Important Notice
The start date of the Festival Chorus has been moved to January 26. Two sessions will be added in March (so the number of sessions will remain unchanged). Dress rehearsal is still scheduled for April 8 and the performance date is still scheduled for April 9. Please be aware that the course may be cancelled if the Covid-19 situation does not improve by the end of January.
The World in Six Songs
The Festival Chorus will perform a variety of a capella and accompanied works from historical and contemporary composers loosely illustrating the ideas put forward in Daniel Levitin's book, "The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature". Explore the six fundamental song types: friendship, joy, comfort, religion, knowledge and love as crafted by composers from BC Indigenous cultures and English madrigalists to Capilano alumnus Chris Sivak and Festival Chorus director Geordie Roberts. Some choral experience very beneficial. Please contact the director for an interview if you are new to the Festival Chorus.
Physical Distancing in Winter/Spring 2022
For Winter/Spring 2022, we will continue to mask and maintain more-than-usual personal space, contingent on provincial health guidelines. If space requirements make it necessary, rehearsals will be divided into two sessions, one starting at 6 p.m. and the second starting at 7:45 p.m., to allow for more spacing between singers.
It is anticipated that we will be able to present a live concert in the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts on Saturday, April 9 with an audience in attendance.
Search for a New Director Underway
A search for a new director for the Festival Chorus will be undertaken during the 2022 academic year, and in the interim, the choir will be led by Geordie Roberts. His focus will be on smaller works for chorus and piano, an emphasis on improving vocal skill and collaborative musicianship while encouraging expressiveness and enjoyment of making music together.
Joining the Festival Chorus
All singers new to the choir are encouraged to have an assessment/interview with Mr. Roberts before the first session (January 26) to ensure they are placed in the appropriate voice section. Please email groberts@capilanou.ca for information.
Familiarity with choral scores and some degree of music literacy would be an asset in enabling registrants to fully enjoy the Festival Chorus. Some choral experience would also be beneficial.
About the Festival Chorus
Capilano University Festival Chorus sings a vast range of choral music from the medieval period to newly commissioned works in collaboration with the Capilano University student choirs.
Recent concerts include Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Charpentier’s Te Deum, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, and the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. A sampling of other major works performed in the past includes Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria and Magnificat, Castelnuovo Tedesco’s Romancero Gitano, Ramirez’ Misa Criolla, and requiems by Mozart, Brahms, and Fauré.
Prerequisites
Students need to schedule an audition with the instructor before registering. Please email groberts@capilanou.ca to schedule the audition. Once approved, you can register in the course. Alternatively, you may register prior to this audition, but be advised that if you do not meet the requirements at the audition, you will not be allowed to continue. A full refund will be issued.
A NOTE ABOUT THE NUMBER OF SESSIONS: The course runs for 12 sessions PLUS one Friday for a dress rehearsal and one Saturday for the live performance. So technically, that's 14 sessions, although it says 11 below. Pay no attention to the 11. It's just another example of how computers are ... ahem ...not quite there yet.
Sorry, this course is closed to registration at this time.
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