Dr. Ratzlaff's achievements as a choral conductor and educator, already recognized by the Alberta Award of Excellence and the Order of Canada, emerge from his innovations in choral technique, which he has drawn from the bel canto singing tradition. The strength and distinctiveness of the sound he brings about in performance and recording give his choirs a recognizable, singular, and widely admired personality.

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RATZLAFF, Leonard –Department of Music, University of Alberta
Dr. Ratzlaff's achievements as a choral conductor and educator, already recognized by the Alberta Award of Excellence and the Order of Canada, emerge from his innovations in choral technique, which he has drawn from the bel canto singing tradition. The strength and distinctiveness of the sound he brings about in performance and recording give his choirs a recognizable, singular, and widely admired personality. As a result, his choirs have won an unmatched record of prizes at choral festivals and competitions. Dr. Ratzlaff directed the first and still most important Canadian graduate program in choral conducting, whose graduates are active all over the world.