In a significantly transitional time in the choir’s history, it has been appropriate to consider our identity and direction. What makes us the Northern Lights Chamber Choir? What messages do we convey to our audience? What values do we uphold? What is it about our love of music that makes us want to share it with the world?
It is this last idea, love, that ties us all together. We love doing what we do. We love singing with each other. We love welcoming new members to our group and growing alongside members who have been with us since the beginning. So, I thought it fitting to theme this year’s concert around the old rhyme, “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”
Our choir is pivoting from over a decade of expert leadership under founder Steve Guidone into a new chapter of its life, and while our ties are decidedly not as strong as those of marriage, for which the above rhyme is often cited, there are deep friendships and camaraderie in this group that will continue to last a lifetime.
During the concert, see if you can pick out which pieces belong in which categories. For example, we have the “old” represented in a few standards of our choir’s history as well as a piece that takes its text from 12th-century poet Hildegard von Bingen.
Our “new” not only includes six new members to our group this year, but also a few pieces (like Dale Trumbore’s In the Middle) that were composed just a few years ago and strive to bring a brand-new sound to our performance.
We’ve been “borrowing” from different musical styles and cultures as well; Loreena McKennitt’s Tango to Evora makes an appearance, as do culturally authentic compositions such as a setting of Skidegate Love Song in the Haida language and Poor Wayfaring Stranger by American composer Alexander Lloyd Blake.
Lastly, “blue” is represented in many facets. From depictions of ocean waves to the bright hue of a cloudless sky, we’re certain that our performance this spring will leave you feeling anything but blue once the last notes are sung.
Zachary Power