Chez Nous: Christmas with Elektra (2015)
November 28, 2015 at 7:30pm
Ryerson United Church
Welcome to “Our House”!
Here we are together chez nous (“at our house”) to share the music and meaning of this Christmas season together. We are thrilled that you’ve chosen to make Elektra part of your day and hope you experience something meaningful and memorable in your time with us. At its core, choir is about community – and as listeners you are warmly welcomed into the Elektra community.
Today’s program has been on my wish list for years, and after many times reaching out to invite jazz singer Dee Daniels to perform as our guest artist, 2015 is the year! Dee is a captivating and multi-talented performer and songwriter and it’s a treat to bring her together with Elektra. Dee’s presence also gave me the fabulous excuse to invite back one of Vancouver’s best jazz bassists, the incomparable Jodi Proznick. Thank you to both of these fine musicians for joining us today.
Choral conductor Carrie Taylor is a leader among Metro Vancouver high school directors and a longstanding contributor of wonderful students to our Mira Youth Mentorship Program. Now that she has a women’s choir at Burnaby Central, it is our distinct pleasure to welcome Carrie and the more than 40 accomplished singers in her choir to Chez Nous.
Coming “to Elektra’s house” for Christmas means many things – interesting music reaching back to the past and forward into the present day. A cappella pieces that hang in the air of these beautiful acoustics and lighter moments of audience participation where I will invite you to sing along “with heart and soul and voice”. Of note this year are Veni, Veni by American composer David Moore, which departs from the familiar melody of O Come, O Come Emmanuel into an entirely new composition for a cappella choir, and no fewer than three world premieres. In our opening set, Vancouver composer Sarah Jaysmith’s Gartan Mother’s Lullaby and Bring a Torch, are delightful additions to the repertoire. Don Macdonald’s jazzy Christmas Reverie is set right here at “41st and Vine” where a busker singing Christmas carols takes us back to special memories of Christmases past. We’re very proud to perform the Canadian premieres of two stunning arrangements by young Berlin-based singer and composer Winnie Brückner, too. Look for them in the second half.
In addition to the Elektra solo rep and massed choir music listed below, the Burnaby Central Secondary Women’s Choir performed on its own:
- traditional carol, arr. Ron Jeffers
- Amazing Gracetraditional words by John Newton (1725-1807), music by Stephen Hatfield
- Christmas WaltzJ. Styne, arr. by P. Schmutte
And Dee Daniels and Jodi Proznick contributed solos O Holy Night (Adam, arr. Daniels), Healed (Dee Daniels), I’m Going on Home (Dee Daniels), and My Prayer (Dee Daniels), the latter two with choir accompaniment.
Our encore was “Thou Shalt Know Him” by Mark Sirett.
Performance Pieces:
Canadian Work