Fifteen Years to This Day

Dear Choir Girl readers,

My blog is 15 years old! I am as surprised as you. While I have contemplated with the idea of retiring this blog, a few readers convinced me it is not yet time. 

There is less arts journalism all the time. It is rare for a magazine or newspaper to even have funds to contract an arts and entertainment writer for local coverage these days. If you are lucky enough to get a writer in attendance at your event, you'd be lucky to have one that is knowledgeable enough to comment and critique the performance. It feels like the platforms with quality artistic discourse are ones run by the writer themselves, with some kind of Patreon subscription to make their work financially sustainable. Sure, established, popular artists will still have an opportunity to get media coverage, but what about all the emerging voices and groups that have something to say? While I do not have the stamina to keep up with my choir posts of the past, I do feel there needs to be a platform to host artistic content. Thus, this blog continues to live on. I will continue to save this online space for me to publish choral musings of myself and others as occasions arise.

It was only five years ago that I published this 10 year recap. It is heart-warming to see the array of beloved choral faces even today. It reminds me of singing opportunities I have been fortunate to experience. As well, it reminds me of how my blog has introduced me to so many artists that have significantly impacted my life. It is also sweet for me to see my very first blog post: The Beginning, where I share my hopes and wishes for this blog. 

In the past five years, I have kept on with my singing adventures, albeit, in a more intentional and focused way. I feel it is a mix of getting older, maybe wiser, and rebalancing my singing desires with diminished energy levels post-pandemic. The pandemic really overhauled how I continued to sing or not sing with all the restrictions. It is surprising to see how many masked photos I have of myself in the slideshow round-up below. 

I continue to feel an overwhelming gratitude towards this blog. Some of my closest friends began as blog readers first. If you meet me in person, you may notice that I speak more through actions than words. Reading what I am writing is the best of knowing me: my inner motivations, passions and thoughts. I sense a closeness with each reader. There is no way I can convey what I want in a quick, surface-level interaction if we were to meet in person. Thus, it means so much to me to know that you are taking your own personal time to read my content and connect with me. I have met so many fellow singers, composers, conductors, and members of my artistic community. I am moved by the flourishing and active choral scene we have here in Canada. 

While I am not sure about the future artistic endeavours coming my way, I will be sure to post some adventures here as I go. On my schedule thus far is the Canadian Chamber Choir tour in Calgary this February 2024 and Podium in Montreal this May 2024. 

Until then, please enjoy this 15 year anniversary post slideshow!

Thank-you, dear readers, for continuing to read my choral musings.

The Beginning of Happiness

Dear readers,

When a fellow live theatre goer shouted at me in the Fall 2021, "another survivor!!!" I chuckled at the statement. It took a moment before I realized that it was no exaggeration. I wish to acknowledge the hardship, adaptation, revision, planning, cancellations, equipment, protocols, and more that artists have had to navigate during this pandemic. We are, indeed, survivors. In these past two years, I have acquired black singer masks, more home recording equipment, attended zoom rehearsals when I don't feel well enough to attend in-person rehearsals, and rapid test before rehearsals. At this point in time, seeing singing faces covered with masks is the norm. I remember at one of my first rehearsals back in June 2021, I marvelled at how heads are attached to bodies, they're not just heads floating in a virtual meeting frame. How was it that 25 other bodies arrived at the same time and place to sing with me? It was such a sensory overload to hear that much sound but a welcome change to feel the energy of singers around me again.

Rehearsal with Good Women in July 2021

I have never been a fan of learning the hard way. I welcome the past wisdom and advice of those who have walked the path before me. However, these past 2 years felt different as we were all figuring out how to continue with Arts creation with fluctuating pandemic restrictions and risk levels. My collaborative project with FEMME Vocal Quartet and Good Women Dance Collective was no different as we cancelled our live show, "The Beginning of Happiness," weeks before the premiere. It was a project we had all been rehearing since July 2019 and planning even before that time. Amongst the artistic core in the Spring 2021, we decided that a film would be a realistic and safe way of seeing through the project. Director of Photography, Tamarra Lessard, assembled a crew for us to film in August 2021. There were many logistics to consider in adapting the live music + dance show to a film. Park permits needed to be obtained for evening filming, costumes had to be adapted to be used in water, and most significant, the score was shortened from one hour to 30 minutes. The film is now available for streaming from February 17-24, 2022. Half of the proceeds will be donated to WIN House.

The Beginning Happiness Performers and Crew for August 2021 filming

Recording at Silver Studios in May 2021 

During our recording sessions in May-July 2021, FEMME recorded the entire one hour work at Silver Studios. All the singers recorded their parts separately to stay covid safe and the recording engineers, Caleb Nelson and Amelia Chan, later layered the tracks to form the ensemble sound. This was possible since we sang to click tracks programmed to specific tempos and heard the playback of the other voices who had recorded their parts already.

My ears are greeted with the reunited sound of FEMME once again as listen to the album writing this post. The music is such sensitive and informed writing for treble voices. For a work that explores and reflects upon issues of domestic violence, there is a healing beauty within the musical storytelling. There is such a wide range of vocal textures created ranging from the warm feel of love to breathless unrest. After having this work living in my tablet for three years, I am so grateful that this music gets to live in the world. There is a wonderful sense of closure to be able to release this music and invite listeners in.

FEMME Vocal Quartet during Aug 2021 filming

The album is available for streaming and download from Bandcamp. We suggest a price of $10 for download but will gratefully accept donations above that amount. Proceeds from the album will go towards FEMME's continued work to amplify a contemporary female perspective within choral music through new commissions and performance.

An Interview with Shumayela Conductor, Kim Denis

Celebrating its tenth season in 2015-2016, Shumayela, a choir for treble and changing voices in the Kokopelli Choir Association, continues to expand its horizons, develop its membership and satisfy a variety of musical tastes. The choir has toured throughout British Columbia and Alberta, performed in Ottawa at the Unisong festival for Canada Day, and in July 2013 the group was featured at the prestigious international Festival 500 in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Wherever the choir travels, they spread the joy of music-making and hope to bring communities together through song.

Shumayela offers a focus on thorough and excellent music education, with singers learning about healthy vocal production, the body-voice connection, and vibrant performance presence as well as a strong emphasis on musical literacy, music theory, and sight singing skills. As with all of the ensembles in the Kokopelli Choir Association, Shumayela provides a secure and accepting social environment where all singers feel their importance as members of the group. Most importantly, Shumayela has fun and creates energetic and engaging music!

An Interview with Shumayela Conductor, Kim Denis:

What do you feel makes the Shumayela unique from other choirs? 

Shumayela is unique for so many reasons!! We’re a choir exclusively for junior-high aged youth (early teens) and as such, we honour all that comes with that age – changing personalities, voices and bodies – and we work with the changes to provide a space where choristers can feel brave to experiment, learn and grow. One of the things I love most about Shumayela is the energy and enthusiasm they bring to the music as well as their desire to create something unique in every piece. They are a group of singers that look for the interesting, unique and colourful moments in the music we sing, as well as in each other.

You have been working with Shumayela for a decade now, what are some of the highlights you have had with the Shumayela? 
 
I started Shumayela 10 years ago (I can’t believe it’s already been that long!) and we’ve seen many wonderful things during that time – how to choose! Our concert at Festival 500 in Newfoundland was definitely a highlight – the singers sang so energetically and looked so alive on stage; they made me very proud. At Unisong in 2011, the choir that was supposed to go on before us and sing a concert in the Rotunda at the Parliament Buildings was late and so they sent us on. We did our entire set and then got the cue to continue to stretch the time because the other choir still had not arrived so I turned to the singers and asked what they wanted to sing. We proceeded to have an epic choir request concert for the next 45 minutes! I also loved the concert we sang on a Community Service Tour we did in Edmonton – we sang for over supper at Hope Mission. There was a very agitated man who sat down in front of the choir and as we sang, he gradually calmed and by the end of the meal, he was still, relaxed and looked much more peaceful. I think that was one of the moments when the singers realized they could make a difference doing something they love to make the world a better place. On that same tour, I took the choir to a number of seniors’ residences. We were singing a piece where the choir was to go out into the audience and find someone to dance with. I’ll never forget the image of one of my 14 year old boys offering his hand to a woman who leapt up out of her chair and proceeded to teach him how to tango.

In the past you described the challenges of programming because you can never be sure where the vocal development of your preteens entering puberty end up by the performance date, where do you begin when you start building a programme list coming to Podium? 

I look for repertoire that is super flexible, where it won't matter if a few voices end up singing down the octave. Or I look for alto parts that sit a little lower. I also tend to gravitate toward world music selections as these can be quite flexible, or I hunt for things with percussion parts so that if I want to do something with only my treble voices, I can always come up with an interesting percussion part for the boys to play. I also leave myself pretty open in my program proposal so that I don't end up having to do repertoire that just won't work for their voices any given year. I've also become pretty adept at adapting pieces so that they will work for us, and between my accompanist, Tova Olson and I, we can usually arrange something that will work if we find a great melody or text and this can happen relatively close to the performance.

 

What inspires you when you are working with youth singers? 

I love their energy and their creativity and their enthusiasm for discovery. They want to create something meaningful and distinct to them. Their faces are priceless when a challenging piece starts to take shape and they realize it's actually "cool." I also like that they don't realize a piece is hard unless I tell them it is (usually after we've learned it). They don't have blocks when it comes to trying something new, they just want to try! I also love the random moments when I overhear funny conversations between the choristers - the one that comes to mind most recently was when we were learning Nick Page's Bashana Haba'ah for Christmas. It's a piece based in the Jewish tradition and includes a fantastic Klezmer clarinet part. One of my young men turned to his buddy and said, "I love this piece! It's so Israeli-ish" to which, his buddy responded, "Dude, the word is Hindu." Never a dull a moment.

When you are looking to program a work for your choir, what are the considerations you keep in mind? 

I look for writers who are able to write flexible pieces, especially if I'm asking them to create something before I hear the choir's level any given year. I also look for interesting and fun texts and I always want great rhythms and melodies that allow me to teach musicality. I also look for composers who are able to write pieces with character - my teens love to play characters (some of them try on different personalities every week!) and so I seek out music that allows them to express their personality.

What aspects of repertoire do you consider when you preparing to introduce a new work to present to your choir? 

I look at the elements of the piece to determine what the teaching points will be - are there tricky intervals or a recurring interval? Are there rhythms or time signatures we need to break down into their component parts? What does the text tell us? What is the historical or cultural significance of the piece or the style? Are there interesting features we're going to add later like movement, dance, boomwhackers, other instruments, props, etc.? Can I use this piece to practice sight singing? Is it written in traditional harmonic patterns based on thirds or does it use quartal harmony? If the piece is polyphonic, what are the main recurring themes? Does the piece break down into easily memorizable sections? Can I introduce or reinforce standard choral singer rehearsal practices like finding your note from other parts, how singers mark their scores so that they remember corrections, etc? Can I reinforce their sense of rhythm, time and beat? Does this piece offer us the opportunity to learn about another language or culture? Is there an opportunity for a singer in the choir who speaks French, Spanish, Hebrew, Norwegian, etc to help in the teaching and assume a leadership role in the choir? So many things!!

What are the challenges when you are looking at repertoire to program for Shumayela?

I think the biggest challenges I have when programming repertoire is dependant upon the concert theme. The Kokopelli Choir Association often has a thematically based concert (Celtic, Broadway, African, Light, Spring, Colours, etc) and sometimes, the theme doesn't always come with a lot of well-written SAB, SSAB, SAC, SSAC music. Generally speaking however, if there's a song that I find that fits our theme and has a great melody and text to work with, it can be arranged into something that works for the choir. I also find it challenging to do works pre-1900 - these sometimes aren't as flexible, or the alto lines are too low and often the arrangements aren't that great. I've had some success with Gregorian chant and pieces that use a cantus firmus however so there's always a way out of every programming dilemma.

 
You have multiple roles such as voice teacher, singer, conductor explain what drew you to choral music? 

I kind of fell into it by accident!! I discovered how great choral music could be in university. I grew up in a small town and while the children's choir in the church was great, I didn't get a lot of exposure to the traditional choral canon and had no idea how amazing it was to sing works like Handel's Messiah! What a discovery! While in university, I started directing a church choir as a part-time job and then kept finding choirs to direct everywhere I ended up and by virtue of being willing to take on leadership, I ended up directing choirs. I decided to audition at UofA on a whim for the choral conducting program and ended up getting in and the next thing I knew, I was a choir director! I continued singing, landed in Pro Coro Canada, and kept taking courses on directing, singing technique, rehearsal technique, went to workshops and conferences like Music Conference Alberta and Podium and now I can't imagine not directing choirs.


See Shumayela with Kikimatsu at Podium Conference and Festival (May 19-22, 2016)

Website: http://www.kokopellichoirs.com/choirs/shumayela
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokopellichoirs
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kokopellichoirs
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kokopellichoirs
Youtube: http://youtube.com/kokopellichoirs

Kimberley Denis, M.Mus. Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance (University of Alberta, 2007), B.Mus. (Mount Allison University, 2003), B. Comm. (Mount Allison University, 2003) is known for her energy and enthusiasm both on stage and off, and is sought after as a soloist, choral clinician, and adjudicator for voice and choir. Upon completion of both her commerce and music undergraduate degrees at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, she returned to her home province of Alberta where she completed a double masters degree in choral conducting and vocal performance at the University of Alberta. She also holds an associate diploma in Education (1996) and a music diploma in contemporary vocal performance from Red Deer College (1997).

Vocal credits include a nomination for 2010 and 2012 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, recital appearances around the province, and a year-long tour with Up With People. In 2015, she starred in a production of Jason Robert Brown's song cycle Songs for a New World and in 2014, played Cathy in The Last Five Years; both productions were held at the historic Bailey Theatre in Camrose, AB. She has worked with Live Bait Theatre in New Brunswick, appearing in many of their musical dinner theatres, and has also played Bonnie in Anything Goes, Kate in Kiss Me, Kate!, and Frumah Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof. She recorded the Alphabet Action Songs for Themes and Variations Music Publishing, and was a soprano soloist for the University of Alberta’s recording of the Dvorak Te Deum. She recently completed a concert tour with world percussion duo, Jamani and will be starring in the Western Canada premiere of a new musical by Canadian playwright, GaRRy Williams this summer. She is a singer with Pro Coro Canada, as well as with the Canadian Chamber Choir. In addition to her stage work, she has a flourishing voice studio at MacEwan University Conservatory of Music and is also the Music Advisor to the School of Continuing Education for MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta.

She has conducted a wide variety of ensembles and has previously worked with the Red Deer College Chamber Choir, the Nota Bene Youth Choir in Red Deer, the Red Deer Children’s Choir, the Mount Royal University Youth Choir, the Edmonton All-City Junior Children’s Choir and the Edmonton All-City High School Choir. Presently, she directs Shumayela with the Kokopelli Choir Association in Edmonton, a choir which she founded in 2006; the choir has performed at Festival 500, an international choral festival held in St. John’s, NF and will be a featured ensemble this spring at the Podium national choral conference. She has been the choir director for the past seven years at MusiCamp Alberta held at Red Deer College, has been the youth choir director at the Naramata Summer Music Week, and in 2011-2012 season, she directed the Kamloops/Thompson School District Honour Choir as well as the Edmonton Public Schools High School Honour Choir. She is also an experienced director of church music, having begun work in this area in 2000 at Mountain View United Church in Moncton, New Brunswick. Since then, she has worked for a number of different denominations, and most recently, is the music director at Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Edmonton, Alberta.

Music for theatre credits include music direction for Concordia University College's 2013 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, vocal coaching for Red Deer College’s 2011 production of Rent, creating and directing a live vocal music score for Red Deer College's production of Romeo and Juliet and creating and directing a live music score for the world premiere of Vern Thiessen's adaptation of Wuthering Heights. She was also the music director at Theatre Alberta's Artstrek summer program for Into the Woods and is a frequent clinician for community theatre groups.

In addition to her work as a singer and conductor, Kimberley arranges pieces for choirs and is published by Cypress Music and Augsburg Fortress and was recently commissioned for an arrangement of the school song for the The Grange, a private, English-speaking school in Santiago, Chile.

An Interview with Rob Curtis, Artistic Director of I Coristi Chamber Choir

An interview with Artistic Director of I Coristi Chamber Choir, Dr. Rob Curtis. I Coristi will be performing Mozart's Requiem with The Richard Eaton Singers at the Choral Orchestral Concert at the Podium Spotlight Concert at the Winspear Centre on Sunday May 22, 2016 at 3 PM.

You have had a long association with I Coristi Chamber Choir, first as assistant conductor in 2004 and eventually took over for Founding Director, Dr. Debra Cairns. What would you describe were the challenges and advantages of coming into the ensemble as the new Music Director? 

At the start of my first season as the conductor of I Coristi I knew I had big shoes to fill, but the singers were very welcoming and made me feel very much at home right off the bat. Having previously worked with the choir as assistant conductor some years earlier, I was already familiar with the kinds of concerts the choir likes to put together, and already knew some of the singers, which helped to make the transition a bit smoother. I've always held Dr. Cairns's programming in very high regard, and it's been a real privilege to continue that tradition and bring a very eclectic mix of music to our choristers and audiences. We've covered repertoire from Palestrina to brand-new commissions, and have explored little-heard music including pieces for choir and percussion, and choir and Celtic ensemble. One of my goals over the past few years has been for the choir to engage still further with the wider community, and I was very proud of the success of our first competition for Canadian composers in 2015 - we'll be performing the winning entry by Trent Worthington at our final concert this season on May 14. I Coristi is a wonderful group of people to work with, so even the challenges have been a lot of fun!

What are some of the highlights you have had with the I Coristi Chamber Choir? 

Our last concert, Isles of Song, was my favourite one yet. We had some amazing guest instrumentalists, gave the Canadian premiere of Irish Mass by Gilles Mathieu, and performed for a nearly sold-out crowd. The preparations for the concert included two recording sessions for our upcoming CD, and it was very satisfying to have the chance to work on that repertoire in such detail and to then have the opportunity to perform it live, as well. The second concert in my first season with the choir is also one I remember very fondly; we finished the show with Tormis's Ingrian Evenings, which includes a fair bit of movement on the part of the choir, including a requirement for the choir to leave the performance space in every direction in small groups at the end of the piece, singing as they go. The choir did a great job, the piece was really effective and very well-received by the audience, and I was very grateful for the choir's willingness to go out on a limb and try something new. They're a very trusting and responsive group, and it's led to our creating some wonderful musical moments together.

I Coristi Chamber Choir will be singing Mozart's Requiem with the Richard Eaton Singers, how did this collaboration come about with these repertoire choices? 

I Coristi will be performing Mozart's Requiem a few months before Podium, in a joint concert with Edmonton Metropolitan Chorus and Orchestra, Tony Olivares Dance and FlyFree Movement. Choir Alberta approached us to see if we would be interested in performing the Requiem a second time, this time together with the Richard Eaton Singers, and we were delighted to have the opportunity. We're performing the Beyer edition in February and the Süssmayr edition at Podium, so it's an interesting opportunity to experience two different takes on the same piece within one concert season.

What role do you see Podium having in the world of Canadian Choral music? 

I think events like Podium are particularly important in a country as large as Canada; it brings together friends and colleagues from all over the country and I always enjoy the opportunity to reconnect with them. There's a lot of great work being done by Canadian choirs and it's very valuable to be able to come together and share what we've all been doing and where we're going. I always leave Podium feeling inspired by new repertoire, new ideas and new friends.

How important is it for choirs to promote the works of contemporary Canadian composers? 

This is something that's very important to me personally. There's so much excellent choral music being written by Canadian composers; it's material that is really worth presenting to our audiences, and worth encouraging and supporting. Choirs are an integral part of helping these unique Canadian voices to be heard.

What aspects of repertoire do you consider when you preparing to introduce a new work to present to your choir? 

There are all kinds of practical considerations when preparing a new work to introduce to a choir, in terms of rehearsal planning and such. Just as important as the details, I think, are some larger questions: what is the historical context of the piece? Are there interesting aspects to the text? What is the architecture of the piece on a higher level? I think that it's important to get an ensemble thinking about these larger questions, so as to encourage them to take ownership of the piece, and ultimately to achieve a more nuanced performance. With Mozart's Requiem, for example, we've spent some time talking about the history of the piece and its various editions, and I've had some interesting conversations with individual singers about the differences between editions and some of the stylistic elements that those differences highlight.
  
Explain your musical upbringing and what eventually drew you to choral music? 

 I grew up playing the piano and organ and didn't do much singing beyond a few years in my school choir, a couple of musicals in high school, and the church choir. When I started a piano degree at the University of Alberta, I joined the U of A Concert Choir, singing under Dr. Debra Cairns, and that's where I really started to fall in love with choral music; when I took an introduction to conducting class as an option in my third year, I knew I had figured out exactly what I wanted to pursue. Part of what drew me to choral music at first was the social aspect, and the teamwork involved in giving a polished performance. As I continued to sing and became more experienced, I developed a deeper appreciation for the versatility of the human voice and for the incredible variety to be found in choral repertoire.

You have multiple musical roles such as singer, academic researcher, and pianist but what draws you to conducting? 

Conducting combines a number of different roles that fit my interests perfectly. I love teaching, and I work with a variety of ensembles that give me the opportunity to teach everything from matching pitch to more advanced choral techniques. I enjoy the scholarship involved in preparing a piece, and of course I love being able to combine those two things with also having opportunities to perform.

What are some future goals of the group? 

I Coristi is looking at various possibilities for a tour in 2017, and we're also in early discussions with a Canadian composer for a new commission for next season. Last year for the first time, we held a competition for new Canadian choral music, which we're planning to hold every two years, and I'm looking forward to some future initiatives like that, exploring new ways to reach out to the choral community within Edmonton and nationally. We also did some recording in November, and we're planning to release a CD later this year - it's exciting times ahead for the choir!

Is there anything else you would like to add that I have not asked? 

Our concert on May 14. Titled "Edmonton: City of Choristers", it's a program celebrating all things Edmonton. A number of Edmonton composers will be represented, from Richard Eaton (first chair of the music department at the U of A) to the current generation of composers and everyone in between, and some pieces with interesting historical connections to Edmonton. We want to celebrate the amazing choral community in Edmonton that we're so fortunate to be a part of, and if anybody happens to be arriving a week early for the conference, they can start their visit off with a bit of an Edmonton choral history lesson! The concert is May 14 at Holy Trinity Anglican Church (10037 84 Avenue), at 7:30. Details at www.icoristi.com.  

See I Coristi at the Podium Conference and Festival that runs May 19-22, 2016


www.icoristi.com 

https://www.facebook.com/iCoristi

Rob Curtis received his Doctor of Music in 2015 from the University of Alberta, where he conducts the University of Alberta Concert Choir. He is in his fifth year as conductor of Concert Choir, and in 2014 was awarded a Faculty of Arts Graduate Teaching Award for his work with the ensemble. Rob also conducts i Coristi Chamber Choir, one of Edmonton's top amateur choral ensembles, and is a core member of Pro Coro Canada. His doctoral research centred on the choral works of Canadian composer Malcolm Forsyth, examining the influence of ideas of place on his writing. Other research interests include acoustics and the science of choral music, as well as the use of spatial elements in choral performance. 

Now entering its 22nd season, i Coristi Chamber Choir is an auditioned ensemble of 28 singers from all walks of life: accountants, teachers, computer programmers, nanotechnologists, designers, theologians, administrators - singers for whom music is their vocation, and singers for whom music is their avocation! The name i Coristi is Italian, meaning "The Choral Singers". Noted for its unique, eclectic programming, the choir focuses on a cappella masterpieces from the Renaissance to the 21st century, presented in three main concerts each season; the choir also performs at seniors' facilities and various local businesses and gatherings. Awarded 2nd Prize three times (2006, 2008, 2011) and 1st Prize in 2013 in the Chamber Choir category of the National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs, i Coristi has been heard on national and regional broadcasts of CBC Radio, has performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and has been invited to perform at Podium on a number of occasions. The choir has toured throughout Canada and abroad, including to England and Wales.

Sing with Rajaton Workshop: A Photo Story

What do you get when over 200 youth choristers get to sing with a cappella ensemble, Rajaton?

It results in an afternoon of amazing music-making and bonding.

The workshop was hosted by the Alberta Choral Federation as a part of Rajaton's Prairie Tour. The Edmonton portion of their trip  is captured in these series of photos:

It's busy backstage at the Winspear Centre on Monday afternoon

Boots, coats, and bags from over 200 choristers lined up backstage

"Butterfly," one of the workshop pieces the choristers got to sing with Rajaton

Rajaton greets the workshop crowd and sings Queen's, "Under Pressure"

The choristers line-up on stage to start rehearsal

Rajaton and the choristers prepare to sing, "We Walk in a Fog"

Rajaton and the choristers singing "Butterfly"

Tickets are ready for the evening!

There is something stunning about that many young voices singing together, united in their love of choral music. If I was 17 again, I would have been right there on stage with them. Alas, choral music is alive and well in Alberta and across Canada.