Cantilon Choirs merry musical Christmas

As artistic founder of Cantilon Choirs, conductor Heather Johnson continually nurtures her multiple choruses into an art form.

While the nights darken and grow longer, Cantilon Choirs once again brighten the festive spirit of the season with Salvator Mundi this coming Sunday at the Winspear Centre.

The luxurious Winspear, where there is not one bad seat in its expansive hall and the sound is acoustically flawless, is the ideal venue for Cantilon’s 175 acclaimed choristers.

“Just the fact we are singing in the Winspear, a stunning and beautiful venue and the quality of song will make this a special concert. These kids sing like angels, and over the years the production values have increased. It’s now more like a show than a choir,” said Johnston.

With six records, and numerous European tours and competitions notched in their belts, the highly accomplished vocalists have developed a gold-plated reputation across Canada and the international choral front.

The full family of choristers – the KinderSingers, Primary Choir, Children’s Choir, Chamber Choir and Belle Canto, will exhibit their stylistic imprint with a two-part classical repertoire.

The first half is a version of Susan Hammond’s Christmas on Main Street, a setting of the first Christmas story told through Christmas songs, classical carols and poetry readings. There is even a visit from a white bearded Santa.

“Main Street is geared to younger kids. The scene changes a lot with possibly a song followed by poetry and then there’s a soloist or a choir presentation or a narration of the birth of Christ. It’s a brilliant introduction to classical music for young children.”

The second half features 20th century composer William Mathias’ much-lauded choral work Salvator Mundi translated as Saviour of the World.

As a child prodigy, the Welsh composer started playing piano at age three, eventually penning large-scale works including opera.

Salvator Mundi is a set of seven alternating secular and sacred Christmas poems mixing a quirky blend of the tranquil, haunting and high-spirited.

The text is borrowed from a series of renaissance and medieval scripts spinning yarns relating to the different sides of Christmas from fear and wonder to joyous dance songs.

“They all have a very slow lullaby feeling or a buoyant feeling. In either case Salvator Mundi is a rich experience for both the singers and the audience.”

The program concludes with a choral version of Do You Hear What I Hear? and Ralph Vaughn Williams’ God Bless the Master.

Special guests percussionist John McCormick, organist Jeremy Spurgeon and a string quartet will accompany the choristers.

If you would like to forget the feverish consumerism of the holidays for a few hours, this is a concert that revisits the reverence of Christmas in tandem with its innocent gaiety.