BU choral group finally back on the road

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This article was published 02/05/2023 (1249 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of Brandon University Chorale are still coming down from a performance high after last week’s series of concerts, which marked the advanced chamber choir’s first tour since 2019.

To help make up for lost time, this collection of 18 choral students, instrumentalists and instructors took part in shows on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border.

This included stops at Northlands Parkway Collegiate in Winkler (Wednesday), the Mennonite Collegiate Institute in Gretna (Wednesday), the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. (Thursday), North Dakota State University in Fargo (Friday) and finally the Morden Mennonite Church (Saturday).

Chorale conductor Andrée Dagenais said the international tour served as a great opportunity for the vocal students to “come out of their shell,” since they’ve had to endure long periods of performing solo or in small groups because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dagenais said these small-scale performances can’t compare to the educational value of showcasing one’s vocal range in front of a large group of people, especially when you’re asked to adjust your technique on the fly with every new venue.

“Whether it’s a really beautiful hall or a church that is carpeted, this also adds to their learning, how to adapt to all those different acoustics,” she said.

The concerts allowed BU students to connect and collaborate with high school and post-secondary students — interactions that were also in short supply during the early days of COVID, Dagenais added.

“They were so comfortable about informing these high school students about what the university life and student music is like here at BU,” she said. “So it was very nice to see how they were spontaneous and open and extroverted and bubbly and expressive. That’s all good.”

BU Chorale performed a variety of compositions throughout the recent international tour, including music from Canadian composers like Sid Robinovitch, Sherryl Sewepagaham and Melody McKiver.

However, the most meaningful piece of music the group tackled this past week belonged to BU alumna Jocelyn Morlock, who died March 27 at the age of 53.

After graduating from BU in 1994, Morlock went on to make a major mark in the industry, becoming the composer in residence for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and eventually winning a Juno award in 2018 for classical composition of the year.

To pay tribute to Morlock’s legacy, BU Chorale made sure to perform one of her most high-profile works, a song titled “Exaudi,” on the road, which added an extra layer of emotional complexity to the proceedings.

“You connect with the idea of one’s passing but one being still alive through her music,” Dagenais said. “So it was really a combination of mixed emotions to carry the tour and to present that work. That was very, very special.”

With this tour behind them and exam season wrapped up, Dagenais and her fellow BU music instructors — including soprano Sarah Hall, pianist Dianna Neufeld and cellist Leanne Zacharias — are already looking ahead.

Given BU Chorale’s pedigree — having previously visited countries such as France and Cuba to showcase their collective talent — Dagenais really wants to hit the ground running next fall and organize some concerts that will take place throughout the entire school year.

While some local music students are still adjusting to in-person activities following a lengthy period of inactivity brought about by COVID, Dagenais hopes last week’s international tour was a positive reminder of what this group dynamic has to offer in terms of improving one’s artistic development and mental health.

“You develop something quite special that you cannot develop when you go home every night,” she said.

“You travel together, you’re in small quarters, you bond and that bonding brings a lot of confidence to students. It’s an important part of it.”

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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