‘Tis the season for the Whitehorse Community Choir to bring some festive music to the territory.
The choir’s annual seasonal concert will be showcased online beginning Dec. 4 and available until Dec. 16.
This year’s performance – Tidings and Tinsel – brings a mix of festive music from around the world that will be performed by the three choirs within the community choir led by Barbara Chamberlin.
In a Nov. 23 interview, Chamberlin said she worked to find both familiar tunes (Here Comes Santa Claus, for example) as well as some, perhaps, unfamiliar treasures to a number of Yukoners (S’vivon and Nerli are a couple of Hanukah songs that will be featured, for example).
“There’s a little bit from everywhere,” she said.
Given the last nearly two years of the pandemic, Chamberlin said she worked to find songs that would be fun and upbeat for both choir members and what she initially thought would be a live audience.
The concert was originally scheduled as a live event at the Yukon Arts Centre Dec. 3 with an option to view the show online from Dec. 4 to 16. That changed when the Yukon government declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19 numbers rising earlier in November.
The additional COVID-19 measures brought in meant moving the concert entirely to the virtual option.
“They’re very disappointed they can’t do it live,” Chamberlin said of choir members, noting for many the December show is a chance to showcase their work live for families and friends and to perform for an in-person audience.
That said, many family and friends of choir members will likely be tuning in to take in the virtual show that will be filmed over three nights.
As Chamberlin explained, each of the choirs involved – the women’s choir, the advanced choir, and the SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choir – will spend an evening at the arts centre performing four or five pieces that will be recorded for the virtual event.
“It will have a live feel to it,” Chamberlin said of the show. “It’ll be great.”
Along with the music performed at the Yukon Arts Centre, viewers will be treated to two videos, including a performance of Mele Kalikimaka shot at the Canada Games Centre.
And for those missing the sing-a-long portion that’s a tradition of the in-person concert, Chamberlin said those who purchase tickets (yukontickets.com) will receive a PDF for the Hallelujah Chorus so they can sing along at home if they like.
Other songs to be performed are: the Seven Joys of Mary, African Noel, It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas and Cherubic Hymn and many more.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com
