Westman choir continues to evolve

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This article was published 13/02/2023 (1182 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of Konektis explored some uncharted territory this past Saturday night by performing at The 40 nightclub in Brandon instead of their usual venues, like a church or community theatre.

With the surroundings being so noticeably different, the adult choir even used this unfamiliar venue to debut some new material, including their own arrangements of established songs like “This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush.

While the more laid-back atmosphere was a nice change of pace for the Westman singers, artistic director Michelle Chyzyk told the Sun this show falls in line with the general direction Konektis is taking with its current season, where the group is seeking out new experiences and different ways to share their love of music.

“I think we’re always trying to come up with exciting ventures and rethink standard choral practices, just to be a little more charismatic, perhaps,” she said Saturday morning.

Konektis’ 2022-23 season actually kicked off on Oct. 30 with a first-time collaboration, with the group performing “Shadow and Light, An Alzheimer’s Journey” in Brandon alongside the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Co-conductor Marla Fontaine credits Chyzyk for putting this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” together, since her colleague spent the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic searching for some meaningful music that would make for a show-stopping, in-person concert once health restrictions lifted.

Chyzyk eventually stumbled upon “Shadow and Light,” which hit particularly hard since her mother is living with Alzheimer’s.

“So it was some challenging and emotional music. Very touching, very powerful,” Fontaine said.

“And then, to get to hear it and perform it with the [Winnipeg] symphony was unbelievable. They’re so talented and they brought everything to life.”

Konektis’ current creative drive can also be traced back, in part, to the early days of the pandemic, when choir members were forced to think outside the box if they wanted to perform together in any capacity.

After enduring group rehearsals outdoors and over Zoom, the group eventually decided to produce its very first professional music videos in late 2020.

One of these productions featured members performing Royal Canoe’s “Walk Out on the Water” in front of recognizable Brandon landmarks while wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

Not only did Konektis continue to make music videos last year, but the choir’s creative ambition is taking them all the way to Carnegie Hall in early April, as 35 of its 50 members are scheduled to perform at the venue’s “Canada at Carnegie” concert.

This upcoming trip to New York City is particularly exciting for Rachelle Lesy, who works as a nurse in Brandon and has been performing with Konektis since the group originally formed in 2016.

Outside of the sheer thrill of being able to visit the Big Apple with her family, Lesy is also looking forward to collaborating with different composers and conductors at the concert who can hopefully take the Westman choir into interesting new directions moving forward.

“So I really feel this is a rebuilding year and I think next year … the sky’s the limit,” she said. “We’re just going to keep going.”

Despite all these changes, Konektis isn’t forgetting about its roots during this current season.

Next month, the choir will be visiting various venues in rural Westman, with shows taking place at Virden’s Auditorium Theatre (March 2), the Minnedosa Community Conference Centre (March 9) and the Carberry Community Hall (March 23).

The season will then officially come to a close April 19 with a concert at Knox United Church in Brandon.

Another Konektis tradition staying strong this season is the unique makeup of its members, who vary wildly in terms of age, profession and musical background.

This includes performers like Lesy, who largely abandoned singing after high school in favour of a career in nursing, but was brought back into the fold after Chyzyk, her childhood music teacher, suggested she join Konektis.

“I was one of the original members in 2016 and it is my guilty pleasure,” Lesy said.

“Every week I get to ignore the stress of health care and COVID and being a busy mom, and I do something for myself.”

Even though the group recently underwent a roster shakeup, with only a handful of founding members now remaining, Fontaine believes that this influx of diverse new talent has already managed to gel with the material and tackle some high-level repertoire, which puts the choir’s future on very solid ground.

“And now we have a stronger-than-ever group, especially our tenor and bass sections,” the co-conductor said. “My hope is we continue to build our group and get to work with other amazing choirs.”

In the spring, Konektis is holding auditions for their 2023-24 season.

Any experienced choral musicians interested in applying should follow the official Konektis Facebook page for more information.

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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