Dedicated to the performance of MUSIC from a variety of cultures and genres
PERFORMANCE & NEWS
Upcoming Concerts for our 2011-2012 Season:
Star Light, Star Bright, December 17, 7:00 pm
McDougall United Church, 10086-101 Street
Adults: $20, Seniors, Students: $15, Youth 10-17: $10,
9 and under free
A May Song, May 13, 2:30 pm
McDougall United Church, 10086-101 Street
All tickets $10, Students 16 & under free
Events we participated in this past year:
A FALL SONG - October 23
Our first concert of the season featured our Primary Choir in their first performance, our Boys' Choir, Girls' Choir and Youth Choir.
PRE-TOUR CONCERT - July 3, 2011
Join us in wishing the Youth Choir well as they prepare to leave for a tour of China, July 5 - 18. They will just have finished a week of intense rehearsals where they will have learned some new songs and adjusted to the smaller tour choir size.
CHINA TOUR, July 5-18, 2011
July 5 - Depart Edmonton for Beijing
July 6 - 8 - Beijing
July 9 - 11 - Xi'an
July 12 - 13 - Nanjing
July 14 - 15 - Hangzhou
July 16 - 18 - Shanghai
July 18 - Home to Edmonton
By Katie Maxfield
Edmonton Youth Choir member
After years of watching my three brothers trek all over the world with their boychoir, I finally got my chance. This July, I travelled with 25 other choristers in the Edmonton Youth Choir to China, where we toured for two weeks and sang concerts in the cities of Beijing, Xi'an, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
As we adjusted to the 14-hour time difference, we also adjusted to life in China, including curiously translated signs ("Heart cerebral disease sufferer, ascend the Great Wall to please watch for") and "squatty potties" (footprints and a hole in the ground). By the third day everyone was skilfully using chopsticks--and already beginning to crave milk and fresh, crunchy fruits and vegetables. The food was delicious, but we saw a lot of the same dishes twice a day for two weeks, and you can only eat so much bok choy. But even though we ate it repeatedly, we never grew tired of the watermelon that signalled the end of the seemingly endless dishes.
Our tour group hiked up the steep stairs of the Great Wall, pausing to take pictures of the view and of the Chinese characters carved into the stone. Chinese culture and symbolism gained new significance as we walked through the ancient Forbidden City. Most of us rode rickety old bikes around the city wall of Xi'an. We wandered through a beautiful bamboo forest and through a park in Nanjing in the pouring rain that refreshed our spirits (and our feet). We gorged ourselves on 18 varieties of dumplings at a special lunch. In Shanghai, an elevator took us to the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Tower, which provided a view over the city that houses 23 million people.
We loved not only the sightseeing, but also the concerts, which took place every second day following an afternoon rehearsal. One song that deeply affected both the choir and the audience was a Chinese folk song, "Mo Li Hua" (Jasmine Flower Song). This song and even the flower itself have recently been suppressed by the Chinese government because of their association with the politically sensitive "Jasmine Revolution" in Tunisia. At our first concert we were not sure how the audience would react. When the song was announced, there was more murmuring than usual, but as the flute began to play the melody, the concert hall suddenly hushed, and then a barely perceptible hum arose. When we began to sing in Chinese, the audience broke into applause, and continued to applaud after every verse. They clearly loved it, and it quickly became one of our favorite songs to perform.
At the end of every concert, audience members, especially children, would clamber onto the stage to take photos with choristers. Between photos, our choir director was busy keeping up with the demands for his autograph on our CDs.
At times it felt as if we were the center of attention, not only onstage but everywhere we went. From our first day in Tiananmen Square (political questions banned), we noticed people surreptitiously taking pictures of us or even in front of us, as if we were a tourist attraction. The bolder ones would ask to take pictures with us, sometimes putting their arm around us in a familiar way.
After shopping at a gift store one day, some of my friends and I sang "O Canada" in 4-part harmony for the shopkeeper. She clapped and beamed wordlessly at me and I felt that, despite the language barrier, we had somehow become friends.
It was little experiences like these that we will remember most of all, that through our music on and off the stage, we became not only tourists, but ambassadors.
A MAYSING! - May 15, 2011
This year-end concert featured all three of our choirs. This fun
event allowed the choristers to sing their favourite songs and end the
year with a bang.
UBUNTU - April 29, 2011
The
Guelph Youth Singers (Linda Beaupre conductor) joined our Boys' and
Girls' Choirs in an African Themed concert. This concert was a
fundraiser for the G.A.N.G. (Grandmothers of Alberta for a New
Generation), who raise funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation and work with grandmothers in Africa.
FAURE REQUIEM - April 22, 2011
A number of our Youth Choir singers joined the St. Paul's United Church Choir for this presentation of the famous Faure Requiem, presented with orchestra.
VIDEO GAMES LIVE! - April 18, 2011
16
of our Youth Choir singers formed the choir for this amazing show at the Jubilee Auditorium that featured live
orchestra and choir (that's us) providing the musical accompaniment to
video shots of all the great video games of the past and present. It was
great fun and a unique concept.
GUELPH TOUR 2011 - April 6 - 11, 2011
The
Boy's and Girl's Choir travelled to Guelph, Ontario to participate in a
SEVEC sponsored choir exchange with the Guelph Youth Singers, Linda
Beaupre conductor. We then hosted the Guelph choir from April 26 to May
1.
CHORALFEST NORTH - March 15, 2011
All three of our choirs performed and benefited from the expert adjudication of maestros Simon Carrington and Eric Hannan.
YOUTH CHOIR DESSERT CONCERT - February 26, 2011
This
popular event featured the Youth Choir members as both entertainers and
hosts. They baked the desserts, made the coffee, set the tables, served,
and of course sang. All for your pleasure - and as thanks for your
generous support of their fundraising efforts for the tour to China, July 4 - 18, 2011.
This
was a GREAT success. Thanks to all the choristers who worked so hard
to make this happen. To see the infamous Chicken Concerto, go
to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0YLdk7_nK8
CD RECORDING PROJECT - February 2011
In February we continued our Christmas CD recording project. First Snow, a Winter-Christmas CD featuring all of our choirs should be available for fall, 2011.
In February we continued our Christmas CD recording project. First Snow, a Winter-Christmas CD featuring all of our choirs should be available for fall, 2011.
Eight of our Boys' and Girls' Choir members performed as members of the Alberta Children's Choir. However, All of our Boys' Choir performed at the Honor Choir Concert as a feature choir. This was a significant honour for our singers.
CHRISTMAS AT THE JASPER PARK LODGE - December 17 - 19, 2011
at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Jasper, AB.
Every
year our choir books a large block of rooms at this wonderful resort
lodge for our families to enjoy. Alumni, relatives and friends of our
choirs are also invited to join us for this relaxing time. Once again
we had a great time in front of the fire, on the ice or on the ski hill.
A PRO CORO CHRISTMAS
December 12, 2010. Sunday, 2:30 pm at the Winspear Centre, downtown Edmonton.
Edmonton Youth & Children's Choirs were thrilled to be the special guests of Pro Coro, Edmonton's professional choir. We our own songs as well aswith Pro Coro and the Edmonton Jazz Orchestra. It is always a thrill to sing from the stage of the Winspear and the choirs sounded absolutely amazing. What a treat. This picture is from the December 12 edition of the Edmonton Journal:
FIRST SNOW - December 10, 2011
This
was our much loved annual Christmas Concert. The theme began with Snow
and Ice but quickly moved to Warmth, Comfort and the Christmas season.
The
church was full to overflowing, the choirs sounded magnificent, looked
wonderful and our special guests from Pro Coro Canada added a magical
element to the evening. Thanks to everyone who came to hear the choir.
