Sunday April 23rd

7:30pm, St. Michael's Cathedral, Kelowna

Special Choral Evening with
Kokopelli Choir from Edmonton – Scott Leithead, Director
Lalin and Corazon from Nelson – Allison Girvan, Director

Monday, April 24th

7:30pm, Vernon Performing Arts Centre

Festival Mass Choir

Staff Woodwind Quintet from Edmonton's RCA Band

Repertoire TBA

Tuesday, April 25th

7:30pm, Vernon Performing Arts Centre

Vernon Performing Arts Centre

UBC Brass Ensemble

Slide Rule Trombone Quartet

Repertoire TBA

Performer Bios

Lalin

The Lalin Vocal Ensemble is a 40-member ensemble directed by Allison Girvan All around the world, choirs are rebuilding after a rough couple of years and Nelson’s choirs are no different.

In the case of Lalin Vocal Ensemble, directed by Allison Girvan, this rebuild includes a redefinition of their identity. Prior to the pandemic, Lalin was a young adult group created as an off-shoot of the youth choir Corazón, at that time also directed by Girvan. For the past year, Malaika Horswill has been conducting Corazón, which has meant an opportunity for Lalin to find its own niche.

“Last year, we were still taking small steps to transition out of the restrictions that kept choirs from singing together at all,” says Girvan. “We held our membership to 20 committed singers who encouraged each other and forged a beautiful connection through the season.” This year, Lalin is full to capacity at 40 singers who rehearse weekly. “The joy at each rehearsal is palpable,” says Girvan. “It feels as though each time we meet, we are pouring out our souls as an act of resilience and to remind each other of the power in community.”

And now Lalin is ready and excited to share that power with an audience. Their first public event will be as featured guests at a remembrance-themed performance entitled Ridge, by Brendan McLeod and The Fugitives presented by the Capitol Theatre on Nov. 10. This show honours the young lives lost at the Battle of Vimy Ridge by bringing the words and songs of WWI soldiers back to life. Tickets are available through the Capitol box office at 250-352-6363 or online at capitoltheatre.ca.

Corazon

Corazón is an auditioned choir of singers 15 years and up founded by Allison Girvan and newly directed by Malaika Horswill in Nelson, B.C.

​ True to its name, the group sings from the heart and has in turn won the hearts of many Canadian audiences in the 21 years since it began.

Corazón has gained a reputation for its fresh, surprising presentations of an innovative world music repertoire and for its focus on social justice.

In 2009, Nelson City Council named Corazón the town’s official cultural ambassador.

The goal of Corazón’s singers is to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others by experiencing music from many cultures in many languages.

The ensemble feels that by exploration in rehearsal, and presentation in concert, we are all, singers and listeners alike, drawn together to embrace our similarities and share in the celebration of our differences.

Kokopelli

Kokopelli Choirs is a community choir family based in Edmonton, Alberta. We offer musical growth and performance opportunities through seven choirs for singers aged 5 to adult and early childhood music experiences for preschoolers. Known for innovative performances, wide-ranging repertoire, and musical excellence, Kokopelli Choirs believes in the power of music to create diverse, inclusive, and strong communities.

In the 2022-2023 season, COVID safety measures will be adjusted according to current pandemic conditions.

Our seven choirs encompass every age from 5 to adult. They are:

• Kokopelli (ages 14-24) - an auditioned mixed-voice youth choir, our flagship ensemble
• Òran (young adults 20 & up) - an auditioned mixed-voice choir that enjoys a busy performance schedule and challenging repertoire
• Shumayela (ages 12-16) - an auditioned youth choir that includes some changed voices every year, a busy and vibrant crew of young singers
• Kikimasu (ages 9-12) - our youngest auditioned choir, treble voices singing in several parts
• Tamariki (ages 5-9) - our non-auditioned starter choir, with several sections rehearsing in smaller groups
• Vacilando (adults) - an auditioned mixed-voice choir with a slightly more relaxed performance schedule
• ChandraTala (adults) - an auditioned upper-voice choir for experienced singers of any gender

Kokopelli has received several honours, including the YMCA Peace Medal, the Edmonton Salute to Excellence, and the Syncrude award for Innovative Artistic Direction. Kokopelli's ensembles have placed first in competitions both provincially and nationally. However, our focus remains not on winning awards, but on reaching singers and audience members through our performances.

We acknowledge that all our choirs gather to sing and perform on Treaty Six territory, which is the traditional and ancestral meeting ground of many Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Nakota Sioux, and Saulteaux. We acknowledge this land is also home to the Métis Settlements and the Métis Nation of Alberta.

Founded in 1996 by artistic director Scott Leithead, Kokopelli continues to grow and evolve, but our core values are unchanged:

• we are a community
• we are learners
• we strive to be artists
• we explore music's meaning
• we cultivate gratitude
• we exercise self-discipline
• we celebrate vulnerability
• we seek diversity
• we sing with open hearts because our music is both important and beautiful

RCA Band Woodwind Quintet

Today, the RCA Band comprises 35 full-time musicians. Applications for positions in the band submit to a competitive audition process, and selected musicians often have multiple music degrees and extensive professional experience. Each musician must also complete a full range of military training including weapons handling and battle fitness testing. The RCA Band performs as a 35-piece Brass/Reed Parade Band, a 35-piece Concert Band, and in various smaller configurations:

• The RCA Pipes & Drums
• Jazz Big Band: The Rhythm Gunners
• 10 Piece Ensemble: The Windage Salon Orchestra
• The Pop/Rock Band: Soul Orchestra
• The Small Jazz Ensembles: Jazz Task Force
• Chamber groups:
• The Woodwind Quintet
• The Brass Quintet
• The Heavy Artillery Clarinet Quartet

Commanding Officer and Director of Music: Captain C.J. Bain CD
Band Sergeant Major: Master Warrant Officer A.A. Albino CD

UBC Brass Ensemble

Ensembles of all sizes and styles exist at the UBC School of Music. Large and small and incredibly diverse, our student ensembles range in size from trios and quartets to the 110-member UBC Symphony Orchestra. They play in dozens of traditions and styles, from Bach to Balinese Gamelan and everything in between. This ensemble features talented brass students from the band and orchestral programs at the University.

Slide Rule Trombone Quartet

The "Slide Rule Trombone Quartet” is an exciting new brass chamber group centred in the Okanagan Valley. Comprised of Angus Armstrong, Wade Dorsey, Bob Rogers, and Gordon Waters, the group plays a wide selection of musical styles, including works by Bach, Mozart, Saint Saens, Ellington, the Beatles, Jobim and many more. Wade, Bob and Gord are long time members of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and they also perform regularly in numerous other ensembles throughout the valley. Angus has recently relocated to Vernon from Ottawa, where he played for many years in the RCMP band as well as performing with numerous orchestras and other ensembles. Together they bring the rich, vibrant sound of the trombone to repertoire that is both familiar and new to listeners in a manner that is exciting, beautiful and always musical.