Society resurrects pioneering piece

It is often said the thrill of the chase makes any object worthwhile as the St. Albert Historical Society discovered when they opted to remount Pioneerin’ Spirit for the city’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

The nostalgic operetta, composed by local resident Jack McCreath (a Walterdale Theatre founder), was first staged at the 1979 Alberta Summer Games. Pioneerin’ Spirit telescoped St. Albert’s growth from Father Albert Lacombe’s arrival to its burgeoning position as a culturally defined 1970’s bedroom community. It was mounted outdoors in Grenadier Park, the slope behind Grandin Mall, complete with a live horse and cart.

Pioneerin’ Spirit was brought out of storage once again the following year and then lay dormant for the next three decades. When the historical society was scouting for a 150th anniversary tribute as part of their annual Founder’s Day production, a board member suggested a remount.

“All we had was a record. There were no musical charts. Jack had passed away. He was single and his only sister had also passed away. However, one member, Anna Eshpeter, had a vinyl record. We took it to a local composer, Cindy Oxley, and she transcribed all the music charts. It took several months to do it and it was kept faithful to the original,” explains Ray Pinco, chair of the St. Albert Historical Society.

The next hitch occurred after one group committed to performing the operetta backed out. In a scramble to find voices, Al Eshpeter, Anna’s husband and also a member of the Edmonton Swiss Men’s Choir (ESMC) persuaded several of his peers from ESMC and individual choristers from three other choirs to sing the score.

Al Eshpeter, who has been tapped to sing Father Lacombe’s role in the production, likens McCready’s score to Rodgers and Hammerstein, a popular musical style during the seventies. “There are a couple of lines here and there that make you think Jack took a cue from Oklahoma and that was part of his musical genius.”

While the first portion of the afternoon’s two-hour entertainment features Pioneerin’ Spirit, the second half highlights St. Albert’s mushrooming ethnic diversity as the full ESMC sings folk tunes in four European languages. Tenor Jerry Paravicini also dips into his Irish brogue to sing the poignant Danny Boy.

Music director Elizabeth Anderson has stepped aside due to illness and will be replaced by guest conductor Gloria Zaharia, an assistant conductor for the Ukrainian Dnipro Choir and St. John Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral Choir.

Pioneerin’ Spirit runs Jan. 14 to16 at the Arden Theatre.