A Message from Jon Washburn
Dear Vancouver Chamber Choir fans,
Yes, this season is our 40th - certainly cause for celebration, and we intend to celebrate by presenting you with the largest and finest package of professional choral concerts available on this continent. So, in a sense it’s just business as usual, for that’s what we try to do every year... bring you a subscription series of great music in terrific performances. I guess the fact that we’re still here 40 years later shows that we’ve been pretty successful in reaching that goal.
There are many special highlights to the season for you to note, starting with the last three of our six 40th Anniversary Commissions for choir and orchestra. (You’ll remember the first three - the outstanding new pieces by John Tavener, Peter Berring and R Murray Schafer which we premiered last season.) This year the composers are Canadian superstars Stephen Chatman and Imant Raminsh at the Orpheum concerts and the brilliant young British composer Tarik O’Regan at the Chan.
Expect a party atmosphere in the Orpheum concerts: at Christmas a large number of the Choir’s former singers will be joining us on stage for a gala carol sing! And on Good Friday, we’ll be hosting the many good people who have served as board directors and administrators over the last 40 years - though this bunch won’t be required to sing!
All of our regular features will be back, too. There will be appearances of our excellent young Assistant Conductor, John William Trotter; actor Russell Roberts will be back with some more Dylan Thomas readings; music from Tour Number 80 (!) ; the voices of Pacifica Singers, the Vancouver Cantata Singers, the Focus! Choir of university singers, the BC Girls Choir; the Young Composers Competition and the associated Young Composer Commissions of past winners; the eager conductors from the National Conductors’ Symposium. And, of course, music!... music!... music!... from Renaissance to Modern, from serious to fun, from Old Masters to Young Prodigies. You’ll love it!
However, even as we celebrate our longevity, we remember that all of our province’s arts groups, including ourselves, are threatened by the ravages of the recession and misguided policy-makers. People ask me, "What can I do to help preserve the arts and organizations that I love?" My answer is five-fold: first, buy your subscriptions and show your support through your presence at the concerts. Second, if you can, give generous donations to assist with all the behind-the-scenes efforts that keep the arts alive. Third, bring your friends and neighbours to the concerts, too - talk it up! That’s the best way to help build the size of arts audiences. Four, remember your favourite arts groups in your will. And five, write to your elected officials frequently. Tell them (over and over) how important the arts are to us all - urge them to help maintain the arts as an essential part of civilized society. If you can do any or all of those things you will graduate from concert-enjoyer to Patron of the Arts! Bravo to you for building the future.
After all, 40 years is a great start, but surely the best is yet to come!
Sincerely,
Jon Washburn
Conductor and Artistic Director