'This is a really neat opportunity': Singers from across Manitoba invited to join virtual choir

Last year’s virtual performance of the “Wonderful World Medley” arranged by Winnipeg composer Jonathan Alexiuk drew more than 165 participants. (Source: Manitoba Choral Association)

WINNIPEG — Manitoba singers are raising their voices, and calling for others to join them.

The Manitoba Choral Association is gearing up for a virtual performance, and they are recruiting more singers ages 10 and up to add their voices to a virtual performance of “Wide Open Spaces” by Canadian composer Sarah Quartel.

The association’s president Stuart Sladden said it’s a piece many prairie singers will connect with.

“The piece itself basically describes a journey, whether it’s journeying out in the world, and then it transitions to journeying from within,” Sladden said. “We kind of liked the piece because there are a few little lines in here. So for example, one of the lines is ‘With big sky above me, I’m on my way, scanning the horizon of a brand new day.’ So the idea of that big sky really resonated with us here in the prairies,” Sladden said.

The virtual provincial choir came out of last year’s pandemic-related cancellation of the MCA’s provincial honour choir program. Sladden said that the program ran in-person for many years, drawing singers from across the province together for an intensive rehearsal weekend, concluding with a large concert.

“As an organization, we’re really trying hard to find ways to engage and reach out to our membership and we thought, ‘well, the idea of a virtual choir is something that many choirs have been participating with. So we thought, maybe we could do something along those lines that is provincially based so we would draw singers from across the province, much like the provincial honours choir program would,” Sladden said.

Last year’s virtual performance of the “Wonderful World Medley” arranged by Winnipeg composer Jonathan Alexiuk drew more than 165 participants.

“Last year the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. One of the main threads of the feedback that we actually received was just how nice it was to be singing again,” Sladden recalled.

No prior singing experience to join is required.

Once singers register, they will have access to the score, rehearsal aids and notes from the director. In March, singers will participate in two virtual rehearsals. Then, singers will video record themselves at home, with each video added to the final performance video. It will be released on May 2.

“This is a really neat opportunity to sing with singers from across the province, and there aren’t many opportunities to sing with other people,” Sladden said.

You can register by visiting the MCA’s website.