Bells and more in Morinville

There is great dramatic power in a choir of 110 voices. Couple that with the sparkling tones of 16 handbell ringers, and there’s a depth of sound and harmony that gives a concert musical finesse.

This coming Sunday, December 15, the jubilant sound of Concordia Community Chorus, the Bells of Concordia and the 19-member a cappella Bella Voce will raise their voices in unison for A Northern Nativity at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre.

The two-hour concert features a narrative and visuals of paintings from a children’s book by Canadian painter William Kurelek. The Alberta-born artist had painted the series depicting the nativity as if Christ was born in various Canadian settings.

Narrator Fabian Rogozinsky will weave an impassioned tale tying song, story and visuals together. The tale is Kurelek’s original commentary on the paintings.

“The story is about a boy dreaming – what if the nativity had happened in Canada. We open with the visual of an Inuit painting. Other places we go to are Ottawa, the prairies with cowboys, down a river, on a farm, with the homeless. In all these places we imagine if Jesus was born there,” says Dr. Joy Berg, musical director of Concordia Community Chorus and Bella Voce.

The ensembles will sing and ring traditional, modern, Christmas and winter pieces in a fast-paced stream of music.

“It is a message of peace and goodwill towards mankind that is universal across the world,” Berg adds.

The concert includes two world premieres. They are Betty Radford’s arrangement of Holst’s Jupiter – O God Beyond All Praising.

“She took The Planets arrangement for handbells but inserted choir for four parts into it. I like how she has stayed true to the symphonic verse.”

In 2012 the arrangement won first place at the Alberta Guild of Handbells in the new composition category.

The Concordia Chorus also sings Darryl Dewalt’s four-part choral arrangement of A Voice in the Night.

“It came out of a stay at bible camp where he decided to write for handbells.”

In a highlight moment, the celestial voice of Christine Donkin from Bella Voce is poised to sing Magnificat as a soloist.

“The choir will grab on to a few notes, hang onto them and it becomes a wash of sound.”

For Berg the concert’s anchor points will be the family friendly carols that everyone is invited to sing in the lobby to the accompaniment of bells.

“It’s an incredible phenomena. It’s a combination of bells and voices and that makes it unique. The use of visuals will also make it unique and to sing in the lobby with accompaniment is also unique.”