A three-day chorus festival that brought together hundreds of singers from across the province to learn from top music directors came to a close on Sunday, May 26, with a gala concert performance before an audience that filled South 91原创 Church in Brookswood.

It followed a weekend of rehearsals in 91原创 with high-profile choral clinicians by adult and youth singers from 24 communities, including 91原创, Maple Ridge, Prince George, Richmond, Vancouver, all taking part in the 2024.

As Willi Zwozdesky, BCCF executive director explained, the singers in the federation鈥檚 flagship event were able to perform well with only a few days rehearsal.

鈥淭he youth choir is an auditioned group of people [who had to sing to qualify for the event], so there鈥檚 nobody sort of sight reading [singing unfamiliar music directly from a written score] and just learning for the very first time,鈥� Zwozdesky remarked.

鈥淎nd the adult choir, of course, is comprised of very skilled and seasoned choral musicians. So there鈥檚 many, many years of choral experience on the stage.鈥�

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Dr. Julia Davids, artistic director of the Juno-nominated Canadian Chamber Choir and Director of Choral Activities at North Park University in Chicago was choral clinician and conductor of the Chorfest adult choir .

In written remarks printed in the concert program, Davids explained this year鈥檚 theme of Be the River.

鈥淎s Canadians we are very influenced by our natural surroundings, especially our many bodies of water,鈥� Davis commented.

鈥淩ivers and lakes are especially evocative 鈥� from a gentle, still, meandering stream to a fast-moving, vast, wide body of water such as the mighty Fraser River, rivers and lakes have inspired countless composers.鈥�

It was also the title of one of the featured works performed by the adult choir at the event, Canadian composer Stephanie Martin鈥檚 鈥淏e The River.

Dr. Tracy Wong, a published composer and assistant professor of choral studies at the Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University in London,Ontario, was choral clinician and conductor of the British Columbia Youth Choir at Chorfest, which performed similarly-themed works, including 鈥淢ore Waters Rising鈥� by Saro Lynch-Thomason.

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