Author: Donald Blake

From Morna

Looking forward to seeing Ken and all singers who are able to join the optional rehearsal this Friday, March 29 (Good Friday).  As this was not in the rehearsal grid, here’s a list of what we will sing:

Fields of Gold, Fix You, Rise Up My Love, Terre-Neuve, Moonset, Nature Boy, and, for memorization purposes, a short time spent on each of You Make Me Feel So Young and Now is the Month of Maying.  Note that there is a new listening track up of the latter on the website (thank you, Don!).  

Please find time between now and your next rehearsal to sing through this and all repertoire.  As we all know, this makes the whole learning and performing process more productive and much more fun.

Speaking of fun, we will have BOTH Ken and Stephen at rehearsal on Friday, April 12 as I have to be away with Elektra at a VSO rehearsal.  They will lead half the choir (SA/TB) in sectionals for the first hour and then you stay put and they switch places to do the same music with the other group.  As you know, both are excellent choral leaders with excellent ears, and I can guarantee there will be time to go over any spots you are still struggling with.

A plea to please remember we are upping our FOCUS in rehearsals.  This means resisting the temptation to talk unnecessarily with your neighbour, even if it is about how you just did on the last line of music.

Morna

EnChor Raffle Tickets

Imagine……

            3 nights relaxing at the Wickaninish Inn near Tofino
            A fun time with family or friends enjoying a tasting menu at the Cactus Club
            Experiencing the wonderful music of the Vancouver Bach Choir

These are the amazing prizes you could win in EnChor’s 2024 Raffle.   BUT you have to buy your tickets first!  And this year it is really easy to get them!

Tickets are only $15 each and are on sale until May 5^th.  But don’t wait until then to order yours.

Just click HERE to get right to the site to purchase raffle tickets.

And don’t forget to tell your friends and family about this fabulous opportunity to not only support a great choir, but also have the chance to win an amazing prize.

Good luck!!

From the Vancouver Chamber Choir

We’re so excited to have EnChor taking part in A Choral Feast 2 on Friday, April 19, 2024 at St. Andrew’s-Wesley. We’d like to extend a special 15% Friends & Family discount to the members of both organizations to share with their friends and family.

Please go to http://vancouverchamberchoir.vbotickets.com/event/a_choral_feast_2/102366 and use the promo code CF2024 to apply the discount. The discount is not valid on Under 18 tickets. Please share this promo code with all singers, staff, and board members, but we ask that you do not share it online or in any mass emails.

FROM TRISH SMITH

BACH’S ST JOHN PASSION

Join us in celebrating 300 years of this cherished Oratorio! The VBC is joined by members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to present Bach’s St John Passion. This monumental work was first performed on Good Friday, April 7, 1724. Don’t miss hearing a stellar lineup of musicians perform Bach’s St John Passion this Easter weekend, 300 years after its first performance. TICKET INFO: Tickets: $20-65 Click HERE to purchase FEATURING Leslie Dala | Conductor Vancouver Bach Choir With Members of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Magali Simard-Galdes | Soprano Krisztina Szabo | Mezzo Soprano Asitha Tennekoon | Tenor Neil Craighead | Bass

From Morna

Wow, this weather!  I hope everyone is out enjoying the sunshine and the blossoms.  We are so lucky to live here!

I’m confirming what I announced on Friday, that we have added an OPTIONAL rehearsal on Good Friday, March 29 at the usual time and place.  This was only added last week, and I totally understand if people have other plans.  Still, it seemed like a good idea to have those who are available singing together.  Thank you, Ken, for making the time.  Please inform your section leader as to your intentions that day.

Music to be rehearsed this Friday is listed on the weekly “Rehearsal Schedule” which is in the Singers’ Section of the website.  We will revisit Wind, Rising in the Alleys at less than its normal pace and fury, to give the new people a chance!

Cheers!

Morna

EnChor Weekly Announcements
February 26, 2024

From Morna

This Friday I will be meeting only with the singers doing the White Rock gig at 10:15am at Oceana PARC, 1575 George St, White Rock, BC V4B 0B6.  Our performance starts at 11am.  Please see the calendar for all details of roster,  repertoire, apparel, and parking.  Thank you, Valerie, for setting this up.  And then we have our planned lunch at Brown’s.  Should be fun!

I have finalized the repertoire for the May 5 spring concert, and it is:

1. Lullaby to an Ancient River by Robbie Smith, arranged by Frances Farrell
2. Moonset by Don Macdonald
3. Fogarty’s Cove by Stan Rogers, arranged by Ron Smail
4. Terre-Neuve by Marie-Claire Saindon
5. Fields of Gold by Sting, arranged by Ron Smail
6. Fix You by Coldplay, arranged by George Chung
7. Tabula Rasa by Don Macdonald
8. Nature Boy by Eden Ahbez, arranged by Ron Smail
9. Rise Up My Love by Laura Hawley
10. Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston
11. The Tree of Peace by Gwyneth Walker

This is a LOT of new music, and time is flying by, so please, especially with this 2-week gap between rehearsals, do some concentrated personal practice as often as you can.  Not only will we sing better, but you will have more fun as we approach May 5 and our other gigs. I am very proud of how EnChor is singing – let’s knock it out of the park every time we perform in public.

Note that Ron has kindly sent us a straightforward arrangement he did of Fields of Gold, which better reflects Sting’s original.  Later this week, we will circulate that PDF (and also provide hard copies on March 8 at rehearsal).  Lastly, I am remiss in not providing Don with suggested listening tracks for the website.  I’ll get that done ASAP and you will be notified that the website has been updated.

IMPORTANT SURVEY HERE – Please read carefully and respond by MARCH 3

We have been invited to sing at several upcoming events – a wonderful way to end the season and even have some singing in the summer for those who want to.  Before confirming, we need to know how many singers we would have for each. Before you click on the link and show your availability, please know that, for us to confirm some of them, I will want to know that we have a strong roster.  This is different from many of our care home outreach gigs where they don’t have room for all of us.  In the survey, “All Choir if Possible” means just that.  Please say “yes” if you can.

Cheers!

Morna

ATTENTION WHITE ROCK SINGERS-March 1 Parc gig

Click HERE the score with harmony for Moon River and click HERE FOR the words for the other singalongs. Please print them and bring them to the concert.

ENCHOR RAFFLE

Just imagine….three nights at the luxurious Wickaninnish Inn on Vancouver Island….

                     ….or a tasty tasting menu at the famous Cactus Club on Ash in Vancouver….

                     ….or a musical treat of two subscriptions to the Bach Choir’s 2024-2025 season.

These amazing items are the first, second and third prizes in this year’s EnChor Raffle. 

Our raffles have been very successful fundraisers for EnChor in the past.  This year we are trying something different and using a platform called RaffleNexus to help us sell the tickets.  There will be no paper tickets.

All tickets will be $15 and be available online only at enchor.rafflenexus.com starting Friday, March 1, 2024.  Tickets will be sold until May 5^th and the winning tickets will be drawn on Friday, May 10^th at our EnChor rehearsal.

Tickets are available to all BC residents, 19 years or older.  Unfortunately, your out-of-province friends and family are not eligible to participate.  Also, please note that if you were thinking of buying a ticket (or two??) as a surprise for someone, you must give that person’s email on the site and they will get a message from RaffleNexus thanking them for supporting EnChor. So, sadly, no surprise!

EnChor would like to thank the Wickaninnish Inn, the Cactus Club and the Bach Choir for supporting the choir through these wonderful prizes.  These prizes have all come about because of Dorothy and Ted Chaisson, Sandra Phillips, and Trish Smith. Many thanks to them as well!

There are only 800 tickets available, and we would like to sell them ALL!  So please, on March 1 send out the link to all your friends and family about the raffle and don’t forget to buy tickets yourself!

Here’s the link again: https://enchor.rafflenexus.com/

Singer Contact Information

Please check your contact information in the Members’ area of the website to ensure it is accurate and up to date and notify me of any changes. Click HERE to view current information.

FROM MORNA

Enjoy Friday’s rehearsal with Carrie Tennant. You are in for a treat!  Please give her the courtesy of your full attention. If you can find time to practice before Friday, please look at the brand new pieces.  

Looking ahead to the March 1 Outreach gig in White Rock, here is the roster.  Contact both me and your section leader if you see any error about your own involvement.  This is also in the Google Calendar listing for the gig.

• Soprano (8): Ann, Bette, Gail, Lori, Margaret, Maureen, Sue
• Alto (8): Barb, Heather, Jan, Kathie, Leslie, Maggie, Nancy, Valerie
• Tenor (6): Bruce, Graeme, John S, Paul, Richard, Ron
• Bass (8): Barry, Garnet, Jay, Larry, Peter O, Roy, Ted, Tony

There was some confusion last week about who sings “Top”, “Middle” and “Bottom” in the men’s section.  Please read the name tag on the magnetic board when you arrive at choir Friday.  For example, Doug Colwell is 

yellow = bass section

“1” = sings upper notes if the bass part splits

“B” = sings bottom if I have asked for an equal 3-way split in the tenors and basses.  I will always refer to “Top”, “Middle” and “Bottom” in this case.

I got an email from Paul Guiton who has joined a choir in Portugal that is also singing Fields of Gold!

Morna

Young At Heart

What a wonderful evening it was on Saturday!  Thank you to all of you who were able to come out for our social/fundraising event and make it such a special night.  The final figures aren’t in yet, but between the Silent Auction and the 50/50 we hope to have raised a good amount for our choir.

Many thanks to all our performers, all of whom wowed the audience with their performances.  And such a variety of offerings.  We are so fortunate to be part of such a talented group!

Thanks also to everybody who donated to the Silent Auction, bought 50/50 tickets, brought sweets and/or chocolate covered strawberries and brought their friends and family to enjoy the event.

So many people donated hours of time and energy to make Young At Heart the success it was. Many thanks to all those who helped organize everything ahead of time, as well as do various jobs during the night.

Thanks to John Culter for his photos documenting the event. They can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Great music! Great company! Great fun!

Cheers

Cathy

MISSING MUSIC?

Nancy Wolchok picked up #28’s copy of “Young at Heart”. She’ll bring it to rehearsal on Friday.

OSCAR NOMINATED DOCUMENTARY ABOUT A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT REPAIR SHOP

This is an amazing story recommended by Kyosti.

In a nondescript warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain over 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of the recording capital of the world. Watch “The Last Repair Shop,” directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers. Winner of the 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Awards for Best Short Documentary.

Click HERE to view.

From Morna

Thanks to everyone who sang in the Augustine House outreach concert.  I’m sure you all saw my Dad beaming in the audience.  He’s been hoping for a long time that that would happen!  He has had many accolades in the hallways from people who really enjoyed the performance.  Many thanks to Valerie for her excellent organizational work.

A warm welcome to new Alto 1, Margot Pritchard, who auditioned last Monday.  We continue to be blessed in this choir with wonderful new musicians coming in, and great balance!

This Friday, we welcome the Artistic Director of the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Kari Turunen, for a visit and clinic with us.  Many of us will remember last year’s visit, in which Kari got such a warm and vibrant tone from you.  I look forward to watching him work with you again. I believe he will be bringing some choral conducting students from the Vancouver Academy of Music with him to observe.  Should be a great morning.

I have suggested the following four pieces for Kari to work on with you.  I know some are in better shape than others.  If some of these are unfamiliar to you, please do some “woodshedding” before Friday.

• Sure on This Shining Night
• O, My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose
• Now is the Month of Maying
• Jesus Christ the Apple Tree

I also suggested, if Kari wants more or different rep, The Tree of Peace and Nature Boy, while telling him that we are still learning those. Even if they are not rehearsed this Friday, it is not wasted time if you can work on those also this week!

As announced at rehearsal, our spring concert, Fields of Gold, is now set for Sunday, May 5 at 7:00pm.  We will be 50+ members strong and with great balance. Thank you again for your patience as we herded all necessary cats to get that settled.

Our next Outreach concert is the morning of March 1 in White Rock.  This is the Friday on which only those doing the gig will meet, as it replaces our regular rehearsal time. I will confirm the roster next week by looking at the survey results you submitted a while back.

See you Friday!

Morna

EnChor Social:  Young at Heart

The planning committee is very excited about our upcoming social.  EnChor members have been so generous in offering their time and energy to this event, not to mention some very amazing Silent Auction donations!

We have been able to increase the number of people we can have at this social, so there are still tickets available.  Please think about asking your friends and family if they would like to join you for this fun evening. If you would like to purchase tickets (or more tickets!) please contact Nancy Wolchok at ncwolchok@gmail.com

We would really appreciate you ordering/buying your tickets ($25 each) by this Wednesday. The Food Committee is planning some yummy treats, but they need to know how many people to plan for.

More information to come next week!

FROM MORNA

Happy to see rain this week and looking forward to our rehearsal Friday morning.  

We will sing: O Love, Lullaby to an Ancient River, O, My Luve’s Like a Red, 

Red Rose, Fields of Gold, Rise Up My Love (by Laura Hawley – you will get this on Friday), The Summer Wind, You Make Me Feel So Young, and You’ve Got  Friend in Me.

Augustine House singers, please remember your concert attire and all music.  All details are in the calendar.

Morna

Young at Heart: EnChor February Social

What an amazing group of people in EnChor!  As we get ready for our February Social Young at Heart on February 10^th, EVERY SINGLE JOB in Chris’s Volunteer Sign Up Sheet has been filled! The support from our members for this event is wonderful.

Tickets

Tickets are selling fast.  We are only allowed to have 140 people at this event and already almost half the tickets have sold.  The tickets are being sold on a first come, first served basis and we don’t want one choir member to miss out on this.  If you haven’t ordered your ticket yet, please contact Nancy at ncwolchok@gmail.com to reserve your tickets as soon as possible.  You must buy a ticket in advance. They are $25 each.  Seating will be at tables of 8. Some of you will want to organize your own table of 8, but this still leaves lots of tables for others to sit at and get to know other choir members.

Silent Auction

This support carries on with our Silent Auction.  We still have 3 weeks to go before the big event, but already we have enough Silent Auction items. Many thanks to those of you who have donated items. And if you didn’t get a chance to donate something this year, don’t worry, there will be other years!  We hope to send out a list with descriptions of all the donated Silent Auction items to the choir in the near future so you can see the variety of items offered and plan ahead for February 10^th.

Cash or Credit Card?

There will be a 50/50 draw with tickets available at $2 for one ticket, $5 for 3 tickets and $10 for 7 tickets.  The 50/50 draw will be cash only.

We will have the ability to take credit card payments for drinks and Silent Auction items.

Entertainment

Thanks to everybody who has volunteered to perform.  We do understand that due to many circumstances like holidays and snow some people may not have had as much opportunity to rehearse as they would like.  Please feel free to withdraw if this is the case.  Maybe next year is your year! If you want to perform and haven’t contacted John Smit yet please do so as soon as possible at jsmit@mail.ubc.ca. There may still be some room available. 

PLEASE NOTE: If you would like to have Ken Cormier accompany you, it is up to you to contact him and arrange a time to rehearse. Ken’s email is kltncor@telus.net

More details to come in the next few weeks. It’s going to be a great event!

Cheers

Cathy

From Morna

Nice to be “off and running” with new rep.  Hopefully weather will not get in our way over the coming weeks.

If your name is one of the 20 listed below, I have not yet received your information about availability for the four spring concert options in May. Please grab your calendar and complete this survey today. Should just take a few minutes.

Pat, Gail, Maureen, Cathy, Maggie, Marnie, Aldyen, Heather, Carol, Hazel, Gale, Valerie, Pete, Bruce, Hyo, Ron, Roy, Doug, Don H, Barry

This Friday, we will rehearse the following: O Love, Lullaby to an Ancient River, O, My Luve’s Like a Red, Red Rose, Fields of Gold, Rise Up My Love (by Laura Hawley – you will get this on Friday), The Summer Wind, You Make Me Feel So Young.

Augustine House outreach concert on January 26.  All the information, including the roster and repertoire, is now in our Google Calendar.  Please have a look and let me know about any discrepancies.  I will cover this rep at least once this Friday and concert day on the 26th.

See you Friday!

Morna

Young at Heart update

Hello everyone,

Planning for our February 10 Social and Fundraiser, “Young at Heart”, is underway, and it looks like it will be a fabulous evening of music, with exciting silent auction items, a 50/50 draw, etc.!  We’re also planning on enjoying some lovely treats to eat and a glass of something for a toast at your table of 8.  Bring those spouses, partners, family or friends as well!  Remember to get your tickets ($25) from Nancy asap, as the venue holds only 140 people.

We will need lots of help for this evening to be a real success:  Think of some great silent auction items – we need more!  Also, below is a link to a Volunteer Sign-up spreadsheet, where you can add your name.  To save what you’ve added, you must hit ‘enter’ afterwards.  Then it’s saved when you exit the site.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WawKh5umJncfFTYA4B6xDItC0593lAJRAR8rqM2KryU/edit#gid=0

We’re looking forward to it,

The planning team

Membership Dues Reminder:

For those members who paid half the yearly fees in September, please note that the second half of your payment is now due.  ($200).  Payment can be made by cheque, cash or e-transfer to EnChor Choir at alderwols@shaw.ca

Tickets for “Young at Heart”

If you would like tickets for our February 10th Social “Young at Heart”, I suggest you let me (Nancy) know soon so that I can make a note of your request.  You can pay me when you get your tickets, either by cheque, cash or e-transfer.  We want to be sure that any choir members who wish to attend can get tickets for themselves, as well as for family and friends.  Remember, there is a limit of 140 tickets. Tickets are $25 each.

FROM MORNA

Looking forward to seeing everyone this Friday, January 12 at the usual time and place.  Please arrive early to hand in and pick up music.  Thank you to John Culter for all his hard work organizing the music for us.

We have three people auditioning that day.  Please greet them warmly.

Our first gig this term is the outreach performance on the afternoon of Friday, January 26 at Augustine House in Ladner (where my dad lives!).  Thank you for responding to the availability survey back in December.  Here is the roster I would like to confirm.  If you do not see your name here but could sing with us that day, please write to me at mornaedmundson@telus.net.  Or if you are listed but no longer available.  The details of time and place are in the calendar.  Rep and the finalized roster will be added shortly.

Soprano 1: Margaret, Pat, Bette C, and either Ann or Betty M (could the two of you discuss and decide? There is room for both if you would like to come)

Soprano 2: Sue, Kathryn, Sandra and either Lori or Sonya (could the two of you discuss and decide?  There is room for both if you would like to come)

Alto 1: Susan (anyone else available? I don’t think there is a ton of divisi though; I need to finalize the rep list)

Alto 2: Valerie, Nancy, Aldyen, Cathy B, Carol

Tenor 1: Graeme, Ron, Chris (anyone else available?)

Tenor 2: John S, Paul C (anyone else available?)

Bass 1: Jay, Ted Cragg

Bass 2: Barry, Garnet, Peter B, Peter O, Hoot

See you soon!

Morna

Changing Spring Concert Date

Despite our best efforts to plan ahead and give you lots of warning about when concerts are, we need to change a date. Due to a professional scheduling conflict, Morna is no longer available for our planned spring concert on Sunday afternoon, April 28. The board is looking at our options for the following weekend. Singer availability is of prime importance. Please get your calendar out and complete this very short survey by Thursday night, January 11th.

From the Library
As is usual with the new season, we have some music to collect and distribute. Could you please arrange on Friday to hand in everything in your folder, except for the following? We would like to have our Christmas books and whatever loose singalong sheets you might have from the past several months.

Music to keep

1.     An Irish Blessing
2.     Auld Lang Syne
3.     O Love
4.     Sure on This Shining Night
5.     The Summer Wind
6.     Tabula Rasa
7.     You’ve Got a Friend in Me
8.     You Make Me Feel So Young

It is Morna’s intention to program these for our various outreach visits in the spring. 

If you are not around on Friday, it would be a blessing if you could give your music to someone who is.  Alternatively, you could drop it off at our place, at 3932 West Broadway in Vancouver.  Come through the iron gate and leave it on the table by the patio door.  We would like to have everything in by Friday, January 19. If this doesn’t work for you, please let me know and we’ll figure something out.

Thanks very much.

John Culter, Librarian.