Abstract:
Foreign conductors face cultural, social, and language challenges when leading choirs from various
cultural backgrounds. These challenges have not been extensively discussed in the choral context,
but they may cause potential problems to foreign conductors’ rehearsal skills and cross-cultural
choirs’ development. This thesis investigates the cultural, social, and language factors that influence
Chinese conductors’ choral rehearsals in New Zealand to guide Chinese emigrant choral conductors and to improve their rehearsal skills with a clear understanding of interactions with singers given their
cultural background.
A combined qualitative research method of autoethnography and one-on-one in-depth interviews
was applied to determine Chinese conductors’ challenges in rehearsals with cross-cultural choirs.
The results showed that cultural identity, disrespect, differences, and inequity are the main factors
influencing Chinese conductors’ rehearsals in cross-cultural choral settings. Conductors’ ethnicity,
religious belief, racial discrimination and speaking of non-native language also caused difficulties
in rehearsals. Results were analysed by applying relative theories, including praxis, multi- and interculturalism, concept of organised cultural encounters, theory of intercultural contact zone, and
culturally responsive teaching methods to interpret Chinese conductors’ cross-cultural choral
rehearsal practices.
My results and analysis suggest that praxis philosophy helps conductors investigate cultural, social,
personal, ethical, and musical values in rehearsals from a personal perspective. A Chinese
conductor’s understanding of their cultural identities and intercultural relationships with singers can
be enhanced by theories of multi- and inter-culturalism. Practices of organised cultural encounters,
intercultural contact zones, and culturally responsive teaching methods can help Chinese conductors to improve social and musical value in culturally diverse rehearsals. Furthermore, Chinese
conductors can strengthen their communication skills by connecting culture, communication, and
language to construct a professional speaking style in cross-cultural rehearsals.