Voices raised to heaven

Composers love the angelic voices of choirs and over the centuries they have composed thousands upon thousands of glorious sheets of chamber music for them.

This coming Saturday evening, Chronos Vocal Ensemble opens its season by performing five centuries of sacred music at the cathedral-type setting of Morinville’s St. Jean Baptiste Parish.

Artistic director Jordan van Biert has plunged into the vast catalogue of classical music to unearth both familiar and lesser known works from Bach, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Bruckner, Purcell, Esenvalds, Rachmaninoff and Vaughn Williams.

The 32-mixed a cappella choir also includes a salute to Canadian composers Healey Willan, Jeff Enns, Robin King and Peter Togni.

“We wanted to perform for an audience that would not normally see us in Edmonton. We wanted to build a larger audience base and profile,” said singer Anne-Marie Switzer.

Now in her second year with Chronos, Switzer is also Morinville Public School’s music teacher. Although she sings alto with Chronos, Switzer trained as a mezzo-soprano at the University of Regina focusing on classical music and opera.

She notes that although Chronos is considered an amateur ensemble, everyone is a trained professional with a high calibre of musicality.

In fact, the four-year-old ensemble still considered a newbie on the block, was nationally recognized in its second year. Its nine-track self-titled CD won the Canada Council’s Healy Willan’s Grand Prize.

“Chronos has been very humble in part because it’s so new, but we sing very advanced repertoire.”

This past summer, the choir toured Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Regina, Moose Jaw and Camrose. A mix of new works and polished tour pieces form the 80-minute recital.

Choristers will flex their language skills singing the German works of Bach and Mendelssohn along with the Russian phrasing of Rachmaninoff and Erik Ensenvalds’ Latvian rhythms.

Switzer credits van Biert’s tremendous drive for the ensemble’s ongoing success in breaking down barriers and attracting new audiences.

“Jordan has high expectations and that’s why we love him so. He’s passionate about music and he clearly leads by example and he also has a great vision.”

In a tongue-in-cheek moment, Switzer adds that classical music can be difficult for people to digest.

“But here we have a choir that can make a sound softer than the human voice or louder than 100 voices. It’s incredible. You can’t deny the level of professionalism it takes to be so successful.”