Volume 24 Issue 7 - April 2019

Matthew Emery and Jenny Crober
revisiting is the reason for the “II” added to the concert title – “Earth,
Seas & Sky.”
Joining the choir is vocalist Alana Bridgewater who has done the
Missa Gaia on several occasions. “I’ve known about her a long time
so it’s just a joy to finally be able to work with her,” says Crober.
“We’re also doing three pieces by Paul Halley: Freedom Trilogy, Sound
Over All Waters and The Rain Is Over and Gone. Alana will be really
featured in some of these as well. There’s a moment in the third movement
of the Missa Gaia, for example, the Beatitudes. It starts off slow
and contemplative and by the end it’s a rocking gospel choir. Alana’s a
powerhouse.”
Spring workshop: At the end of March, the choir had its spring workshop
with Andrew Balfour. (The choir has been learning his piece
THE TORONTO CHORAL SOCIETY PRESENTS
Ambe for their upcoming concert.) “The first time I heard the piece
we were at Podium 2018 in Newfoundland,” says Crober. “It was being
performed by Chronos Vocal Ensemble from Edmonton. It was so
hypnotic and driving and compelling and powerful and beautifully
sung. The minute it was done, I marked in my program ‘Do this!’”
Crober approached Balfour later during that conference. She booked
him for the VOCA spring clinic this year, so the choir would have a
chance to workshop the song directly with Balfour.
Going through the experience of Balfour’s thought process and
listening to him give life and meaning to the music he’s written
was important. Recently, the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance
(IPAA), of which Balfour is a part, released a statement on Indigenous
Musical Sovereignty. The statement is an invitation to participate
in the full experience of the music created by Indigenous peoples
while simultaneously acknowledging that much of what has passed
for Indigenous music or Indigenous themes by outsiders has been
traumatizing. The statement asks hard questions of presenters who
seek to perform Indigenous music: “to non-Indigenous composers
who seek to tell ‘Indigenous-inspired’ works: be honest with yourself
and ask why you feel compelled to tell this story and whether you are
the right person to do so.”
The statement acknowledges that there is a place for non-
Indigenous musicians in partnership, but there is an added weight
and depth of responsibility that Indigenous creators have to their
communities. To do this work well, the IPAA says, “We seek to hold
ourselves to the highest ethical standards of Indigenous community
engagement, and request that our collaborators in the Canadian music
community work to the same level of accountability.”
For Crober, through the opportunity to learn directly from Balfour,
the choir will have a better chance to bring life to his musical offering
while respecting its Indigenous nature.
See all of this in action in “Earth, Sea & Sky II” presented by VOCA
Chorus of Toronto under artistic director Jenny Crober featuring guest
TORONTO
CLASSICAL
SINGERS
A WHIRLWIND TO HEAVEN
DROUGHT, RAIN, FIRE, STORM AND EARTHQUAKE–
IT’S NOT EASY BEING A PROPHET .
MENDELSSOHN
JURGEN PETRENKO, CONDUCTOR
THE TALISKER PLAYERS
LESLEY BOUZA, SOPRANO
DANIELLE MACMILLAN, MEZZO
ZACHARY RIOUX, TENOR
MATTHEW ZADOW, BARITONE
SARAH SCHMIDT-MCQUILLAN, SOPRANO,
(THE YOUTH)
SUNDAY MAY 5, 2019 4PM
CHRIST CHURCH DEER PARK
1570 YONGE STREET AT HEATH
TICKETS $30.00
BUY AT : torontoclassicalsingers.ca
OR CALL: 416 444 7863
ELIJAH
Advance Tickets $25 TorontoChora/Society.org
transcending tradition
32 | April 2019 thewholenote.com