Month: December 2020

On Day 11 of our Holiday Countdown, members of the Bach Elgar Choir share some of their favourite holiday music!

Cheryl Oudyk can’t let a holiday go past without watching and listening to the Nutcracker Suite.

Community Board Member Jeffery Holk and his family love the Christmas Song by Nat King Cole and The Christmas Waltz by Frank Sinatra.

Susan Arena needs a little Carol of the Bells to make it through the holidays and who can blame her!

Our Board Chair Jane Savage and her family love Once in Royal David’s City and always run through Michael Bublé Christmas Album and anything by King’s College Cambridge Choir.

Although Kathryn Newell really likes most of the traditional Christmas carols, one of her favourite songs is actually Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Crosby. Kathryn’s Dad sang like Crosby and this carol brings her joy as it brings back warm memories of her father, his love for music and that love influenced her life in music.

Maija Saari’s #1 pick was also Little Drummer Boy by Crosby and Bowie! Her favourite holiday album, though, is definitely The Best Christmas Album in the World…Ever! by a crew of greats, too many to list!

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Please consider donating to the Bach Elgar Choir and help support one of the country’s oldest arts organizations.

Day 10 of our BEC Holiday Countdown brings you a fun family-friendly idea that can be done outside. It’s even lockdown-friendly (with masks and while distancing, of course)!

Why not try a Scavenger Hunt on your next walk around the neighbourhood or on your favourite local trail hike with loved ones? 

Here are a few great sample hunts to get you started. They can be as easy or as hard as you like, depending on the age of your participants. Print out the sheets below, or create your own! You can check off items with a pen or pencil or take pictures of your finds. The idea is to get outside and have some fun!

Please share your scavenger hunt pics with us on Facebook! Be sure to check out tomorrow’s post, when BEC choristers and board members share their favourite holiday music.

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Please consider donating to the Bach Elgar Choir and help support one of the country’s oldest arts organizations.

1. When was the Bach Elgar Choir established?
   • This is a trick question! The Elgar Choir was established in 1905. It joined with the Bach Choir after the Second World War, in 1946.
2. When did the ensemble first present Handel’s Messiah in concert?
   • The Elgar Choir first presented the Messiah in 1914.
3. Who founded the Elgar Choir and when?
   • Bruce Carey founded the Elgar Choir in 1905.
4. Who founded the Bach Choir and when?
   • Graham Godfrey founded the Bach Choir in 1931.
5. Who was the Bach Elgar Choir’s only female conductor?
   • Denise Narcisse-Mair was conductor of the Bach Elgar Choir in 1980–81.
6. Edward Elgar enjoyed several hobbies and sometimes had to be “bullied” into work (by his wife, apparently). Can you name at least two of his hobbies/pastimes?
   • Elgar was a keen cyclist (he purchased two bikes over the years and named them both “Mr. Phoebus.”) He also enjoyed golf and horse racing, and dabbled in chemistry, gardening and woodworking.
7. How many children did J.S. Bach have?
   • Bach had 20 children, ten of whom died in childhood. Sadly, childhood mortality rates were high in the 18th century.
8. Which of the following orchestras has BEC not performed with?
   • Russian Symphony
   • Toronto Symphony Orchestra
   • Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
   • Pittsburgh Orchestra

This was another trick question, as the ensemble has performed with all 4 in its long history (and others besides!)

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Please consider donating to the Bach Elgar Choir and help support one of the country’s oldest arts organizations.

BEC Trivia!

Think you know the Bach Elgar Choir? While you’ll find the answers to some of these questions on our History page, others might take some more research…

1. When was the Bach Elgar Choir established?
2. When did the ensemble first present Handel’s Messiah in concert?
3. Who founded the Elgar Choir and when?
4. Who founded the Bach Choir and when?
5. What was the name of the Bach Elgar Choir’s only female conductor?
6. Edward Elgar enjoyed several hobbies and sometimes had to be “bullied” into work (by his wife, apparently). Can you name at least two of his hobbies/pastimes?
7. How many children did J.S. Bach have?
8. Which of the following orchestras has the ensemble not performed with?
   Russian Symphony
   Toronto Symphony Orchestra
   Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
   Pittsburgh Orchestra

Like this post? Please spread the love and share on your Facebook page. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Please consider donating to the Bach Elgar Choir and help support one of the country’s oldest arts organizations.

Innovation Maintains Tradition: Bach Elgar Choir creates a live virtual singalong event for Handel’s Messiah

By Maija Saari (18 December 2020)

It seemed at the outset to be a very tall order.

In the middle of November, the Bach Elgar Choir set a goal to mount a performance of its popular Singalong Messiah a few weeks away. Many choirs and orchestras were hosting broadcasts of pre-recorded events for the season.

A live event – under such a tight deadline – was something else altogether.

On December 12, over 180 people logged in to hear a pared-down chamber choir of seven singers, accompanied by the exemplary pianist Krista Rhodes. Artistic Director Alexander Cann, framed on camera in front of a series of digital images from the choir’s archives and beyond, led the small group through a free live performance of highlights from George Frederic Handel’s Baroque-era seasonal oratorio.

Without the fulsome sound of large choir and orchestra, much depended upon the strengths of the six vocalists in the room. All were spread out in a local high school cafeteria, singing in a manner to ensure maximum protection from any potential spread of the virus. Cann was thrilled by the sound the small ensemble was able to create.

“What they did was really great and darn difficult to do.  Just from a sheer exertion point of view it was impressive,” said Cann.  “Handel is technically demanding as it is but this was performed under bizarre circumstances: distanced, masked, barriers, microphones.”

Local logistics surmounted, the next challenge was getting that great sound to a live audience of listeners at home.

Choir members and their leaders don’t typically require a lot of expertise in digital media broadcasting technologies. But the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing live performing arts organizations into entirely new worlds. Innovation, experimentation, trial and error are the new normal.  So is the generous sharing of ideas and solutions between choirs.

Building on examples of various technologies used by the Oakville Choral Society, Chorus Niagara and others, the Bach Elgar Choir board and artistic leadership settled on a platform and format that could accommodate live virtual rehearsals, in late November.

A concert was the next step. Much of the learning was intensive and fast-paced. Cutting-edge advancements to virtual conferencing technologies were occurring at the same time. The Zoom software deployed, for example, had an update only days before the performance that helped optimize the sound for musical broadcast.

“It was essentially on Zoom’s recent assertions that it could support music that I felt confident enough to go ahead with it,” said Cann. “Trouble was none of us really knew what that meant or how to go about it, so there was a lot of testing and planning.” 

Chorus member volunteers took on the challenge of leading the technical broadcast, with much troubleshooting and learning in the week prior to the event.

“Well, we got there, thanks to the persistence of Doug and Tim, and the many more who gave us feedback on our tests,” said Cann.

Board Chair Jane Savage was quick to praise the ground-breaking efforts of choir volunteers who took on the challenge.

“This was a true team effort, with many choir and board volunteers stepping up to help realize Alex’s vision,” said Savage.

Before the team knew it, it was showtime. At home, guests and most of the BEC members listened. Those who chose to sing along were welcome to do so in a rather unusual way – with home microphones muted. The technology is not quite there to enable sound to flow back and forth without a slight lag. However, the experience of a choir in your ears as you sing is pretty close to the real thing.

There were some hiccups and barriers, but when the performance ended, many of the guests and choristers took the moment to unmute themselves.  The appreciation and connection was palpable.

“This felt, in many ways, like the live show it actually was,” said Cann.  “We gave our audience the elation of engaging with something entirely precious. As a first attempt we at least proved it could be done and that live arts — by which I mean meaningful, purposeful, beautiful stuff — can still happen in COVID times.

“There have not been a lot of these experiences lately for any of us. There is a need out there – it felt great puncturing the COVID wall, even in a small way.”

Wondering what to read over the holidays and in the New Year? On Day 7 of our BEC Holiday Countdown, artistic director Alexander Cann shares some book suggestions for readers who want to expand their knowledge of classical music…and Hamilton, of course! If It Ain’t Baroque: More Music History as It Ought to Be Taught by David Barber. Actually I only include this title because of the excellent segue but it is essential reading.  Barber’s Bach, Beethoven and the Boys: Music History as It Ought to Be Taught is the first title in the series and the funniest.  I reread his books continually, hooked by his hilarity.  Canadian chap, what? Fritz Spiegl’s Book of Musical Blunders and other Musical Curiosities by (you guessed it) Fritz Spiegl. Based in Britain, Spiegl is not widely known here but ought to be.  This book and one other title of his I have managed to get my claws on (Music Through the Looking Glass) are some of the funniest books ever written, full stop.  And full of an insider’s knowledge of the rich musical world of London.  The Book of Blunders makes occasional appearances at my rehearsals: for people who really like to mess stuff up it is required reading. The Lives of the Great Composers by Harold C. Schonbert A classic, widely known and widely read and just excellent in its scholarship and style.  Each chapter a different composer and a fascinating window into a different world. The Love Lives of the Great Composers by Basil Howitt Not in the same category of quality here, Howitt may lack the sophistication or panache of the other authors, and yet: a highly enjoyable, up-to-date, candid, and extremely interesting read. Well worth it, available in paperback, pairs well with eggnog. Reclaiming Hamilton by Paul Weinberg, ed It touches on music but is really a general reader on Hamilton today.  Published this benighted year, Weinberg’s compendium looks at our city through many lenses. Chapters on the history of immigration in Hamilton and the experience of working in the arts as a person of colour are eye-opening and informative. Although we’ve provided Amazon links for most of these titles, please consider ordering them through one of our local bookstores, such as Epic Books or James Street Booksellers. Grab one of Susan’s Cherry Snowballs (see recipes from Day 2 of our countdown), careful not to spill on your new books and dive in!! Please spread the love and share on your Facebook page. Be sure to check out tomorrow’s posts, when we test your knowledge of BEC trivia! Happy Holidays and Happy Reading from our BEC libraries to yours. Please consider donating to the Bach Elgar Choir and help support one of the country’s oldest arts organizations.

DAY 6 of BEC Holiday Countdown brings you a fun craft idea for the kiddos in your life! 
(Thanks to board member Lisa Beattie for today’s holiday craft suggestion.)

In this, the strangest of years, when we are isolated more than ever from each other, why not send a HUG in the mail to those you miss and may not see this holiday season. 

Instructions:

1. Spread out on a long sheet of craft or butcher paper.
2. Trace the child’s head, arms, and torso onto the paper.
3. As your child to decorate as they see fit – paint, markers, crayons, stickers, whatever you have laying around.
4. You can cut out the “hug” either before or after decorating.
5. Print or write out the message below to accompany the hug.

I miss you when you’re far away
I’d love to see you everyday
But since I can’t come over to play,
I’m mailing you a hug today!
So although it may be quite a sight,
Wrap my arms around you tight,
Repeat daily to keep your smile bright,
Until we get to reunite!

6. Fold it all up and mail in an envelope! (Or drop it off, if you can do so safely!)

Here’s another option, if you don’t have a large enough piece of paper at home:

Consider this our “mailed” hug to each and every one of you! Happy Holidays!

Like this post? Please spread the love and share on your Facebook page. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Be sure to check out tomorrow’s post, when our Artistic Director, Alexander Cann, shares some reading suggestions for the holidays.

Please consider donating to the Bach Elgar Choir and help support one of the country’s oldest arts organizations.

Today, we have more Chorister favourites to suggest: this time, MOVIES! Snuggle up with those closest to you (only within your household of course), grab some eggnog and popcorn and pop on one of these holiday movies! Jane Savage and her family love National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, a classic holiday film starring Chevy Chase. It’s available to rent on iTunes. They also suggest Love Actually, starring… well, EVERYONE! Available on Amazon Prime, Crave and Starz and to rent on iTunes. Cheryl Oudyk and her family can’t let a season go by without the Polar Express (available on Crave and to rent on iTunes)!  Jeffery Holk and his family second the Oudyk family with their love for the  Polar Express. They also recommend A Christmas Story – another holiday classic – filmed in St. Catharines and available on iTunes! Lisa Beattie and her family love Home Alone (available on Disney+ as well as iTunes), Scrooged with Bill Murray (iTunes). Arthur Christmas is a must-see each year for her brood of kids (available on Netflix)! Susan Arena and her loved ones snuggle up to the ultimate Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. It’s available for free on the CTV app, Crave and to rent on iTunes.  Like this content? Please spread the love and share on your Facebook page. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Happy Holidays and see you at the movies!!! Check in tomorrow for another post. Please consider donating to the Bach Elgar Choir and help support one of the country’s oldest arts organizations.