conductors, not disrespect them, and not minimize their importance like this.
If I were still very active in the choir world, I would have my choir cancel their membership with Koor&Stem immediately. I know for sure that I will encourage my choir conductor – who may have read the article too – during our weekly rehearsal. But really, all choir leaders in the country should make their voices heard to Koor&Stem. It can't be that what they work for with heart and soul is undermined by such a ridiculous article. They should call the Flemish choir federation to account, and their choir members should back them up. Because anyone who's ever had an inspiring, experienced, and skilled – graduated – conductor knows what that's worth. Maybe we need to explain that to Koor&Stem sometime.
