Your city your choir - CONCERT PROGRAM - Sunday, January 23, 2022, at 3:00pm Polish Hall, Edmonton AB - Pro Coro Canada
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CONCERT PROGRAM
Sunday, January 23, 2022, at 3:00pm
Polish Hall, Edmonton AB
your city
your choir
Michael Zaugg
Artistic Director
www.procoro.ca
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Pro Coro Canada acknowledges that we are located on Treaty 6
territory, and respects the histories, languages, and cultures of
First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada,
whose presence continues to enrich our vibrant community.
Index
COVID-19 Response........................................................ 3
Program................................................................................ 4
Performers.......................................................................... 5
8 New Works....................................................................... 6
Composer Biographies
Allan Bevan.................................................................... 7
Stuart Beatch.............................................................. 8
Jane Berry..................................................................... 9
John Estacio................................................................. 10
Allan Gilliland............................................................... 11
Laura Hawley................................................................ 12
Margaret King.............................................................. 13
Jennifer McMillan...................................................... 14
Sherryl Sewepagaham............................................ 15
Our Conductor
Michael Zaugg............................................................. 16
Pro Coro Canada............................................................. 17
Our Board of Directors & Staff................................. 18
Our Supporters................................................................ 19
Texts........................................................................................ 21
Pro Coro Canada
#309, 10113 - 104 Street NW
Edmonton, AB, T5J 1A1
780.420.1247
procoro.ca
2
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
COVID-19 Response
Pro Coro Canada is committed to providing a safe and comfortable concert
experience for everyone attending an event in-person, including our
patrons, our volunteers, our staff and our singers. In order to assist with
our commitment, we are implementing protocols that address safety and
health. These protocols came into effect on September 13, 2021 with the
first rehearsal of the choir with fully vaccinated singers and staff. We will be
monitoring the COVID-19 situation in our city and the province closely, and
will update our protocols from time to time to take new federal and provincial
guidelines and municipal bylaws into consideration.
Pro Coro implemented the Government of Alberta Restrictions Exemption
Program effective September 20, 2021. Proof of full vaccination against
COVID-19 or proof of negative COVID-19 test results must be presented in
order to enter Pro Coro’s performance venues.
Pro Coro Canada requires all staff, volunteers, contractors and singers to be
fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
• Everyone ages 12 and up must present proof upon arrival that they have
been fully vaccinated (final dose received at least 14 days prior to the
event) and bring photo ID to the event. As of November 15, 2021, only
official Alberta Health Records QR Codes will be accepted as proof of
vaccination.
• At this time, we advise against bringing children under the age of 12 to a
Pro Coro Canada event.
• Masks are mandatory for everyone in all public indoor spaces, as per
the requirements put in place by the Province of Alberta and City of
Edmonton.
Your personal health records will not be saved or shared.
3
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Program
Michael Zaugg, conductor
Please note that there will be no intermission during this performance.
Singing In The End Jane Berry
The Heart of Night Margaret King
How Good Will It Feel Allan Gilliland
A prayer to bring you home John Estacio
I Am Small Jane Berry
soli Amy Voyer, Jessica Wagner
What Is the Feeling Jennifer McMillan
Droplets Laura Hawley
Yôtin Sherryl Sewepagaham
My Mother’s Body Stuart Beatch
Evening Song Allan Bevan
piano, Roger Admiral
4
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Pro Coro Canada Performers
Conductor
Michael Zaugg
Soprano Tenor
Catherine Kubash Caleb Nelson
Annette Martens Andrew Whiteside
Katrina Smith Anthony Wynne
Jessica Wagner
Alto Bass
Sable Chan Andrew Bortz
Kimberley Denis Kyle Carter
Laura Hawley Graeme Climie
Adrienne Sitko Michael Kurschat
Peter Malcolm
Adam Robertson
Piano
Roger Admiral
Roger Admiral performs repertoire spanning the 17th through the 21st century. He works
regularly with UltraViolet (New Music Edmonton) and Aventa Ensemble (Victoria). Roger
also teaches piano at University of Alberta, Augustana Faculty. Roger can be contacted at
rogeradmiral.com/contact
5
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 In discussion with community choral leaders during the early stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic, we discovered a need in our choral community for repertoire and support material for online rehearsals. If choirs are practising these days, it may be happening in an online forum - this is a very challenging environment which depends on so many technological, human and musical pieces playing well together. Our goal was to create an initiative to provide work for local composers and poets impacted by COVID-19 cancelations by commissioning new choral works; stimulate learning opportunities for community singers in isolated environments to practise and discover alongside Edmonton’s professional choir; create a collaborative virtual performance environment for community singers to sing with Pro Coro Canada. The composers were tasked with writing music which could be readily sung by a single singer in an isolated environment, aided by virtual accompaniment from the other parts, and later combined in a quartet or larger ensemble as group singing becomes possible again. The singers of Pro Coro met in August 2020 for the first time since the cancellation of the 19/20 season to record and film performances of each new work along with individual practise videos for each voice part. These materials are all available to you unrestricted on ProCoroTV. If you would like to purchase a score for your choir, please contact the composer directly, or get in touch with us if you need assistance. 6
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Composer Biographies
Allan Bevan is a Canadian composer
whose choral compositions have
been awarded many significant
prizes in Canadian, American,
and European composition
competitions. He is the winner of
the 2002 Ruth Watson Henderson
Award for his motet Peace, and
he is a three-time recipient of first
prize awards in the Association
of Canadian Choral Conductor’s
Composition Competitions for
his music for treble voices and piano (2000, 2002, and 2004.) His To Morning, a
composition for string orchestra was awarded the Member’s Prize in the 2006
Mozart-250 competition sponsored by Chamber Orchestra Kremlin of Moscow.
Dr. Bevan’s Passion Oratorio Nou Goth Sonne Under Wode was selected as the
“Outstanding Choral Work” by The Association of Canadian Choral Conductors at
their 2008 convention and was featured at Carnegie Hall in 2016. Concerto Della
Donna’s CD Parlez-Moi, a 2011 release of his choral works for treble voices was
named the “Outstanding Choral Recording” at Podium 2012 in Ottawa.
Allan Bevan has been commissioned by many of Canada’s finest choirs including
outstanding ensembles such as Chorus Niagara, Pro Coro Canada, the Vancouver
Chamber Choir, and the Richard Eaton Singers as well as by the international
touring ensemble Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc, known for their soundtrack
for the film Les Choristes. His works have been performed, recorded, and
broadcast across North America and in Europe, and Asia, and he has over fifty
published compositions and arrangements to his credit. He has been described
as “an extremely talented composer of ravishing sacred choral music” by The
American Organist and as a “composer [who] obviously understands and is able to
write for the voice in an uncanny fashion” by The Choral Room.
Allan Bevan is a graduate of the University of Windsor School of Music and he
holds graduate degrees in music from the University of Alberta and the University
of Calgary.
7
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 Stuart Beatch is a Canadian choral composer currently living in Edmonton, Alberta. He received a Master of Music in Composition from King’s College London, studying with composer Rob Keeley, and is currently the composer-in- residence for The Fourth Choir (an LGBT chamber choir in London, UK). Beatch previously studied composition at the University of Alberta and music education at the University of Regina. He is an Associate Composer with the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers. In 2016, Beatch was selected to participate in the Theoartistry programme at the University of St Andrews, where he was mentored by Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan. Later, he was accepted into the inaugural Choral Arts program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where he studied with the Latvian composer Uģis Prauliņš. While Beatch has a special affinity for the Canadian choral community, his music has frequently been performed by ensembles across North America and the UK, including the BBC Singers, National Youth Choir of Canada, Pro Coro Canada, Chronos Vocal Ensemble, Elysian Singers, musica intima, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and Choral Arts Initiative. 8
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Jane Berry is a composer, arranger, visual
artist, and educator based in Edmonton,
Canada. Originally from Halifax, Nova
Scotia, Jane grew up near the ocean and
has always felt an immediate connection to
the water. Her love for the ocean as well as
her passion for music have led her around
the world in pursuit of higher education and
inspiration for her art.
As a composer Berry’s work has been
described as making an “impact that went
far beyond the music-making” (Mark Morris,
2017). Berry burst onto the scene when her
first major work Mass for Recovery: Phoenix
Rising was performed by Pro Coro Canada in 2017. Since then she has continued
composing extensively and her works have been performed by a wide range
groups such as FEMME, Alive!, Pro Coro Canada, Ultraviolet New Music Ensemble
and others. Berry is gaining a reputation for developing works motivated by a
desire to use her compositional voice and platform to increase visibility amongst
underrepresented populations.
Berry moved to Edmonton to start her PhD of Philosophy in Music Theory
in the fall of 2011 and holds a Masters of Arts in Music Theory from the
University of Ottawa (2011), a Bachelors of Music in Composition from Acadia
University (2005), and an After Degree in Education at the University of Alberta
(2020). Since arriving in Edmonton she has worked with several local choral
organizations in a variety of positions ranging from director—section lead—
professional singer, and in her spare time Berry serves as a sessional instructor
at the University of Alberta, sings with a number of professional ensembles,
volunteers with local youth, and works as a visual artist.
Berry has received numerous prestigious awards in support of her research and
academic endeavors including being awarded an Izaak Walton Killam Doctoral
Scholarship, two QEII Doctoral Scholarships, the Haley Cup Medal, and she has
been named a five-time Academic All-Canadian.
9
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
JUNO nominated composer John Estacio is a
recipient of the 2017 Lieutenant Governor of
Alberta Distinguished Artist Award. He has served
as Composer in Residence for the Edmonton
Symphony Orchestra, Pro Coro Canada, the
Calgary Philharmonic, and the Calgary Opera.
He is a recipient of the prestigious NAC Award
for Composers. His compositions are programed
by orchestras throughout North American and
his frequent performances and broadcasts have
earned him several SOCAN Concert Music Awards.
In the last decade he has composed numerous
symphonic and operatic works including
“Filumena” which has received several remounts
in Canada and was filmed for television and
broadcast on PBS. “Filumena” was recently commemorated by Canada Post as a
stamp in their “Canadian Opera” series. The Cincinnati Ballet commissioned a full
length orchestral score for “King Arthur’s Camelot”, with choreography by Victoria
Morgan; this ballet was remounted in Cincinnati in 2017.
The National Arts Centre Orchestra and conductor Pinchas Zukerman toured China
and the UK with his work “Brio”. In 2017, the NACO and conductor Alexander Shelley
toured across Canada with his orchestral work “I Lost My Talk”, inspired by Rita Joe’s
poem and commissioned for the Right Honourable Joe Clark on the occasion of
his 75th birthday. His “Trumpet Concerto”, commissioned by nineteen Canadian
orchestras, was performed across Canada in 2017/18. His orchestral composition
“Moontides” was commissioned by KV265 and will be accompanied by a film
montage of the lunar tides. The National Youth Orchestra of Canada with conductor
Jonathan Darlington toured Canada and Europe with “Moontides” in 2018.
His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, including performances by the
Toronto Symphony Orchestra, as well as a performance of his Triple Concerto
for Violin, Cello and Piano in May 2012 by the Edmonton Symphony. The Toronto
Symphony also toured the USA with his composition “Wondrous Light”. His
orchestral works have been performed by all the major Canadian orchestras, as
well as the Houston Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Fort
Wayne Philharmonic, and orchestras in Europe, South America and Asia.
10We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
One of Canada’s busiest composers, Allan
Gilliland was born in Darvel, Scotland in 1965
and immigrated to Canada in 1972. Based
in Edmonton, he has written music for solo
instruments, orchestra, choir, brass quintet,
wind ensemble, big band, film, television and
theatre. His music has been performed and
broadcast by ensembles around the world
including the: Edmonton Symphony, Boston
Pops, Vancouver Symphony, Detroit Symphony,
St. Lawrence String Quartet, Canadian
Brass, Winnipeg Symphony, Alberta Baroque
Ensemble, Camerata Romeau (Cuba), National
Youth Choir, National Wind Band, Scottish
Chamber Orchestra, Zapp String Quartet (Holland), St. Petersburg State Capella
Symphony Orchestra (Russia), Edinburgh String Quartet and the brass section of
the New York Philharmonic. Some of the soloists who have performed his music
include James Campbell, Jens Lindemann, John Pattituci, Jim Walker, Dean McNeill,
William Eddins, PJ Perry, Ronda Metzies, Wycliffe Gordon, Dave Young, Nora
Bumanis and Julia Shaw, Mark Gould, Ingrid Jensen and Martin Riseley.
For five years (1999-2004) Allan was Composer-in-Residence with the Edmonton
Symphony Orchestra, writing 11 works for the ESO. In 2002 his orchestral work On
the Shoulders of Giants took First Prize at the prestigious Winnipeg Symphony
Orchestra’s Centara New Music Festival Composers Competition. In 2012 his CD O
Music was nominated for two Western Canadian Music Awards and won for Best
Classical Composition. Allan has also won composition contests sponsored by Pro
Coro Canada and the Alberta Band Association as well as First Place in the Jean
Coulthard Competition for Composers and the Lydia Pals Composers Competition.
Allan holds a diploma in Jazz Studies (trumpet) from Humber College, a Bachelor of
Music degree in performance and a Master of Music degree in composition from the
University of Alberta and a PhD in Composition from the University of Edinburgh.
His teachers include Violet Archer, Howard Bashaw, Malcolm Forsyth, Nigel Osborne
and Peter Nelson. He has taught at the University of Alberta, the University of
Edinburgh, Red Deer College and MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
where he was head of composition from 2004-2016 chair from 2012-2016, and since
2017 has been the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Communications.
11We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Laura Hawley is a Canadian musician known
for her distinctive compositional voice,
compelling approach to leadership and
artistic programming, and multi-faceted
community engagement.
As an internationally recognized composer,
her works have been commissioned,
performed, and recorded by many of
Canada’s finest ensembles including Elektra
Women’s Choir, Pro Coro Canada, Inuksuk
Drum Dancers, Canadian Chamber Choir,
Spiritus Chamber Choir, Cantiamo Choirs of
Ottawa, Halifax Camerata, Kokopelli Choirs,
Vancouver Youth Choir, and Shallaway Youth
Choir. Her unique understanding of developing musicians and sensitivity to
a commissioner’s vision has established her as a widely sought composer for
educational ensembles as well, and Laura has written a variety of instrumental
and choral works for children, youth, and developing adult musicians; works
that lend themselves well to educational growth. Laura’s music is published by
Oxford University Press, Silent Dawn Music Publishing, Cypress Choral Music,
and Rhythmic Trident Music Publishing.
Laura is artistic director of Da Camera Singers (Edmonton), conductor of
ChandraTala (Edmonton), and founding artistic director of Hypatia’s Voice
Women’s Choir of Ottawa (2015-2019). She is also the collaborative pianist and
a member of the Canadian Chamber Choir. An active clinician throughout
Canada, Laura has worked with a wide variety of community-based choral and
orchestral ensembles.
Laura Hawley has taught in the music departments at both of Ottawa’s
universities and recently joined the teaching faculty at Concordia University of
Edmonton, where she taught composition. She teaches piano, theory, harmony
and history in her studio. She is currently based in Edmonton.
12We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Margaret King (B. Mus. Piano Performance, ARCT
Piano Pedagogy, Member of ARMTA) grew up in
Swift Current, Saskatchewan where she began
her musical studies with her mother, Marilyn King.
During this time, Margaret was privileged to be
part of many choral and instrumental ensembles.
From Swift Current, she moved to Lethbridge,
Alberta where she earned her Bachelor of Music
at University of Lethbridge and also taught at
the University Conservatory. Since moving to
Edmonton in 1995, she has been the pianist with
numerous choirs/choral programs including The
Cantilon Choirs, Edmonton Children’s Choir, Singspiration, the Greenwood
Singers, Ante Meridiem, Vocal Alchemy, Pro Coro Canada and, most recently,
Chandra Tala. She has also enjoyed collaborating with the voice students of
Jolaine Kerley at Concordia University of Edmonton since 2012.
Writing music began with Margaret’s love of ‘making up stories’ on the family
piano at her home in Swift Current. To date, most of her music has been written
for choirs (children’s, women’s, mixed). One of the highlights was the award of a
commission to write ‘Migrations’ for the 23rd International Kodály Symposium
and Festival, held in Camrose, Alberta, Canada, in August 2017, which was
performed by the Calgary Girls Choir and the Borealis String Quartet, under
the direction of Elaine Quilichini! Margaret’s latest commissions (2020) are a
set of five pieces for the Calgary Girls Choir 25th Anniversary celebration and
a TTBB score for the ‘New Choral Works’; project, commissioned by Pro Coro
Canada.
13We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Jennifer McMillan is an active member of
the Edmonton musical community. She is
a graduate of the Music Composition and
Piano Performance programs at Grant
MacEwan University and has since developed
into a sought-after accompanist, vocalist,
composer and arranger.
As an accompanist, she has played for the
Kokopelli Choir Association, Grant MacEwan
University, BrailTones, Victoria School of
the Arts, Lindsay Thurber High School,
Strathcona High School, Queen Elizabeth
High School, Alberta Opera, Mascato Coastal
Youth Choir from Namibia, the Edmonton
International Fringe Festival (You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Bigger Than
Vegas – Cabaret, Puppet Pilots, Bridget Ryan’s Standards, and Here’s to the
Ladies Who Laugh), the Citadel Theatre (SIX) and the Mayfield Dinner Theatre
(WEDlocked, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Wedding
Singer, Chicago, Four Lads Who Shook The World – The Beatles Story Part 2, 9
to 5, Hairspray, Cabaret, The Simon and Garfunkel Story, Only In Vegas, Jesus
Christ Superstar, Back to the 80’s – Part 2, All Shook Up, Canada 151, and Sister
Act).
As a vocalist, Jen has lent her talents to various publishing demos and
numerous vocal ensembles including the Kokopelli Choir Association, ‘Nuf Sed
– of Today’s Innovative Music Edmonton (TIME Association), the Mayfield Dinner
Theatre (Dark Star: the Life & Times of Roy Orbison, Two Good Knights: The
Music of Sir Tom Jones and Sir Elton John), and the internationally renowned a
cappella group Sixth Wave, from Los Angeles. She has performed as a backup
singer for Ben Folds and has been a featured vocalist in many film, television
and video game recordings. A few favourites include Universal Studios Tokyo,
Warframe (video game), CBS’s Hawaii Five-O and CBC’s The Nature of Things.
Jennifer’s choral arrangements and compositions have been heard across
North America and have even reached audiences in Europe, Australia, Namibia
and South Africa. She has recently moved permanently back to Edmonton after
living part-time in Los Angeles.
14We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Sherryl Sewepagaham is of Cree-Dene
ancestry from the Little Red River Cree
Nation in northern Alberta. She holds
a Bachelor of Music Therapy (Capilano
University) and a Bachelor of Education
(University of Alberta). Having taught
elementary music for 14 years, Sherryl
is an experienced elementary Music
Educator focusing on Indigenous Music
Education and First Nations songs for
the classroom. Now as a Music Therapist,
she works with Indigenous patients in
the areas of Geriatric and Palliative Care at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in
Edmonton, AB, but still continues to provide education workshops in schools on
Fridays.
Sherryl is also a 22-year member of the 2005 Juno-nominated, Edmonton-
based trio Asani and composes drum songs in the Cree language. Asani
received a 2010 Canadian Folk Music Award, a 2010 Indian Summer Music
Award, a 2005 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award, and many other music
awards nominations. Asani toured extensively around the world performing
at Carnegie Hall in New York, The Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C., and the
2010 Olympics in Vancouver BC.
Sherryl is also a composer of traditional and contemporary First Nations
drum songs. Her 2014 debut solo album, Splashing the Water Loudly, received
a 2015 Indigenous Music Award nomination and is featured in APTN’s Chaos
and Courage series. Sherryl wrote the music and lyrics for the National Arts
Centre’s Music Alive Program (MAP) song, “Music Alive”, which has been shared
with elementary schools across Canada. Sherryl also created and co-created
three teacher resources for the MAP program and continues to develop
cultural programs for music teachers.
15We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Our Conductor
Michael Zaugg, Artistic Director &
Principal Conductor
Swiss-native Michael Zaugg has
distinguished himself as an innovative
and versatile conductor, pedagogue
and clinician. Currently in his
10th season as Artistic Director
and Principal Conductor of the
professional chamber choir Pro Coro
Canada in Edmonton, Michael also
previously led other notable Canadian
choirs including, in Montreal, the
St. Lawrence Choir (2008-2013) and
voces boreales (2006- 2015), and the
Cantata Singers Ottawa (2005-2014).
As Chorus Master of the Orchestre
Symphonique de Montréal (2006- Sembrat (Alberta) in tours across the
2011), Michael successfully prepared Prairies and to Toronto, Philadelphia,
groups of up to 1500 singers for Rochester and New York City.
OSM Artistic Director Kent Nagano,
including the award- winning Originally an accomplished tenor,
production Saint François d’Assise Michael became the first Swiss
by Messiaen. Michael also prepared conductor to be accepted to
the Cantata Singers Ottawa for their the Royal Academy of Music in
appearances with the National Arts Stockholm, Sweden in its prestigious
Centre Orchestra under conductors post-graduate program for
such as Franz- Paul Decker, Trevor Professional Choir Conducting. Mr.
Pinnock, and Helmuth Rilling. Zaugg also holds degrees in voice and
music education from the University
Active as a Guest Conductor, Michael in Basel. In 2018 he was awarded an
Zaugg has worked with notable Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music
groups including the Vancouver (Hon DMus) by Scotland’s King’s
Chamber Choir, National Youth College, University of Aberdeen.
Choir of Canada, the BBC Singers,
Vancouver’s musica intima, Thirteen Michael Zaugg is strongly committed
Strings, as well as the Longueuil to his work not only with choirs but
Symphony Orchestra. Michael’s also with emerging artists, and is the
US debut was with the Grammy- Program Director of CHORAL ART
nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street at the Banff Centre for Arts and
in New York. Over the last three years, Creativity. His work with and support
he has led a 60-voice male choir, with of emerging Canadian composers
singers selected from across Canada, is presented through Pro Coro
the US and the Ukraine, to perform Canada’s Choral Series, distributed
the Resurrection Liturgy by Fr. John by the Leading Note in Ottawa.
16We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Pro Coro Canada
Founded in 1981 by Canadian Michel Marc Gervais, Pro Coro Canada
has performed at the Toronto International Choral Festival (1994 and
2002), the 1988 Olympic Arts Festival, and Canadian Voices (2003
landmark series of concerts celebrating 50 years of professional
choral singing in Canada and R. Murray Schafer’s 70th year). The choir
has commissioned dozens of new works, the majority by Canadian
composers. Pro Coro Canada produced the second Edmonton
International Choral Festival from May 30th to June 2nd, 2019.
The twenty-four voices of Pro Coro Canada have been shaped by
some of the finest choral conductors in the world, including Gervais,
Anders Eby (Sweden), Søren Hansen (Denmark), Agnes Grossmann
(Austria), and Richard Sparks (USA). Guest conductors have included
Frieder Bernius, Eric Ericson, Gary Graden, Maria Guinand, Bo Holten,
Elmer Iseler, Tönu Kaljuste, Diane Loomer, Leonard Ratzlaff, Ward
Swingle, Ivars Taurins, Jon Washburn, and Erik Westberg. In early 2012
Michael Zaugg was announced as Pro Coro’s new Artistic Director and
Principal Conductor.
Under the direction of Swiss-born Michael Zaugg, the choir is widely
recognized as one of this country’s finest. The choir is particularly
proud of its composer-in-residence program with internationally
renowned composer Alberto Grau; its appointment as Faculty in the
Choral Art program at the Banff Centre; and critically acclaimed
tours of four provinces. Pro Coro Canada believes strongly in
community partnerships and over the past few years has collaborated
with many community choirs as well as mentoring young choral artists
through their Emerging Artist Program.
17We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Our Board of Directors & Staff
President & Chair Directors Managing & Artistic
Robert Barrett Mary Lynne Campbell Director
Sandra Croll Michael Zaugg
Vice-President Maria David-Evans
Susan Rockwood Gabriel Gomes Administrative Lead
Christopher Head Laura Ouellette
Treasurer Tonya Holowitsky
Carol Anne Kushlyk Laura McDonald Marketing & Digital
Media Producer
Corporate Secretary Singer Micha Poworoznik
Wendy Boje Representatives
Peter Malcolm Graphic Design
Honorary Caleb Nelson Judy Armstrong
Lifetime Member Graeme Climie
Madge McCready Accounts Manager
Judith Rayner
Production Team
Riverford Productions
Corey Haberstock
Ron Yachimec
Pro Coro Canada is a proud member of the following organizations:
Program Credits
Graphic Design and Typesetting: Judy Armstrong Design
18We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Our Supporters
Government Agencies
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Canada Council for the Arts
City of Edmonton
Edmonton Arts Council
Heritage Canada
Charities, Foundations &
Not-for-Profit Organizations
The Edmonton Community Foundation
The City of Edmonton
RBC Foundation
Individual Sponsors & Supporters for 2021
con somma passione ($5000+) con brio ($500 - $999) con moto (up to $249)
Bridges, Ed & Leona Anonymous Donors Brese, Steven
David-Evans, Maria Cairns, Debra
con bravura ($2500 - $4999) Gower, Neil Craig, Cathy
Fielding, Alan & Valérie Hiller, Leroy & Barbara Delaney Chapple, Terena
Heule, Mark Moore, Katharine Dolman, Heather
Mann, Russ & Johann Ondrack, Esther Holowaychuk, Donna
Rockwood, Susan Ingen-Housz, Maarten
con forza ($1000 - $2499) Romaniuk, Susan Knowles, C.M.
Barrett, Robert & Pamela Tonn, WIlliam Magnusson, Christina
Head, Christopher Zee-Hawtin, Ebeline Malcolm, Peter
Kirby, Donna Jill McCready, Madge
Valgardson, Donna & con amore ($250 - $499) McMillan, Brian
Lynass, Douglas Buse, Adolf & Kathleen Mesch, Jennifer
Climie, Stanley Munar, Oliver
Kizior, Thaddeus Ross, Margaret
Phair, Michael Rudovics, Ena
Schepansky, Alexandra
Sitko, Rachel
Stewart, Kent
Wankiewicz, Patricia
Whitson, Audrey
Wynters, Hilary
19We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Thank you to our Supporters
20We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 Singing In The End Jane Berry Poem by Brandon Wint All the poems carry on hunting bits of paradise, I fasten hope to this song, the music of my life. And if it’s coming anyway, I’ll make of death a friend. If the reaper finds me waiting, I’ll be singing in the end. This is not the end; I still see such beauty lurking, though I hear the bells of dirges, I give thanks to those deserving, press my hands to good things earthen. Though the path is less than certain, I stretch my hands to work with purpose, do not court the amber curtain of my death. And if it’s coming anyway, I’ll make of death a friend. If the reaper finds me waiting, I’ll be singing in the end. The Heart of Night Margaret King Poem by Bliss Carman When all the stars are sown Across the night-blue space, With the immense unknown, In silence face to face. We stand in speechless awe While Beauty marches by, And wonder at the Law Which wears such majesty. How small a thing is man In all that world-sown vast, That he should hope or plan Or dream his dream could last! 21
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 O doubter of the light, Confused by fear and wrong, Lean on the heart of night And let love make thee strong! The Good that is the True Is clothed with Beauty still. Lo, in their tent of blue, The stars above the hill! How Good Will It Feel Allan Gilliland Poem by Jemma Hicken How good will it feel when time gusts around us once again To listen to the wind To turn our stiff selves inside out And notice where we bend How good will it feel when I am right side up and outside in When abstract Hardens to concrete And I still scrape my knees When the stillness feels like respite And the quiet tastes like honey By then, we will have noticed the small things we love We will have picked up the smoothest pebbles From the quiet beach down the road And stuffed them in our pockets. We’ll find them later On a lunch break Or an airplane When the stillness feels like respite And the quiet tastes like honey And time gusts around us once again. 22
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 A prayer to bring you home John Estacio Poem by Alice Major The street is lined with green ash. You know these trees, Now turning bronze. Come home. You know the songs sung in the cracked voice of this sidewalk. Come home past the drying stalks of morning, mourning sigh and clutter. Come home through the litter of autumn leaving us again. Come home. I am watching for you from the window, half empty glass. Come home up the path you have always known. Come home Your suitcase is heavy as a headstone, Light as a purseful of leaves. It is warm. Come in, come in my arms. 23
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
I Am Small
Music and Poem by Jane Berry
i am small
but a single grain of sand amidst the ocean
and i drift
often to darkness as the world around me maddens
and i cry
as i watch you search for comfort in the shadows
how i want to find an answer, catch the current, pull away
i am small
yet the sun upon my shore brings warmth and beauty
‘neath the starlight still i shimmer in the soft glow of the moon
i am small
but i yearn to offer hope for days uncharted
still
i stumble round in circles, helpless, caught up in the tide
i am small,
but a single grain of sand amidst the ocean
and i drift along beside you, lost together in the storm
but i sing
in rebellion, find my voice among the many
i am small
but maybe someday my small cry will help bring change
24We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 What Is the Feeling? Jennifer McMillan Poem by Sauvé MacBean What is the feeling of strong? It is the beat of a heart for another. It is the care of a child by a mother. What is the feeling of peace? It is the safety of knowing your feelings. It is the beauty of quiet and seeing. What is the feeling of peace? It is a woman. We are tired of waiting for permission. We are taking your claim of our space. Mountains are moving, do you feel them? We are done apologizing with grace. What is the feeling of love? It is life for all those who are searching. It is home for those who are human. What is the feeling of love? It is a woman. Droplets Laura Hawley Poem by Jeni Couzyn When you pass, dip your head. This is the adab of breath. I breathe in, I breathe you in. I breathe out, you breathe me in. Everything we are, have ever been. We have no choice, can’t stop breathing. Droplets – seed banks of time droplets so fine mist so ephemeral only mystics could see it, each breath seeded with a snowdrop death. 25
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 I breathe you in – treading the congregation of water – each ancient life, sea-ocean, sky-ocean, land-ocean we swim in, that swims in us. We breathe in stars of our ancestors their loves, their hurts. We are what we breathe. Take care my love, how you breathe. You breathe me in. The mist binds us as the pricking spring molecules green the spaces of the forest branches that scribble sky light that flows taproot to taproot. It’s a dawning – like a nuclear cloud there’s no escaping beast, grain, droplet in a snaking mist – we’re none but one creature. Yôtin (The Wind) Sherryl Sewepagaham Woodland Cree-Dene Cree translation: Yôtin (the wind) nîpîhtamak (carries to me) nikamona (songs), nikamona (songs). The wind carries songs to me. Yôtin (the wind) kîpîhtamak (carries to you), kîpîhtamak (carries to you) nitayamihâwin (my prayers). The wind carries my prayers to you. Kisemanito (Creator), nanâskamon (I am thankful) yôtin (the wind) ohci (for). Creator, I am thankful for this wind. 26
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022 My Mother’s Body Stuart Beatch Poem by Zara Neukom Ravens lift, weightless in the updraft snow dusts clay like flour on a stone surface. My mother, white-haired goddess on thin legs watches the wind-players and laughs with them. I watch my mother watch the birds. Her soft eyes fall and lift again. She was sick for a year a year I wasn’t home. When the organ of your body that is programed to give life turns against you, how do you still say woman? I was drinking in a hostel half way across the world. I remember I had 3 minutes of Internet left when I opened the email with a picture of my mother with cloth for hair. My dad shaved his beard. I cried in a room full of faces I didn’t know. A flock of ravens is called unkindness. I’m watching them in the lines of my mother’s body and it seems impossible to believe in bad omens. She steps on frozen sage. And for a minute laughing feels like floating 27
We Breathe In Stars Pro Coro Canada, January 23, 2022
Evening Song
Allan Bevan
Poem by Sidney Lanier
Look off, dear Love, across the sallow sands,
And mark yon meeting of the sun and sea;
How long they kiss in sight of all the lands,
Ah! longer, longer we.
Now, in the sea’s red vintage melts the sun
As Egypt’s pearl dissolved in rosy wine
And Cleopatra night drinks all. ‘Tis done,
Love, lay thine hand in mine.
Come forth, sweet stars, and comfort heaven’s heart,
Glimmer, ye waves, ‘round else unlighted sands;
Oh night! divorce our sun and sky apart
Never our lips, our hands.
28OUR NEXT CONCERT
Saturday, March 5, at 7:30pm
All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral
your city
your choir
Michael Zaugg
Artistic Director
get tickets
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