Saturday, November 19, 2016

Warmth in the North


Greetings readers,

I am always reminded of the warmth of the connections created within the choral community. This past weekend was no exception as Nanc and I headed North of the 60th Parallel to check-out the winter tundra. After a 15 hour drive North from Edmonton, we were greeted with a sliver of aurora borealis in the sky and the glow moonlight highlighting the ragged outline of coniferous forests.


The most common question people asked us when we told we were going up to Yellowknife was: "Why?"

My unsatisfying answer was: "Why not!?!"

It was a great opportunity to reconnect with choral friends once again made when Pro Coro Canada visited in May 2015. Amongst the chats about voice science, motor learning, and semi-occluded vocal tract exercises, I was reminded of the power of connection in musical communities regardless of distance. It seems like the colder the climate, the warmer the people. I was invited into homes for voice lessons and to their tables for shared meals with their family. Fueled by the warmth generated from hearty moose soup and Mennonite sausage pizza, I headed to choir rehearsal for the evening. As I sat with the Ursa Miners working on Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols, it was a pleasure to witness the excellent music making in thius warm Northern pocket.


My Northern getaway also allowed me some excellent prep time for Pro Coro's upcoming Messiah performance with Da Camera Singers and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra at the new Birchwood Coffee in downtown Yellowknife. I always have this expression of pomp as I study the moving lines in And He Shall Purify. 










I will miss these images of the roadside winter wonderland in the North.


Check out Nanc Price Photography for more photos from the weekend.


Yellowknife 2016