The Pro Coro Canada Years (1996-2011)

Pro Coro Canada

My time with Pro Coro Canada, a professional chamber choir based in Edmonton, Alberta, was such a wonderful and valuable time for me for twelve years, working with some great singers and instrumentalists (and a fabulous accompanist, pianist and organist: Jeremy Spurgeon), getting to know so many talented Canadian composers and conductors, and . . . well, just so many things! I'll also include some concerts or events that came about because of my appointment to and experience with Pro Coro Canada.

My introduction to Pro Coro came through Eric Ericson, as did so many other things. In my post about Choral Arts, I mentioned that at the time of the first concert in 1993, conducted by Eric, he was also a guest conductor for Pro Coro Canada. Both sets of rehearsals were divided in two chunks, so Eric first worked with Pro Coro, then with us, and back to Edmonton again. During his second time with Pro Coro, he talked to them about me, which led to a couple invitations from Pro Coro to come be a guest conductor. I wasn’t able to do any of their first proposed dates (most were for Christmas programs and I was still very busy with my PLU Christmas concerts). But in 1996 they asked if I could come substitute for Gustav Sjökvist (conductor of the Swedish Radio Choir from 1986-1994), since he was ill and canceled. I said yes, took the theme of the concert, but kept little of his program. Below is the program I conducted.

May 17, 1996—Pro Coro Canada (Edmonton) — Summer Music

            Sumer is icumin in

            Les Chansons des Roses — Morten Lauridsen

            Five Flower Songs — Britten

            La Passeggiata —Rossini

            I Gondolieri

—Intermission—

            The Bluebird — C.V. Stanford

            Among the Leaves So Green — arr. John Byrt

            As Torrents in Summer —Elgar

            Bobby Shaftoe —arr. David Willcocks

            Due Composizione Corali — Ildebrando Pizzetti

             Och jungfrun hon går i ringen — Hugo Alfvén

             Walkin’ on the Green Grass — Michael Hennagin

             Domardansen — Bengt Hallberg

Looking at the program, there were only a few singers who were in the choir (or for long) when I took over in 1999 (Ardelle Ries, Joy-Anne Murphy, Wendy Grønnestad, Avaleigh Crockett, Robert King, Trent Worthington, and David Garber). And, of course, the really fabulous pianist, organist, and rehearsal pianist, Jeremy Spurgeon, who was a fixture the entire time I was there.

When I did this program, Agnes Grossman had just been appointed Principal Conductor. Her father, Ferdinand Grossman, was her first piano teacher and particularly known for conducting the Vienna Boy’s Choir from 1940 until his death in 1970. Agnes started as a pianist, but an injury started her on a different path and she studied conducting. She was Artistic Director of the Wiener Singakademie Choir from 1983-86, among other things, then came to Canada and founded and was artistic director of the Orchestre et Chœur Métropolitain de Montréal from 1987-1995. She’d guest-conducted Pro Coro the year before and they immediately asked that she become their Artistic Director, which she did from 1996-98 (until offered the position as Artistic Director of the Vienna Boy’s Choir).

Incidentally, when looking through my files, I came across a fax from Agnes after this concert (June 23, 1996) asking me if I'd be available to conduct Pro Coro at UNIFEST at the University of Saskatchewan November 14-16 (repeating the program) . . . and that they'd be trying to book more concerts around this date, and would like me to give a guest lecture during the visit. I'd completely forgotten about this invitation—but of course, there was no possibility at that time of year for me to get away from PLU.

When she resigned, I was asked if I would like to be considered as a candidate as Artistic Director of Pro Coro. Kathryn and I discussed it and I accepted, so conducted the program below for my audition. As with the previous program I conducted, the title of the program had been chosen by Grossman before she resigned . . . and as before, I kept the title. Pro Coro had arranged for a Canadian Tour de France rider to be at the concert (and talk about being on the tour), so I changed the program, keeping the French idea, but only in language, having other than just French composers:

October, 3 & 4, 1998 — "Tour de France"

             Six Chansons — Hindemith

             (Renaissance chansons—each sung by a different quartet from the choir)

Passereau—Il est bel et bon

Lassus—Bonjour mon cœur

Clemens non Papa—Jaquin Jaquet

             Les Fleurs et Les Arbres — Camille Saint-Saëns

             Les Chansons des Roses — Morten Lauridsen

—Intermission—

             Five Apollinaire Settings — Lionel Daunais

(Renaissance chansons—sung by quartets from the choir)

Ninot de Petit—Et la la la

Josquin—Mille regrets

Mouton—En venant de Lyon

            Ravel—Trois chansons (solists: Jolaine Kerley, Eileen Turner, Tim Shantz, Bill Kempster)

The coverage of music in Edmonton was quite good at the beginning—later much less press available (not really different from anywhere else—when I was doing Seattle Pro Musica concerts in the '70s there were two full-time music critics for the two major papers—one doing art as well—much different today!). There were two preview articles, in each major paper, unheard of today!

Other conductors that season were Gustav Sjökvist (coming back after missing the program I took over a couple years before), Jon Washburn of the Vancouver Chamber Choir (not a candidate), and Agnes doing her farewell concert. Then at some point during their season (I think in January or February) I was invited to be Pro Coro's Artistic Director, and accepted. This was the first fully professional ensemble I worked with on a regular basis and also the first time I was taking over a group such as this that I hadn’t founded, and which had a substantial history:

The choir was founded by Michel-Marc Gervais, who did his undergraduate study at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, then did a series of master-classes with Eric Ericson in Vienna, after which he studied and worked with Eric in Stockholm from 1978-80. In 1980 he came back to Edmonton and founded both a training school for young singers and Pro Coro Canada, with the idea to create an ensemble based on the ideals of Swedish chamber choirs. He led the choir from 1980-88, succeeded by Anders Eby of Sweden (1988-90), and Søren Hansen of Denmark (1991-96), before Grossman took over. Fairly recent guest conductors had included not only Eric Ericson, but Erik Westberg. Quite the history!

In the Fall 1999 edition of Anacrusis (the journal of the ACCC) there was an article about my appointment by Jerry Ozipko (a free-lancer in Edmonton) titled, "Will the New Artistic Director Ignite Pro Coro's Flame? An Interview with Richard Sparks." It was a substantial piece, mentioning hiring Trent Worthington as Associate Conductor, who was an excellent choice—not only because of his history with the group (from the very beginning as an 18-year old), but also because Trent's extraordinarily talented in multiple ways. This was also necessary because I was still teaching at PLU and Trent would do a lot of preparatory rehearsals before I'd arrive (they were still doing weekly rehearsals at that time). I would come up for a weekend before the concerts for several rehearsals and then back again the weekend of the concert. A few years later, when I left PLU in 2001, this would change and rehearsals were then bunched together and I was in Edmonton for 10-14 days at a time, so I'd lead all rehearsals and be able to schedule board meetings at that time, so I could be there in person.

1999-2000

My first season consisted of three concerts that I conducted, and Trent Worthington conducted "A Pro Coro Family Christmas (two nights at All Saints Anglican Cathedral (Jeremy Spurgeon's) and "Songs for St. Valentine" with a small group called "ConSept!" (reviving an earlier initiative of PC), so five programs in all.

I inherited an organization in transition, several board members had left and there were only two non-singers remaining, so there was organizational work to be done and a limited budget. During Agnes Grossman’s time the new Winspear Centre (a really beautiful and acoustically excellent hall) was built to be the home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and she started a tradition of Good Friday concerts, which we continued in the Winspear, with other concerts primarily at All Saints.

I should also say that I was really welcomed by so many people in Canada, many of whom were very helpful to me. I’d known Jon Washburn (who founded the Vancouver Chamber Choir in 1971 and led it until 2019) since the first year of the Pacific Northwest Bach Festival (in 1978), when he came to Spokane to play violone. I called him to ask about Canadian composers and choral music and Jon immediately invited me to come spend a day in Vancouver looking through his library at his home. Given Jon’s long experience, knowledge, and phenomenal repertoire, this was a great gift me. Many in Edmonton, particularly Leonard Ratzlaff of the University of Alberta (who became a good friend) and Trent Worthingon, my associate conductor at Pro Coro, were also generous with their time. Patricia Abbott, Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors at the time, was particularly helpful with French Canadian repertoire. But there were an incredible number of new friends and Canadian colleagues who welcomed and helped me in so many ways.

The first program was a challenging one with many connections to Eric’s repertoire, with the addition of Canadian R. Murray Schafer’s Medieval Bestiary. The second program was a partial repeat of a Choral Arts program with the addition of the premiere of Canadian composer John Estacio’s Four Eulogies. This is a terrific set of pieces and one I wish we had recorded. John’s gone on to write a number of very successful operas, among other works. Finally, for Good Friday at the Winspear, I chose Handel's Messiah.

The personnel now had a number of people who would be with the group for a significant period of time: sopranos Eva Bostrand, Lisa Feledichuk, Jolaine Kerley, Janet Smith, and Kathleen Warke; altos Connie Bromley, Benila Ninan, Joy-Anne Murphy, Wendy Grønnestad; tenors John Hooper, John Huck, Robert King, Tim Shantz; basses Kevin Gagnon, David Garber, and John Giffen; John Brough (tenor) and Michael Kurschat (baritone) also joined for Messiah; plus Jeremy Spurgeon as accompanist and Trent, now listed as Chorus Master (Trent didn't sing for any of these programs).

Eva Bostrand has a significant history with Pro Coro: when Michel Gervais got the idea for a Swedish-style chamber choir in Edmonton, he brought Eva (who's Swedish, and had worked with Eric Ericson in his Chamber Choir) to Edmonton to be a singer, vocal coach, and teacher at the school that was set up to train young singers.

October 2, 1999 — Virtuoso Choral Music

Ejszaka & Reggel — György Ligeti

Hymn to St. Cecilia — Britten

Fünf Gesänge, Op. 104 — Johannes Brahms

Kung Liljekonvalje — David Wikander

—Intermission—

Gloria — Lars Edlund (Michel Landry, tenor)

Salve Regina/Exsultate Deo — Francis Poulenc

A Medieval Bestiary — R. Murray Schafer

Aftonen /O Jungfrun hon går i ringen — Hugo Alfvén

December 18/19 — A Pro Coro Family Christmas — Trent Worthington, conductor

I don't have the full program, but it included Respighi's Laud to the Nativity (with dancers) and Anders Ohrwall's Gaudete.

January 22, 2000 — Baroque & Beyond

Beatus Vir — Monteverdi

Die mit Tränen säen — Schütz

Madrigali — Morten Lauridsen

Der Zwölfjährige Jesus im Tempel — Schütz

—Intermission—

Gloria a 7 voci concertata — Monteverdi

Selig sind die Toten — Schütz

Four Eulogies (premiere) — John Estacio

Dixit Secondo — Monteverdi

April 21, 2000

Messiah – Handel

(members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Henrietta Schellenberg, Catherine Robbin, Michiel Schrey, Paul Grindlay, soloists)

The orchestra had a number of instrumentalists who would play regularly with Pro

Coro, including principal cellist Colin Ryan (who'd later contract the orchestras),

and Alvin Lowrey, principal trumpet, who played (also as soloist) any time we used an orchestra with trumpets or a brass ensemble.

2000-2001

For the next season, we were healthy enough for me to do four programs and my contract was re-written to call for me to conduct at least four programs a year. We also hired a new Executive Director, Miki Andrejevic, during that year, who became a great and creative collaborator and friend. He was responsible for many of the successes to come.

In addition, Trent again conducted "A Pro Coro Family Christmas," this time with well-known jazz saxophonist, P.J. Perry.

And, for the 20th anniversary year we invited founder Michel Mark Gervais back as guest conductor, hiring a choir of 32 singers (largely because of doing the Martin Mass, which is double choir) and bringing back an alumni choir for some of the repertoire of former PC singers. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend—I wish I could have!

We also dealt with a large deficit (relative to our budget), and not for the last time, unfortunately. Miki was a big part of finding out about this (unknown to the board at the time) and setting in motion a plan to solve it.

I began with the first program below, which included some lovely Healy Willan works (one I’d done, the rest new to me), along with Bach, Brahms, and Elgar, plus George Shearing’s lovely Music to Hear.

The second program was really a guest choir experience, since the Vancouver Chamber Choir was on tour. They performed the bulk of the program, but we also combined for two pieces, Jon conducting one and me the other. A word about touring in Canada: professional ensembles could apply for support from the Canada Council for the Arts and, if accepted, would pay for much of the cost, with the sponsoring organization just paying for the pay for the ensemble members and conductor (fees set by the Council). This meant that for the sponsoring organization (us, in this case), the costs were relatively low and we could potentially make money from such a sponsorship. Of course, in a case like this, we paid our own singers.

The third program was a mixed one, with more of the music of Lionel Daunais and a commission for the Edmonton composer, Laurie Radford. This concert was performed at Augustana University College in Camrose, as well.

In addition, the ESO's Resound Festival of Contemporary Music invited us and the U of A Madrigal Singers (led by Leonard Ratzlaff) to give a choral concert on their program. The fact that we did a lot of contemporary music on this program was in part because of this festival performance, on February 9. We repeated the Ligeti, Radford, and Tormis from our program, as well as Sarah Hopkins' Past Life Melodies, combined with the Mads.

We also gave the Edmonton premiere of Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, with guest artists, The Whole Noyse (cornetto/sackbut ensemble) from San Francisco); members of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra (Vancouver), including two violins, cello, bass, organ and theorbo; and brought in as vocal soloists: Linda Perillo from London (a past member of Pro Coro), Paul Elliot (from IU), Colin Balzer (from Vancouver, just before he moved to Germany), in addition to other, local or PC soloists. This was a HUGE production for us, and one that paid great benefits in terms of recognition in Edmonton and beyond. In many ways, it put us on the map (we did it at the Winspear) and helped us fundraise and attract more of an audience.

In addition, we had another BIG project just before the Vespers on Sunday, April 15. CBC Radio had a long tradition of broadcasting (live) a concert with hymns sung with the audience in different Canadian cities on Easter (The Easter Sunrise Celebration). This particular year, CBC TV had come on board, so it was not only on Radio, but TV, complicating matters in terms of rehearsal for cameras, not just sound. Len Ratzlaff and I were tagged as conductors (and part of the organizing committee), with our respective choirs performing, along with Edmonton Symphony brass and percussion with Jeremy Spurgeon (organ), and what we called the "Edmonton Massed Pascha Choir," with singers selected from the Richard Eaton Singers (Len's symphonic choir), Ariose Women's Choir (Marilyn Kerley), Belle Canto (Heather Johnson), DaCamera Singers (Laurier Fagnan & Ardelle Ries), I Coristi Chamber Choir (Debra Cairns), and the Ukrainian Male Chorus of Edmonton (Orest Soltykevye). The First Nations ensemble, ASANI, also participated. Again, enormous in terms of visibility for us.

Given that this was broadcast live, it was done between 5 and 7 AM, at Edmonton City Hall (a huge glass building, challenging, but very effective there). So we were all up rather early! Robert Cooper of CBC radio (and Choral Concert) was producer and Howard Dyck was host (as he was for Choral Concert).

Len and I split conducting the massed choir and hymn singing (I know I conducted Peter Hallock's great Easter work, "I Will Sing unto the Lord," Moses Hogan's "I'm Gonna Sing 'til the Spirit Moves in My Heart," with the Pascha Choir (perhaps also "Spaseniye Soledal by Gretchaninoff and two pieces from the Rachmaninoff All-Night Vigil); and with Pro Coro did Willan's "Behold, the Tabernacle of God," and "Rise up my Love, my Fair One."

There were, of course, rehearsals to fit into our rehearsal schedule, including the choreography necessary for cameras.

This season, I also talked to the board and singers about revamping our rehearsal schedule for two reasons: I was leaving PLU and therefore could be in Edmonton for all rehearsals . . . IF we switched from a weekly rehearsal to a concentrated period (10 days-two weeks) before each concert. I also felt strongly that a weekly rehearsal did not fit well with a professional choir—my experience with volunteer choirs was that much was lost from week to week, and I also knew that most of the "project choirs" in North America worked on such a schedule. I also had the sense that we had too many rehearsals (I think about 7-8), which didn't fit with what I saw as what would be expected of professionals in terms of preparation.

My proposal was also that the choir would be paid the same per concert: in other words, paid more per rehearsal so they were making as much money as they would have for each concert—with the expectation that they would be prepared so we wouldn't lose anything musically . . . and in fact, should gain musically. We did go with this proposal, which I felt was very positive. In addition, it meant we could schedule board meetings when I was in town, and I could attend all of them. In addition, I made an additional trip to Edmonton for auditions in the late summer.

Singers new to Pro Coro that season included Jo-Anne Bacon.

September 30, 2000 — Gems and Masterworks

Singet dem Herrn — Bach (Jeremy Spurgeon, Tanya Prochazka, and John Taylor, continuo)

I Will Lay Me Down in Peace — Healy Willan

Behold, the Tabernacle of God

Rise Up, My Love, My Fair One

A Clear Midnight

Eulogies — John Estacio (Lisa Feledichuk, Janet Smith, Tim Shantz, Robb King, Kevin Gagnon, soloists)

—Intermission—

Zigeunerlieder — Brahms (Jeremy Spurgeon, piano)

The Shower — Edward Elgar

The Fountain

My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land

Music to Hear — George Shearing (Charlie Austin, piano; Janet Smith, soloist)

November 18, 2000

Guest appearance by the Vancouver Chamber Choir

Choirs combined for Brahms’ Fest-und Gedänksprüche, Op. 109, which I conducted, and Rise, Shine conducted by Jon Washburn

January 20, 2001 — Ceremony & Celebration

Vinamintra elitavi — Thomas Jennefelt

Lux aeterna — Ligeti

Past Life Melodies — Sarah Hopkins

Raua Needmine (Curse of Iron) — Veljo Tormis (Timothy Shanz and Kevin Gagnon, soloists; Trent Worthington, Shaman Drum; Jan Urke, principal bass of the ESO), Estonian language coach)

—Intermission—

in pursuit of ephemera (Premiere) — Laurie Radford (soloists, Catherine Kubash, Ardelle Ries, Wendy Grønnestad, Joy Berg, Robb King, John Huck, Kevin Gagnon, John Giffen)

Pas de Danse —Lionel Daunais (Jeremy Spurgeon, piano)

February 9, 2001 — Appearance on the ESO Contemporary Music Series Resound

Sunday, April 15, 2001 — Singing at the CBC Easter Sunrise Celebrarion

April 18, 2001— 1610 Vespers — Monteverdi

(a period-instrument band: strings and continuo from Vancouver, B.C.,

cornetti and sackbuts: The Whole Noyse Consort from the Bay area

Soloists include: Linda Perillo & Eva Bostrand, sopranos;

Paul Elliott, Colin Balzer, Timothy Shantz, & Trent Worthington,tenors; Kevin Gagnon & Paul Grindlay, bass)

May 13, 2001 — Anniversary Concert (Michel Marc Gervais, guest conductor)

Sestina "Lagrime" — Monteverdi

Drei Psalmen, Op. 78 — Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

—Intermission—

Mass for Double Choir — Frank Martin

Stemning — Wilhelm Peterson-Berger

Pingst — Oskar Lindberg

Kom du ljuva hjärtevän — Hildor Lundvik

Tre Körvisor — Wilhelm Stenhammar

2001-2002

My third season had five programs, the first another mixed program (repeating Tormis’ Raua needmine (The Curse of Iron)—I’d started doing what many European choirs do, repeating great works so the ensemble can benefit from doing a composition where the initial hard work has been done, leading to better performances)—along with the first arrangements or compositions we commissioned from our very talented Associate Conductor, Trent Worthington. We presented the Elmer Isler Singers from Toronto for the fifth program (no time to do a collaboration).

After the Christmas program (which we also took to Spruce Grove), we did a commissioned work by Allan Gilliland and Malcolm Forsyth’s wonderful Hesperides, for choir and two harps (really a work which should be better known). Nora Beamanis, principal harpist for the ESO is part of a harp duo and had commissioned the work—we brought the duo together for this concert. We paired that with Carmina in the 2 piano & percussion version. The Winspear Good Friday concert was a group of Requiems.

We had a very stable membership for this season.

In June we toured to Toronto, participating in The Toronto International Music Festival, our first such tour since I arrived. We sang the Howells Requiem, Allan Gilliland's Blessed, Malcolm Forsyth's Hesperides, and Shearing's Songs and Sonnets. William Littler, the reviewer for the Toronto Star said, "Earlier in the afternoon the two dozen voices of Pro Coro Canada from Edmonton brought to North York's George Weston Concert Hall an even more impressive demonstration of choral artistry, although the program itself turned out to be lighter in musical content. This is a professional ensemble in the same class as the Vancouver Chamber Choir and Elmer Iseler Singers and under Richard Sparks, its principal conductor for the past three seasons, it exhibited some of the most smoothly produced, beautifully blended tone heard during the first weeks of the Third Toronton International Music Festival. The serene, lyrical charater of Herbert Howells' Requiem proved and ideal vehicle to showcase the purity of tone these Edmontonians could emit. And the jazzy touches of George Shearing's Songs and Sonnets from Shakespeare likewise exhibited their assurance with colloquial idioms. Two fellow Albertans, Malcolm Forsyth with Hesperides, and Allan Gilliland with Blessed, let them fly the flag. Giants? No. Clever notesmiths? Yes."

There were other good reviews that season (in Edmonton) as well.

October 7, 2001 — From Bach and Brahms to Jazz

Komm, Jesu, Komm — J.S. Bach (Tanya Prochazka, cello; Jeremy Spurgeon, organ)

Warum ist das Licht gegeben, Motet, op. 74 — Johannes Brahms

Faire is the Heaven — William H. Harris

Four Alberta Folksongs — arr. Trent Worthington (premiere—cond. by arranger)

—Intermission—

Raua needmine (The Curse of Iron) — Veljo Tormis (Timothy Shantz and Kevin Gagnon, soloists)

Songs and Sonnets — George Shearing (Jeremy Spurgeon, pianist, John Taylor, double bass)

December 9, 2001 — A Pro Coro Family Christmas

A variety of carols and other music

January 27, 2002 — Carmina Burana

Blessed — Allan Gilliland (commissioned work—premiere)

Hesperides — Malcolm Forsyth (Nora Bumanis and Keri-Lynn Swicker, harps)

—Intermission—

Carmina Burana (version for 2 pianos & percussion) — Carl Orff

Soloists: Sharla Nafziger, soprano; John Tessier, tenor; Marc Boucher, bariton

Guests: Cantillon Chamber Choir

The Hammerhead Consort (Corey Hamm & Haley Simons, pianists; also percussionists from Hammerhead)

March 29, 2002 — Good Friday at the Winspear—Music of Consolation

Requiem — Herbert Howells

Requiem — John Rutter (Janet Smith, solist)

Requiem — Gabriel Fauré (Eva Bostrand, soprano; Kevin Gagnon, baritone)

(with members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Marnie Giesbrecht, organ)

April 23, 2002 — Connections Canada: Elmer Isler Singers

2002-2003

The next season brought 5 programs, plus a presented concert. Budgets had improved and I was able to bring a guest conductor for the first time. I’ve long thought that professional choral ensembles, much like professional orchestras, should bring in guest conductors on a regular basis. It brings something to the choir (new ideas, repertoire), and to the audience—I still think it isn’t done enough! For our first guest conductor I brought in the wonderful Maria Guinand, from Venezuela. We also had another "presented" concert: Connections Canada—the Rankin Inlet Throat Singers.

This is also the year we became a resident ensemble at the Winspear and held all of our concerts there, which was a wonderful boost for us, musically and attracting audience.

We opened with a program called Bernstein, featuring his Chichester Psalms, followed by the Rankin Inlet Throat Singers. The Christmas program was conducted by me, followed by our guest conductor, Maria Guinand. Then we did Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil (first performance in Edmonton), closing the season with Good Friday at the Winspear with the Poulenc Organ Concerto and the Duruflé Requiem, featuring Pro Coro’s fantastic accompanist, organist Jeremy Spurgeon. We did the smaller orchestral version of the score, with a primary organ part, strings, harp, three trumpets and timpani (all from the ESO). Martin Riseley, concertmaster of the ESO played the violin solo for the Fauré, and would become a mainstay for most of the rest of my tenure, serving as concertmaster for most of our orchestras until he returned to his native New Zealand in 2010.

We used 32 singers for the Rachmaninoff including two low basses from my choir in Seattle and Len Ratzlaff, who heads the U of A choral program (and is a very fine singer).

A preview about the season notes that some regular singers were retiring, notable Avaleigh Crockett who sang with the choir every season since its founding in 1980 (although she would continue to sing as a sub or extra for a long time). Another long-time member retiring was Connie Bromley. We lost both Tim Shantz and Katie Warke to Indiana University and Tim's DMA studies there, as well as John Brough, who took a leave while doing doctoral studies at the U of A. And Lisa Feledichuk moved back to Texas with her family. We added Sonya Eagles to the soprano section, Mireille Rijavec to the alto section that year, Curtis Dueck and David Sawatzky to the tenors, and Bruce Cable, Ryan Sigurdson, and Josh McHan to the basses (both Bruce and Josh became regular subs and Josh eventually as a core member).

September 29, 2002

Mass for a New Millennium — Richard Nance

Catherine Kubash, Janet Smith, Mireill Rijavec, and Trent Worthington (now singing regularly with the choir, were soloists. Lidia Khaner, oboe; Nora Bumanis, harp; Trevor Brandenburg & Darren Salyn, percussion; and Jeremy Spurgeon, organ.

Two Setting from ”In Memoriam Leonard Bernstein” — Srul Irving Glick

Jeremy Spurgeon, piano

Chichester Psalms — Leonard Bernstein

In the organ/percussion version, but we used the percussion from the full orchestral version.

Soloists: Daniel Thielmann, treble; Catherine Kubash, soprano; Jo-Anne Bacon, alto; John Huck, tenor; Ryan Sigurdson, bass

Jeremy Spurgeon, organ; Nora Bumanis, harp; Barry Nemish, timpani; Trevor Brandenburg, Brian Jones, Darren Salyn, Brian Thurgood, percussion

December 8, 2002 A Pro Coro Family Christmas

A variety of carols and other music, including Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata and the premiere of a new work commissioned for Pro Coro by Allan Bevan, The Time Draws Near the Birth of Christ, a beautiful a cappella work on a text by Tennyson. Allan would become a good friend and frequent commissioned composer.

February 2, 2003 — Latin Explosion

A program with guest conductor Maria Guinand, from Venezuela.

March 16, 2003

Svyati — John Tavener (Tanya Prochazka, cellist)

All-Night Vigil — Sergei Rachmaninoff

Soloists: Lilia Sotskaia, alto (mvt. 2); Curtis Dueck, tenor (mvt. 4); Robb King, tenor (mvt. 5); and John Huck, tenor (mvt. 9)

April 18, 2003 — Good Friday at the Winspear — Music of Consolation

Phoenix — Peter Hallock (harp and organ)

Lenten Motets — Francis Poulenc

Organ Concerto — Francis Poulenc (Jeremy Spurgeon, Organist)

—Intermission—

Requiem — Maurice Duruflé (version for strings, harp, 3 trumpets, timpani, and organ, with members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra)

2003-04

I’d had an idea for a while to do all six of the late Haydn masses—such great music! I’d conducted two of them previously with other ensembles, and Miki and I had an idea for how we might get sponsorship for this (since they all involved hiring an orchestra, which was a considerable expense). I chose to do the Nelson Mass (the least expensive orchestra!) to present the idea to the Executive Director, Franz Szabo, of the Austro-Hungarian Institute at the University of Alberta. I also programmed some beautiful works by Imant Raminsh.

We next brought in Leonard Ratzlaff from the University of Alberta as guest conductor. This continued the idea of bringing in people who can add something to what the choir does. And while bringing people unknown to Edmonton is important, Len is such a wonderful conductor that it only made sense to invite him to work with Pro Coro (many of the members sang with him at the U of A, of course).

The program after Christmas was designed around what we’d do at the Canadian Voices festival in Toronto sponsored by Soundstreams. Six Canadian professional choirs each did their own program, all asked for a work by Murray Schafer—I chose his Magic Songs. There's also a Swedish connection there: they were commissioned for Eric Ericson and his great male choir, Orphei Drängar in 1988 (with assistance from CBC Radio), then revised for mixed voices in 1992. We also did a HS workshop with Murray there, which was great—he was very happy about our performance and told the audience of students about the genesis of Magic Songs, which we enjoyed as well.

The big premiere of a new piece by Schafer, for six choirs professional choirs (each with its own percussionist) and the Toronto Children’s Choir, was conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste and took place in the atrium at the CBC, which goes up for quite a few floors (somewhat like many of the old Hyatt hotels with an open atrium and exposed elevators). We were arrayed around the floor and the children’s choir was several floors up. The work had small "features" written for each choir and also times when each conductor conducted the choir with music quite independent (of tempo, but more as well) of the main group. Quite an experience, but I think it’s had only one other performance—written for 6 professional choirs, it’s not easy! Our individual performance was also very well received. We also gave a concert in Ottawa.

Our Good Friday program centered around Ivan Moody’s Passion and Resurrection, an austere and very beautiful work.

In the summer (August 7, 2004), we, along with the Richard Eaton Singers, presented Kammerchor Stuttgart, Frieder Bernius, conductor.

Jolaine Kerley had gone on to graduate work at Indiana University. New singers included Louse Friesen and Christian Berube.

September 28, 2003 — Haydn Mass Series I

In the Night We Shall Go In — Imant Raminsh (Jeremy Spurgeon, piano;

Smile, O Voluptous, Cool-Breathed Earth

Ave Verum Corpus

Nelson Mass — Franz Josef Haydn

Svetlana Sech, soprano; Mireille Rijavec, alto;

Robert King, tenor; Paul Grindlay, bass

October 26, 2003  The British Connection – Leonard Ratzlaff, Guest Conductor

December 14, 2003 — A Pro Coro Christmas

A variety of carols and other music, including the premiere of a new work by Allan Gilliland, a setting of Ubi Caritas (soloists Catherine Kubash, Mireille Rijavec, John Huck, and Rob Clark; with choir, brass, and organ), and another commission as well, The Skater, by Robin John King.

February 1, 2004 — Magic Songs

Warum ist das Licht gegeben, Motet, op. 74 — Johannes Brahms

Magic Songs — R. Murray Schafer

Ella Sunlight (from Eulogies) — John Estacio (commissioned in 1999 by PC)

Soldier’s Cry — Trent Worthington

Sept Chansons — Francis Poulenc

Then Farewell World — Allan Bevan (commissioned for this performance by PC)

Cowboy Songs —Trent Worthington (commissioned by PC in 2001)

February 29, 2004 Gala Concert for Canadian Voices Festival in Toronto

Tonu Tõnu Kaljuste, conducting PC, Elmer Iseler Singers, Elora Festival Singers, Studio de Musique Ancienna de Montreal, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, & Vancouver Chamber Choir in: Nystedt Miserere, and the World Premiere of R. Murray Schafer’s The Fall into Light

On our tour, besides the concerts in Toronto, we performed at the Salle Tabaret Hall, University of Ottawa, in Ottawa.

April 9, 2004 — Good Friday at the Winspear — Passion & Resurrection

Two movements of Les corps glorieux (1939) for organ, surrounded the Messiaen motet below, performed by Jeremy Spurgeon

O sacrum convivium! — Olivier Messiaen

Ubi caritas — Maurice Duruflé

— Intermission —

Passion and Resurrection — Ivan Moody

This marvelous and austere work had Jolaine Kerley in the role of Mother of God, Timothy Shantz as the Evangelist, and Paul Grindlay as Christ.

Martin Riseley, Violin I; Alicia Au, Violin II; Aaron Au, viola; Colin Ryan, cello; Jan Urke, Double Bass; and Brian Jones, Chimes

Also in April (27 & 28), I was a member of the jury for the CBC Choral Competition. We were in Toronto, the choirs were broadcast to us directly, live.

August 7, 2004, as mentioned above, the Richard Eaton Singers (Len Ratlzlaff, conductor) and Pro Coro presented Frieder Bernius and the Kammerchor Stuttgart. I came to Edmonton for that performance (I knew Frieder from several contacts). Part of the entertainment for the choir was a picnic at Elk Island National Park, which allows buffalo to roam naturally (not in the picnic area!). But the drive, led by different members of both choirs, met a buffalo herd on the road, where you just have to stop or go slow and let them pass (for those who've been in Yellowstone, you'll know the experience). It was quite an experience for the Germans, I think!

2004-05

We now had funding for our Haydn Mass series from the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies , with the proviso that we also do other works from the region (essentially the old Hapsburg Empire). This year it was music by Dvořák, along with Allan Bevan and Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs.

You’ll see we had full eight programs that year with three guest conductors: Anders Eby, Maria Guinand again, and Trent Worthington with a “Lighter Side of Pro Coro” program.

Good Friday at the Winspear featured Mozart’s Requiem, but the work that got the immediate standing ovation was Allan Beven’s Nou goth Sonne under Wode. Allan did his MM at the U of A, so I got to know him at that time, and he also knew Jolaine Kerley very well (who did an MM in conducting at the same time). He showed me his dissertation work written for his PhD at the University of Calgary. It was a large work for full choir and orchestra, plus children’s choir. I told him Pro Coro couldn’t possibly do it, but I felt a number of movements could work and be adapted to a smaller choir and orchestra. I told him we were doing the Mozart Requiem—he liked that, but felt that oboes and horns (plus harp and organ) would work better than the basset horns and bassoons, so we decided to go with that. He knew Jolaine’s voice very well, so tailored the soprano solo to her. There was also a narration, so I asked Timothy Anderson to do this. Timothy had subbed with Pro Coro a few times, is a writer, actor, and (I later discovered) a preacher’s kid . . . so perfect for this! It was a huge success and I’ve conducted the work (including in a smaller version that Allan made) several times, often with Allan playing organ, at Carnegie Hall, in Portland, and at the University of North Texas (you can find a video of that performance on YouTube).

This was followed by a program combining Stravinsky’s Svadebka/Les Noces with Orff’s Carmina Burana. I was approached by the Bergmann Piano Duo (Elizabeth Laich Bergmann and Marchal Bergmann). They were living in Calgary, and since they were part of the International Piano Quartet (the two of them plus Jeroen van Veen and his brother), who had recordedLes Noce with Robert Craft, they’d gotten a recital on theCalgary Pro Musica Society's music series, and needed a choir and conductor. I said, yes, as long as we could do Carmina in Edmonton, since I needed to sell it to our audience! So we did that program in Edmonton and just Svadebka/Les Noces in Calgary—the quartet also did a four-hands version (quite spectacular!) of The Rite of Spring at that performance. We used 32 singers for this program, so Pro Coro veteran (having sung with PC since its beginnings in 1980), Avaleigh Crockett joined us again.

Grete Pedersen brought her choir to Canada for an appearance at another Soundstreams festival in Toronto, plus a tour. So we presented them in a joint concert in Edmonton, then did the festival in Toronto, plus a short tour. Another Schafer commission for multiple choirs with Tõno conducting, plus other works.

Caleb Nelson and WeiHsi Hu, tenors, both began singing with Pro Coro this season.

October 3, 2004 — Haydn Mass Series II

V prirode (5 Songs) — Antonin Dvorak

Psalm 23

Then Farewell, World — Allan Bevan (commissioned by PC in 2003)

Five Hebrew Love Songs — Eric Whitacre

Martin Riseley, violin; Jeremy Spurgeon, piano; Catherine Kubash, soprano

— Intermission —

Missa in tempore belli (Mass in Time of War) — Franz Joseph Haydn

Jolaine Kerley, soprano; Mireille Rijavec, alto; John Huck, tenor; Rob Clark, bass

Pro Coro Chamber Orchestra (primarily from the ESO), Martin Riseley, concertmaster

November 14, 2004 — The Swedish Connection – Anders Eby, Guest Conductor

Eby was Artistic Director of Pro Coro from 1988-1990—he was well known in Sweden for his work with the Michaeli Chamber Choir and later as Professor of Conducting at the Royal Conservatory in Stockholm, following Eric Ericson.

His program was almost all Swedish contemporary works, with one from Finland.

Purcell, arr. Eriksson — Music for Awhile

Lars Johan Werle — As You Like It

Jan Sandström — Surge Aquilo

Jaakko Mäntyjärvi — Canticum Maritimae Calamitatis

—Intermission—

Sven-Eric Johanson—Fancies I

Erik Uddunge—The Three Oddest Words

Mattias Sköld—We Know Not Where the Dragons Fly

Gunnar Hahn—Rondo Lapponico

December 12, 2004 — A Pro Coro Christmas

A variety of carols and other music with guests the Jubiloso! Handbell Choir (John Hooper, director, and Caesar Zmyslowski, guitar

January 30, 2005 — Maria Guinand Returns – Maria Guinand, Guest Conductor

Kokopelli Youth Choir, Scott Leithead, conductor, also participated in this concert, joining Pro Coro in two songs.

This program stepped away from a strictly Latin American program, with works on the first half from Sweden, Mendelssohn's Ave Maria, Arvo Pärt's Cantata Domino, Knut Nystedt's O Crux, and ending with Alberto Grau's (Maria's husband, and a major force in Venezuelan music) Stabat Mater. The second half moved to music in Spanish, first Finn Einojuhani Rautavaara's Suite de Lorca, then music coming from popular dances such a the tango, son, gaita, and baião, including Astor Piazzolla.

February 27, 2005 — The Lighter Side of Pro Coro – Trent Worthington, Conductor

Trent brought P.J. Perry (saxophone), Doug Riley (piano), and Brian Thurgood (drums), along with Jeremy Spurgeon (piano) for this program. It included Swede Bengt Hallberg's Missa con Piano, commissioned by Pro Coro back in 1996 (Jeremy played this work), along with Hallberg's Concerto for Piano & Mixed-Voice Chorus from 1980, with Jeremy and Brian Thurgood. After the intermission, P.J. and Doug Riley joined for four pieces, all arranged by Trent.

March 25, 2005 — Good Friday at the Winspear

Exsultate, Jubilate — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Jolaine Kerley, soloist)

Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode (World Premiere) — Allan Bevan

Jolaine Kerley, soprano soloist (Mary); Timothy Anderson, narrator

Requiem — Mozart

I don't have the program for this concert, so don't have solists for Mozart Requiem.

April 24, 2005 — Carmina Burana

Svadebka (Les Noces) — Igor Stravinsky

Carmina Burana —Carl Orff

Soloists were Sharla Nafziger, soprano (both works); Mireille Rijavec, alto (Stravinsky); John Tessier, tenor (both works); Michael Meraw, baritone (Carmina); and Timothy Anderson, bass (Stravinsky). The International Piano Quartet (members above) played the Stravinsky, and Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann played the Orff. The Hammerhead Consort percussionists (Trevor Brandenburg, Darren Salyn, Brian Jones, Brian Thurgood; and Barry Nemish, timpani) played both pieces.

May 31, 2005 — Northern Connections

This was a shared program with the Norwegian Soloist's Choir, cond. Grete Pedersen):

Pro Coro Canada:

In the Night We Shall Go In — Imant Raminsh

Colin Ryan, cello; Jeremy Spurgeon, piano

Leave Me, O Love, Which Reachest but to Dust — Allan Bevan

(from "Then Farewell World," commissioned PC in 2004)

Canticum calamitatis maritimae — Jaako Mäntyjärvi

Benila Ninan, soprano; Michael Kurschat, Precentor

Suite de Lorca, op. 72 — Einojuhani Rautavaara

Five Hebrew Love Songs — Eric Whitacre

Martin Riseley, violin; Jeremy Spurgeon, piano

Combined choirs: O Crux — Knut Nystedt (cond. Pedersen)

— Intermission —

Norsk Solistkor, Grete Pedersen

A variety of works from Norway and Sweden

Combined Choirs: Ave Verum Corpus — Imant Raminsh (cond. Sparks)

June 2-5 — Northern Voices Festival (sponsored by Soundstreams) and Tour in Toronto & Montreal

Independent Concerts (below), plus Gala Concert with Pro Coro, the Norwegian Soloist's Choir (Grete Pedersen, conductor), the Latvian Radio Choir (Sigvards Klava, conductor), and the Elora Festival Singers (Noel Edison, conductor). Tonu Kaljuste conducted the combined works:

Murray Schafer — Death of Shalana (premiere)

John Tavener — Invocation (premiere)

Gorecki — Totus tuus,

Rachmaninoff — The first six movements (the Vespers portion) of his All-Night Vigil

Our tour program was:

Ave Verum Corpus — Imant Raminsh

In the Night We Shall Go In

Ave Maria — Felix Mendelssohn

— Intermission —

Rondo Lapponico — Gunnar Hahn

Then Farewell, World — Allan Bevan

Suite de Lorca — Einojuhani Rautavaara

Five Hebrew Love Songs — Eric Whitacre

Music for Awhile — Purcell, arr. Erikson (Jolaine Kerley, soloist)

Alberta Cowboy Songs — arr. Trent Worthington

2005-06

The next season (seven concerts) brought the third in the Haydn Mass series (which opened each season). We were also sponsored for an all-Mozart program (celebrating his birthday) by the Wirth Institute, which included his Coronation Mass and other works.

Trent Worthington, Ivars Taurins (from the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir), and good friend Gary Graden, from Sweden, were all guest conductors that year.

Good Friday brought the Bach Mass in B Minor.

Martin Riseley was now firmly in the concertmaster chair. With the Haydn masses I'd established a practice of getting together with Martin and Colin Ryan (principal cello), usually during auditions in August and paying them an extra service to set bowings for the Haydn. We'd go through the music, I'd be singing to show tempi and phrasing, and they'd bow the parts: Martin the first and second violins, Colin the cellos and basses, and the viola part would go according to whether they were playing with the violins or the lower instruments. I'd then go back home and mark all parts (including winds and brass, of course), adding dynamics, breaths, articulation markings, etc. This is a process for bowing parts that I can highly recommend. Of course, having well-marked parts saves an enormous amount of time in rehearsals, which are always expensive and need to be efficient. We rarely had more than two rehearsals for these programs (the Haydn not being more than 40 minutes or so), often just one plus the dress. I usually did these rehearsals with choir & orchestra (again, time/money) and since the choir had already rehearsed the piece, could also have the choir sing a passage to show how text shaped the music (an aural "picture" being worth lots of words).

And Matthew Pauls and Rob Curtis both joined the basses that year; Gillian Brinston-Kurschat made her first appearance with the B minor Mass, as did Brendan Lord; and former regulars Eva Bostrand, Avaleigh Crockett (who often subbed), and Connie Bromley returned.

October 2, 2005 — Haydn Mass Series III

Veni Sancte Spiritus — Michael Haydn

Pater Noster — Jacob Handl

Pater Noster — Franz Liszt

Os Justi — Anton Bruckner

Missa Brevis — Zoltan Kodaly

— Intermission —

Maria Theresa Mass — F.J. Haydn

Soloists for the Haydn were Jolaine Kerley, Mireille Rijavec, John Huck, and Robert Clark. For the Missa Brevis, they were Curtis Dueck (cantor), Jolaine Kerley, Sonya Eagles-Dill, and Benila Ninan, sopranos; Mireille Rijavec, John Huck, and Robert Clark. Organist was, of course, Jeremy Spurgeon.

The orchestra was made up of members of the ESO, with Martin Riseley, concertmaster.

November 6, 2005 — Baroque to Contemporary – Ivars Taurins, Guest Conductor

I don't have a copy of the program, but of a review, which shows that Ivars contrasted old and newer together, for example Bach's motet, "Singet dem Herrn," with Brahms "O Heiland reiss die Himmel auf." He programmed works by Poulenc, Purcell, Lotti, Blow, Fauré, Debussy, Willan, and Saint-Saëns. The program also notes that John and Barbara Poole (great supporters of Pro Coro) had donated a $50,000 matching gift.

December 4, 2005 A Pro Coro Christmas

A variety of carols and other music with guests Jubiloso! Handbell Choir (now led by Joy Berg, following John Hooper) and Cantillon Children’s Choirs, led by Heather Johnson, who did wonderful work for us over a number of years and projects. Nora Bumanis also joined us on harp on several pieces, including excerpts from Britten's Ceremony of Carols with Cantillon. Jeremy Spurgeon played several Bach works in addition to accompanying the choirs and leading audience carols. And PC sang Distler's beautiful motet, "Singet Frisch, und Wohlgemut," based on the tune for Joseph, Lieber, Joseph Mein, which we sang immediately before in a setting by Praetorius.

January, 22, 2006 — Happy Birthday Mozart

God is Our Refuge (K. 20) Mozart (Mozart's earliest known choral composition)

Canons (done by small ensembles):  O du eselhafter Peierl, / Ihr süsses Lied singt die Nachtigal

Misera, dove son!/Ah! Non son io che parlo (Jolaine Kerley, soprano and orchestra)

Canons: Bona nox! Bist a rechte Ox / Leck mich / V’amo di core teneramente

Per Questa bella mano (Robert Clark, Bass solo; Jan Urke, Double bass solo, and orchestra)

Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra (Elizabeth Koch, flute; Nora Bumanis, harp)

— Intermission —

Coronation Mass (Jolaine Kerley, Mireille Rijavec, John Huck, and Robert Clark, soloists)

The orchestra made up of members of the ESO, Diane New was concertmaster.

February 26, 2006 — The Lighter Side of Pro Coro – Trent Worthington, Conductor

I don't have this program, but the promo notes, "Pro Coro Canada goes Celtic with special guests . . . the incomparable McDades"

March 19, 2006 — A Bouquet from Sweden – Gary Graden, Guest Conductor

Thomas Jennefelt — Claviante Brilioso (Catherine Kubash, soprano)

Otto Olsson — Ave maris stella (from Six Latin Hymns, op. 40)

Michael Waldenby — Hominis Dies (from Five Latin Hymns, op. 35)

Bo Hansson - Salve Regina (Carole Kube, soprano)

Sven-David Sandström - Lobet den Herrn

— Intermission —

Anders Hillborg — muoaiyioum

Gary Graden — Improvisation on Den Blomstertid nu kommer (Benila Nina, soprano)

Lars Jansson, arr. Gunnar Eriksson — Salve Regina/To the Mothers of Brazil (Gary Graden, congas; Caleb Nelson, trumpet; Trent Worthington, vocal percussion; Sonya Eagles-Dill, soprano

Steve Dobrogosz — Farther down mighty river (from Gospels) Jeremy Spurgeon, piano

Hall Johnson — Po mo'ner got a home at las'

April 14, 2006 — Good Friday at the Winspear

Mass in B Minor— J.S. Bach (the program notes that PC had only done the Mass one other time, for the 10th Anniversary, conducted by Anders Eby. Seven of the singers in this performance had sung the prior one, including four vets who rejoined us for this performance, and three who were still singing with us.)

Solists:

Christe eleison: Sonya Eagles-Dill and Mireille Rijavec

Domine Deus: Louise Friesen and John Huck

Qui Sedes: Wendy Grønnestad-Damur

Quoniam tu solus sanctus: Robert Clark

Et in unum Dominum: Catherine Kubash and Wendy Grønnestad-Damur

Et in spiritum sanctum: Michael Kurschat

Benedictus: John Huck

Agnus Dei: Mireille Rijavec

National Youth Choir of Canada — May 2006

Obviously not a part of Pro Coro Canada, but I wouldn't have been invited to do this (I was the first non-Canadian to conduct) if I weren't a part of Canadian choral life. The National Youth Choir (NYC) is an every two year project that is part of PODIUM, the every-two-year conference of the ACCC. 40 singers are chosen from across Canada to take part in this choral experience (there are representatives from all ten provinces). There is a real attempt to balance the numbers, so a couple of the larger provinces had five representatives, most had four, and a couple of the smallest had two or three.

Much like the European youth choirs, the age limit is 18-25, so these singers are primarily undergraduate and masters-level students. In fact one of my sopranos was already singing in the Vancouver Chamber Choir and a baritone was singing regularly with the Elmer Isler Singers. In other words, the level of singing and musicianship was high.

This choir rehearses in the Province where the conference is being held, does a tour there after rehearsals, then is in residence at the conference, giving a performance and participating in some other activities (in our case, leading a reading session, for example), and we also sang the Martin Mass at a service at Christ Church Cathedral.

PODIUM took place in Victoria, B.C. in 2006, primarily at the University of Victoria.

Our rehearsals were hosted in Powell River, home of the Powell River Academy of Music and the Choral Kathaumixw. Don James, who founded and ran the Academy volunteered to host, which meant we used their rehearsal space, singers lived with local hosts, and were fed for a week of rehearsals. Then we went on tour with our program. Kevin Wong was the accompanist for rehearsals and concerts.

It's also the tradition for an Apprentice Conductor to be chosen, who conducts a few pieces on the program. It's a competitive process (with which I was involved) and Caron Daley (an outstanding conductor and educator who now teaches at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and is a very active lecturer and clinician) was the Apprentice that year.

Our tour included smaller towns on what is known as the "Sunshine Coast" on Vancouver Island, and in and around Vancouver on the mainland, from Saturday, May 13 through May 18, with concerts in the Academy Concert Hall, Powell River; the Raven's Cry Theatre in Sechelt; Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver; Chief Sepass Theatre in Langley; the Christian Fellowship Center in Qualicum; and St. Stephen's Anglican Church in Duncan.

Friday, May 18 was our concert at PODIUM, in the Farquhar Theatre in Victoria and the previously mentioned Mass at Christ Church Cathedral on Sunday the 20th.

A busy and intense schedule, but really a fantastic experience!

I felt that with a group of accomplished singers such as this, that they needed a challenging program:

J.S. Bach — Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf

Frank Martin — Mass for Double Choir

Lionel Daunais — Figures de Danse

—Intermission—

Massimo Rossi — Des Beatitudes Modernes (cond. by Caron)

Eric Whitacre — Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine

Allan Bevan — The Garden (commissioned work for the NYC)

Bruce Sled — La-ba-lin-da (cond. by Caron)

arr. Trent Worthington — Alberta Cowboy Songs

Blood on the Saddle

Flunky Jim

The Alberta Homestead

The singers did beautifully and it was truly a wonderful experience.

2006-07

There were some tough budget decisions this year and we went back to just five programs, with only Trent as guest conductor. We also cut the chorus from 24 singers to 20/concert. More Lionel Daunais on the first program, including his Jeux de Cordes, (which we could do because we had an orchestra for the Haydn Mass, and it calls for strings). It’s a fun work, typical of Daunais in that he wrote the text, which is a series of puns around the word, “cordes” (strings): acorde, corder, décorde, cor, cordier, l’accord, cordons, corps, cordage, cordial, and encore! Also typical is that the edition by L’Alliance des chorales du Québec has . . . well, challenges . . . plus no instrumental parts, which Trent put together (thanks for so many things to Trent!). We encored (pun intended!) Allan’s Nou goth for Good Friday.

We also had a benefit recital performed by John Tessier and Nathan Berg, two fantastic singers (Edmonton natives) with great performing careers, accompanied by Jeremy Spurgeon.

Denise Littman and Jordan van Biert were among singers added this season and Laurier Fagnan subbed in for a concert.

October 8, 2006 — Haydn Mass Series IV

Jeux de Cordes —Lionel Daunais (with orchestra)

Figures de Danse (Jeremy Spurgeon, piano)

Missa Quinta —György Orbán (Charles Hudelson, clarinet; Jan Urke, double bass)

— Intermission —

Heiligmesse — F. J. Haydn

Benila Ninan and Carole Kube, sopranos; Mireille Rijavec, alto;

Trent Worthington, Tenor; Peter Malcolm, bass

November 5, 2006 — The Lighter Side/Male Choral Tradition – Trent Worthington

Sorry, I don't have this program, but the season promo said, "Pro Coro Canada's talented men are highlighted in this special concert, featuring the music of great classical composers, plus a healthy dose of doo-wop, pop and jazz. Pro Coro will be joined for part of the concert by up-and-coming young male singers from surrounding High School and Youth Choirs." Part of the mission of this program was to encourage young men to sing.

December 17, 2006 — A Pro Coro Christmas

A variety of carols and other music with guests: Jubiloso! Handbell Choir (John Hooper, conductor), and Caesar Zmyslowski, guitar

Included in the program was Richard Nance's Magnifcat (Janet Smith, soprano solo)

January 14, 2007 — Moving the Soul

Lobet den Herrn— J.S. Bach

Four Eulogies — John Estacio

Raymond's Disappearance (Benila Ninan, Mireille Rijavec, John Huck, and Peter Malcom, soloists)

Mrs. Deegan

Not an Eye on the Island is Dry (Janet Smith, Joy Berg, Trent Worthington and Michael Kurschat, soloists)

Ella Sunlight (Janet Smith, soloist)

Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine — Eric Whitacre (Catherine Kubash & Benila Ninan, soloists

—Intermission—

Hymn to the Creator of Light — John Rutter

Songs and Sonnets — George Shearing (Jeremy Spurgeon, piano)

A Tribute to Moses Hogan

I'm Gonna Sing 'til the Spirit Moves in My heart

Give me Jesus (Carole Kube, soloist)

The Battle of Jericho

February 18, 2007 — Gala Benefit Recital

Nathan Berg, John Tessier, with Jeremy Spurgeon

Pro Coro singers also participated, with selections from Shearing's "Songs and Sonnets, " two Beatles songs with both singers and the men of the choir, one arranged by Trent Worthington and the other by Bruce Cable; Schubert's "Ständchen" with Nathan Berg and the women of Pro Coro, plus "Nachthelle with John Tessier and the men of the choir; and, at the end, the choir singing Steve Dobrofosz's "Farther Down Mighty River," and Moses Hogan's "Battle of Jericho."

April 6, 2007 — Good Friday at the Winspear

Requiem — Gabriel Faure

Jolaine Kerley, soprano; Michael Kurschat, baritone

—Intermission—

Nou goth sonne under wode — Allan Bevan

Jolaine Kerley, soprano; Timothy Anderson, narrator

2007-08

Back to six programs this year (and 24 singers/program), Trent did a program for male voices and Len Ratzlaff was also brought back as guest conductor. We also did another benefit concert, this time with Soprano Linda Perillo, a founding member of Pro Coro, who had an excellent career in England.

Rebecca Claborn, alto; Nathan Willis, tenor; and Alberto Villanueva, bass, began singing regularly this year.

September 30, 2007 — Haydn Mass Series V

Schöpfungsmesse — F.J. Haydn

Janet Smith, soprano; Mireille Rijavec, alto; John Huck, tenor; Michael Kurschat, bass

—Intermission—

A Schubertiad (solo Lieder, works for women’s, men’s and mixed choir) — Franz Schubert (Jeremy Spurgeon, pianist):

Gruppe as dem Tartarus (Peter Malcolm, bass)

Psalm 23 (Women of Pro Coro)

Wohin? (from "Die Schöne Müllerin—John Huck, tenor)

Die Nacht (Men of Pro Coro)

An die Musick (Catherine Kubash, soprano)

Der Gondelfahrer (Men of Pro Coro)

Ganymed (Janet Smith, soprano)

Gott im Ungewitter (Pro Coro)

Due North — Stephen Chatman

November 11, 2007 — Male Voices: The New Tradition! — Trent Worthington, conductor

I have no program, but the promo said, "The Men of Pro Coro with Roland Majeau; Tenors and Basses from High School & Youth Choirs; Ariel Ramirez: Missa Criolla, with the Latin-jazz group Bomba!

December 16, 2007 — A Pro Coro Christmas

A variety of carols and other music with guests Pro Coro Brass (organized by Alvin Lowrey) and quartets from three University Choirs for Rutter’s Gloria (Concordia University College Concert Choir, dir. John Hooper; The King's University College Chamber Choir, dir. Melanie Turgeon; and The Augustana Choir, dir. Ardelle Ries).

Also guest group, Epsilon, a contemporary vocal ensemble (Nathan Willis, Kyle Carter, Caleb Nelson, Brett Ludwig, & Andrew Malcolm), most of whom sang with Pro Coro Canada.

January 27, 2008 — The Power of Music, Leonard Ratzlaff, Guest Conductor

February 24, 2008 — One Earth, Many Voices (unfortunately I have no program for details):

Biegga Luothe — Jan Sandström

Songs of the British Isles (arr. Holst, Vaughan Williams, Quick, McGlynn)

Gamelan — R. Murray Schafer

Set of French Canadian Folk Songs

Past Life Melodies — Sarah Hopkins

Arrangements of Music by Piazzolla

Set of English Canadian Folk Songs

Three Spirituals (arr. Martin, Luboff, Martin)

March 21, 2008 — Good Friday at the Winspear (sorry, no program)

3 works with Bass solo (Paul Grindlay) — Pavel Chesnokov

All-Night Vigil — Sergei Rachmaninov

April 27, 2008 — Benefit Recital, Reception & Art Event — Linda Perillo, soprano

2008-09

My 10th anniversary year with Pro Coro Canada. Six programs this year as well, bringing Simon Carrington to guest conduct. We also finished the Haydn Mass series with the largest, his Harmoniemesse. Many thanks to the Wirth Foundation for funding this project! The Victoria and Rutter Requiems for Good Friday.

There was also a benefit concert with Epsilon and the PJ Perry Trio.

New singers included soprano Megan Chartrand; tenors Justin Jalea and Ryan Herbold; and basses Jacques Arsenault and Jihwon Cho

September 29, 2008 — "Sparks, Haydn, Bruckner, Vaughan Williams" (Haydn Mass Series VI)

3 Motets — Anton Bruckner

Os justi

Ave Maria

Tota pulchra es Maria (soloist Timothy Shantz)

Mass in G Minor — Ralph Vaughan Williams

—Intermission—

Harmoniemesse — F.J. Haydn

Soloists: Jolaine Kerley, soprano; Christy Dirksen, alto;

Timothy Shantz, tenor; Paul Grindlay, bass

November 2, 2008 — Love-Song Walzes

Figures de danse — Lionel Daunais (Jeremy Spurgeon, pianist)

Voices of Spring — Johann Strauss

Jeremy Spurgeon and Trygve Trædal, pianists

Jim Delgau and Elena Sinelnikova, dancers

Liebeslieder Walzer — Johannes Brahms (Jeremy Spurgeon and Trygve Trædal, pianists)

—Intermission—

An Angel Embraced Me (premiere) — Trent Worthington (Jeremy Spurgeon, pianist)

Choral Dances from ‘Gloriana’ – Benjamin Britten

Liebeslieder Polkas — P.D.Q. Bach (Jeremy Spurgeon and Trygve Trædal, pianists)

October 30-November 15, 2008 — Monteverdi's Orfeo

While this is a project not on the Pro Coro season, it's a close connection, since Miki Andrejevic, former Executive Director, made it happen, I conducted, and the chorus is made up of Pro Coro singers (as well as a few smaller roles).

Miki had been free-lancing since leaving Pro Coro and was given the job by the University of Alberta of organizing a huge celebration of their centenary: The Festival of Ideas (subtitled Fear and Happiness in the Modern World), November 13-16. This included presentations by Salman Rushdie (who some of us met and chatted with at the Sutton Hotel bar one evening); a presentation on genocide with a connected session with one of the youngest of the "child soldiers" in the Sierra Leone war, who went through extreme lengths and therapy to recover; a session on "Architecture and Happiness;" a "Science Saturday" for children, and more.

However, we got involved because Miki was interested in presenting the "first opera" (Festival of Ideas, indeed!), Monteverdi's Orfeo. He approached me about helping to organize and conduct it. Since Miki and I had worked with Ray Nurse on Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers earlier. Ray has an extraordinary set of skills, ideal for this project: trained as a singer, he won the Vancouver Met auditions and (as a low bass) was often cast in low bass roles with various opera companies across Canada, giving him knowledge about how opera rehearsals worked. He was also a musicologist and lutenist (and fine lute maker) with loads of experience in early music, and knew almost everyone across Canada. He was a founding member of Early Music Vancouver, the Vancouver Chamber Choir (singing with them for about 10 years) and Pacific Baroque Orchestra.

Ray was invaluable in organizing how we'd have to rehearse, what we needed in terms of a place to perform (ultimately one of the professional theatres (a thrust stage) at the Citadel in Edmonton, who to stage direct (Ellen Hargis) cast, who to hire for the orchestra, and many other details.

The cast was:

Colin Balzer, Orfeo

Suzie LeBlanc, Euridice and La Musica

Catherine Webster, Prosperina, Ninfa

Mireille Lebel, Messagiera

Laura Pudwell, Pastore I, Speranza, Infernal Spirit

William Hite, Pastore II, Apollo

Timothy Shantz, Pastore III, Infernal Spirit, Eco

Olivier Laquerre, Plutone, Pastore IV

Paul Grindlay, Coronte, Pastore IV

The chorus included Rebecca Clayborn, Louise Friesen, Wendy Grønnestad, Jolaine Kerley, Catherine Kubash, Carole Kube, Kristel Harder-Nelso, John Brough, John Huck (also Infernal Spirit), Justin Jalea, Caleb Nelson, Trent Worthington, Jihwan Cho, Michael Kurschat (another Infernal Spirit), and Peter Malcolm.

The orchestra was:

Violins: David Douglas and Julie Andrijeski (who also coached dance)

Violas: Angela Malmberg and Michelle Speller

Cello: Amanda Keesmat

Violone: Natalie Mackie

Trumpet: Alvin Lowrey

Cornettos: Stephen Escher and Kiri Tollaksen

Sackbuts: Richard Van Hessel, Ellen Marple, Philip Neuman, Mack Ramsey & Sandford Stadtfeld

Recorders: Teresa Hron, Herbert Myers

Curtal: Herbert Myers

Chittarones: Sylvain Bergeron (principal), Terry McKenna & Ray Nurse

Guitar: Terry McKenna

Organ and harpsichords: Michael Jarvis and Doreen Oke

Double harp: Christa Patton

Percussion: Darren Salyn

As you can imagine, this was expensive and complicated to produce!

The fact that we were using a thrust stage meant that the orchestra was behind the singers (for the opening toccata, the brass were in a balcony above the state), which meant I had to be watching both ways, so I could see singers and communicate with the orchestra. It also meant that the various characters could come from backstage or from the audience, coming up one of the many ramps below the seating, very effective. There were no sets, just benches and various props to suggest the setting, and costumes were also simple and effective.

Ellen Hargis, who had a spectacular career as a singer, also had been assistant to Gilbert Blin, the director for the productions at the Boston Early Music Festival, and increasingly doing stage directing for early opera. She, as was everyone else in the cast and crew (including the Citadel crew, who did a lot, including lighting, etc.), were just fantastic to work with.

The schedule was busy:

Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 - rehehearsal begins, Music Director, Stage Director, Choreographer, Stage management, Cast and choir as required, and the continuo core

Sunday, Nov. 2 - Equity day off

Nov. 3 - 8 - Rehearsals continue (always including continuo core); costumes arrive: fittings and alterations; consultation re wigs/hair & makeup

Sunday, Nov. 9 - Equity day off

Nov. 10 - rehearsals continue - Theatre set load-in

Nov. 11 - first day of instrumental rehearsals

Nov. 12 - morning: rehearsals as usual; afternoon: onstage rehearsal in theatre

Nov. 13 - in theatre: Dry tech rehearsal, then tech rehearsal with all

Nov. 14 - Dress rehearsal

Nov. 15 - Performance

Crazy, but absolutely exhilerating!

It ended up being an absolutely amazing experience for all.

November 29 (Swift Current) & November 30 (Brooks) - A Pro Coro Christmas, cond. Trent Worthington — this was a shorter program with 16 singers as a run-out

December 13, 2008 — A Pro Coro Christmas (cond. Sparks)

A variety of carols and Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata

January 25, 2009 — One World, Many Voices

Guest choir, Kokopelli (Bruce Cable, conductor)

Three Canadian Folksongs

The Jovial Young Sailor — arr. Derek Healy

Eskimo Hunting Song — arr. Healy

I's the B'y — arr. Robert Decormier

Three Russian Folksongs

Tania-Taniusha — Valery Kalistratov

In the Dark Forest — A. Sveshnikov

Nursery Rhymes — Alexander Nikolsky

Three pieces by Michael McGlynn (Anuna)

Dulaman

My Lagan Love (Curtis Nelson, soloist)

Incantations

Ononyatakaga — Mark Sirett (Kokopelli)

Pseudo-Yoik — Jaako Mäntyjärvi (Kokopelli and Pro Coro)

—Intermission—

A Suite of French Canadian Children's Songs — arr. David Maddux

(Ryan Herbold, violin)

Mita Kaikata Kivonen? — Mia Makaroff (Kokopelli)

Three Swedish Folksongs

Aftonen — Hugo Alfvén

Och jungfrun hon går i ringen — Alfvén

Kung Liljekonvalje - David Wikander

Vulindehla (traditional Shona Song) — arr. Scott Leithead (Kokopelli and PC)

We also did this program in Calgary on Feb. 28 with guest choirs John G. Diefenbaker (HS) Chamber Choir and the St. Mary's High School Choir (with me doing workshops and rehearsals at each high school before the choir came). The program included their participation individually, and we combined choirs at the end for Sarah Hopkins "Past Life Melodies,"

February 15, 2009  — British Connections , Simon Carrington, Guest Cond.

March 27, 2009 — Guest conductor for the Exultate Chamber Singers in Toronto

East meets West — I was asked to conduct this project, which came about through a grant the Exultate Chamber Singers received to do a premiere by James Rolfe. The choir was an excellent one, founded (in 1981) and conducted by John Tuttle, who created a choir with a British choral tradition sound and approach. Some sang in the Tafelmusic Chamber Choir, for example. They were delighful to work with.

Javier Busto — Pater Noster

Lotti — Crucifixus

Imant Raminsh — Ave verum corpus

Josef Rheinberger — Kyrie from Cantus Missae

Randall Thompson — Felices ter

Anton Bruckner — Os justi

—

James Rolfe — Four Anthems for Four Seasons

Spring—Summer—Fall—Winter

—

Jaakko Mäntyjärvi — Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae

—Intermission—

Craig Galbraith — Go, lovely rose

—

Lionel Daunais — Excerpts from Six poêmes de Guillaume Apollinaire

L'Ecrivisse

La Carpe

Mutation

Le Serpent

Le Pont Mirabeau

—

arr. Louis Halsey — Four Folksongs from the British Isles

Ye banks and braes

My love she's a Venus

Going to Mass last Sunday

O no John!

—

Peter Tiefenbach — texts from Paul Hiebert's "Sarah Binks"

A Cursed Duck

Lullaby

Little Papoose

—

Trent Worthington — Three Alberta Folksongs

Soldier's Cry

Flunky Jim

The Alberta Homestead

April 10, 2009 — Good Friday Concert

Victoria — Requiem (soloists: Benila Ninan, Adrienne Sitko, Caleb Nelson, Curtis Dueck, Peter Malcolm)

—Intermission—

Rutter Requiem (Janet Smith, soprano soloist)

May 24, 2009 — Male Voices—The Tradition Continues (Trent Worthington, cond.)

This featured young men from Edmonton and Grand Prairie in continued efforts to support young men singing in the schools.

2009-10

There were a number of big budget issues, includiing losing a significant grant at the Provincial level. When our General Manager was ill and took sick leave, I took over as Executive Director in the late spring of 2009 for about 8 or 9 months with a lot of work to do to try to right the ship. Peter Malcolm (a core singer, but also an invaluable Treasurer on the board with excellent business experience) and I (and some board members) spent time over the summer visiting with every one of our major supporters to generate extra donations (and give regular donations early to support the season), cut the budget, organized fundraisers, and worked to eliminate a substantial deficit. This was a successful process and allowed Pro Coro to continue as a going concern.

This season was shorter, had fewer core singers (20 instead of 24—the first program was done with just 16, although we expanded to 32 for the Brahms) . . . and I’d taken a position at the University of North Texas, a much longer “commute” than from Tacoma, Washington! We’d commissioned a companion piece for Nou Goth from Allan Bevan the year before, but had to cancel its premiere (we couldn't afford the orchestra), but managed to do it this season. We brought Mark Bailey as guest conductor to do one of his specialties, Ukrainian repertoire—Edmonton has the largest Ukrainian population in North America. For Good Friday, I chose to do the Brahms Requiem in the 4-hands version (no orchestra, but we had 32 singers) with Jeremy Spurgeon and Roger Admiral. A great way to end the season!

October 4, 2009 — Gala Opening Concert

Due Corale — Ildebrando Pizzetti

Il giardino di Afrodite

Piena sorgeva la luna

Three Encounters — Trent Worthington (poetry by Mark Hemmingson) Premiere

1. Shallow Arms

2. An Angel Embraced Me

3. i heard the sky

Choruses from ‘The Lark’ — Leonard Bernstein

Done in the order they fall in the play for which Bernstein wrote this incidental music — I wrote a narrative to connect the individual pieces, read by Martin Murphy (sorry soloists aren't named in the program—there

—Intermission—

Special guests, “The PreTenors” (pianist Joachim Segger)

The PreTenors are Michel Landry, Trent Worthington, and Martin Murphy, who were all past members of Pro Coro. The group (starting as a fundraiser for Pro Coro) spoofed the Three Tenors, becoming popular for corporate gigs and three years at the Edmonton Fringe Festival.

The program was listed as:

1. Some songs

2. Some more songs

3. Followed by a healthy dose of hilarity

November 8, 2009 — Male Voices, Trent Worthington, Guest Cond.

December 13, 2009 — A Pro Coro Christmas

Besides carols, we commissioned and premiered a major new piece by Allan Bevan, Fowre Thowsand Wynter, for soprano soloist (Jolaine Kerley), narrator/actor (Timothy Anderson), choir, and chamber orchestra (about 35 minutes), the commission delayed from the year before. It was the first half of the program, the second half carols with the audience and shorter Christmas works.

February 7, 2010 — Ukrainian Sacred Music, Mark Bailey, Guest cond.

Edmonton has a large Ukrainian population and Mark, who conducts the Yale Russian Choir and is a specialist in Orthodox music, did an all-Ukrainian program from Byzantine chant through Bortniansky

April 2, 2010 — Good Friday Concert

Ein Deutsches Requiem — Johannes Brahms

(in the version for piano four-hands: Roger Admiral and Jeremy Spurgeon)

Soloists: Janet Smith (V. Ihr hast nun Traurigkeit)

Michael Kurschat (III. Herr, lehre doch mich)

Jihwan Cho (VI. Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Staat)

2010-2011

This was my final season with Pro Coro. I conducted three programs, Trent conducted two programs, and a Thirtieth Anniversary concert with founder Michel Gervais conducting.

The "Space and Time" program included projections of images from the Hubble Telescope. In Larry Nickel's commission (Creator Alme Siderum) we alternated movements with the other pieces on the first half of the program. We also commissioned a work by Trent Worthington for that program, based on texts by Einstein.

Ending my tenure with the St. John Passion was a good way to end my twelve seasons with Pro Coro.

Several conductors competed for the posisiton of Artistic Director and each conducted a program in 2011-12. Michael Zaugg was chosen as the next Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Pro Coro Canada beginning in 2012, and is still in that position.

My statement for the press was: "It has been a great joy for me to work in Edmonton for the past eleven years with this wonderful choir. It's been an incredibly important part of my artistic life and a true 'home,' both for me and my wife Kathryn—not only artistically, but also in making so many friends in Edmonton's strong musical community and among Pro Coro's many supporters. This decision was an extraordinarily difficult one, but a year ago I accepted a position as Professor of Music at the University of North Texas and this year become Chair of the Division of Conducting and Ensembles, responsible for all ensemble areas except for jazz: choral, wind, orchestra, opera, and early music. As much as I would love to continue in my present position, the demands of my job in Texas mean I can't give the time that an ensemble such as Pro Coro deserves and needs. Therefore, I reluctantly decided it was time to move on. I hope that I will continue to be involved as a guest in Edmonton in the future—I love the community and the great music that is made here. And I leave knowing that Pro Coro Canada has a brilliant future."m

October 3, 2010 — Virtuoso Choral Music/Spectacular A Cappella

Cantus Missae (Mass in Eb) — Gabriel Rheinberger

Zigeunerlieder — Johannes Brahms

—Intermission—

Mass  for Double Chorus — Frank Martin

Given two double chorus works (Rheinberger and Martin), we used 31 singers for this program.

November 21, 2010 — Voices United — Trent Worthington, conductor

As the season brochure notes: "Everyone has loved Trent Worthington's series of concerts for male voices. This year Trent brings his trademark creativity to a program that is approximately one third for male voices, one third for female voices, and one third for the combined forces of Pro Coro Canada." The program also included PJ Perry and his trio.

December 12, 2010 — A Pro Coro Christmas — Trent Worthington, conductor

February 13, 2011 — Music from Space was sung by 16 singers—this meant the Ligeti was sung one-per-part, as originally written for Cytus Gottwald's ensemble,Schola Cantorum Stuttgart, which achieved fame when Stanley Kubruck chose it for part of the music of his film, 2001.

My wife, Kathryn, chose and ran the visuals (in turn inspired by a performance of the Sisask we heard in Stockholm with our friend Gary Graden's St. Jacob's Chamber Choir when we attended rehearsals and met Sisask), of which she said: "Today's images are chosen from the Hubble telescope library and a number of other resources to highlight the aural imagery of 'space' in its many and varied iterations. The Hubble images are extant photos simply editied and arrange to complement the Urmas Sisask 'Gloria Patri' set in tribute to Sisask's avid astrological love and its influence on the music. The set for the Ligeti 'Lux aeterna' on the other hand, is a multi-layered collage of images comprising a large number and kinds and concepts of Space: the outer universe, yes, but also the deep sea, the "inner space" of microscopy, the mutabiltiy of time and light (the Aurora Borealis, for example), iridescence, and more. The images become highly abstract in many cases as they're layered, with the idea that they will function as both backdrop and a point of extrapolation for listeners musing on the music."

Creator alme siderum (premiere) — Larry Nickel (divided throughout the first half). —soloists were Gillian Brinston-Kurschat and Caleb Harder Nelson

Creator Alme Siderum (Maker of the Stars)

and Einstein said (premiere) — Trent Worthington

(Six movements)

Constellatio — Larry Nickel

Lux aeterna — Györgi Ligeti

Creator Alme Siderum — Larry Nickel

—Intermission—

Gloria Patri (exerpts) — Urmas Sisak

I chose 11 movements of the 24 pieces in this set.

Soloists were Megan Chartrand, Adrienne Sitko, Tim Shantz, and Len Ratzlaff

March 20, 2011 — Founder's concert — Michel Marc Gervais, guest conductor

"Pro Coro's founder, Michel Marc Gervais, returns to celebrate our 30th season with a program of his favorites. We celebrate with the conductor who made Pro Coro possible.

April 22, 2011 — Good Friday at the Winspear

St. John Passion — J.S. Bach

Derek Chester (whom I'd met at UNT), Evangelist

Paul Grindlay, Jesus

Jordan van Biert, Pilate

Jolaine Kerley, Soprano

Abra Whitnet Alto

Timothy Shantz, Tenor

Michael Kurschat, Bass

Josephine van Lier, viola da gamba

Looking back, I got to do so much fabulous repertoire in my Pro Coro years, and grew in so many ways, including sorting out how to help run an organization such as this. So many wonderful singers, so many great friends, and it was a joy to work with the instrumentalists of the ESO on so many projects. I simply can’t say enough what a great period in my life this was. Thanks to all who made it possible.