Singers, MusicBarock deliver pre-Christmas joy
Tue Dec 20 2005
By Gwenda Nemerofsky

WINNIPEG Singers' artistic director and conductor Yuri Klaz played Santa Claus on Sunday night, giving 565 delighted Winnipeggers a truly gratifying Christmas gift. Johann Sebastian Bach's uplifting Christmas Oratorio filled Westminster United Church while replenishing the spirits of the audience.

Bach originally conceived the oratorio as six cantatas to be played on six separate days, celebrating the Christmas and New Year's festivities of 1734-35.

Sunday's performance included five cantatas in their entirety, with two selections from Cantata no. 4. Nevertheless, it was an ambitious undertaking, with some performers barely having a break in the almost three-hour production.

It was wonderful to hear the MusikBarock Ensemble (MBE) reassembled for this occasion. The score required several extra players, including Brian Sykora, Gary and Dean Pollard (trumpets), Fred Liessens (timpani) and a woodwind section consisting of Martha Durkin and Laurel Ridd (flutes), Doug Bairstow and Bill Bonness (oboes) and James Ewen (bassoon). MBE artistic director Eric Lussier was at the harpsichord.

Foxwarren resident Floyd Gadd sang the role of the Evangelist, telling the Christmas story using text from the gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew. Gadd has a light and flexible tenor voice. A real trouper, he maintained an unstrained purity even at the top of his range -- quite a feat with no fewer than 19 recitatives throughout the evening. Between the recitatives are solo arias that serve either as moments of contemplation or enhancers of the storyline.

Bass soloist Scott Braun displayed a refined voice if not overly robust. Accurate throughout his range, he showed good intensity and expression.

It is always a pleasure to hear soprano Charlene Pauls, and Bach is one of her specialties. Although she was the least busy of the soloists, she made the most of her moments. She sings with power, producing the clearest of notes, like finely cut jewels.

And then there was Kirsten Schellenberg, the alto soloist. This is a singer who seems to get better with every performance. With a rich, true instrument, her voice is ideally suited to oratorio work. Exuding supreme composure, she glided through her arias effortlessly. She is gifted at blending her voice perfectly with the accompanying instruments.

The Winnipeg Singers showed their considerable talent and versatility in the many choruses. From exultant to reverent, they were top-notch throughout. Klaz kept close control of all the action, using expressive and precise motions to keep things moving.

The musicians of MBE were stars as much as the singers in this work. Many of the arias are scored for solo instruments or sparse orchestral textures. Special mention must go to Doug Bairstow, who likely lost a few pounds playing frequent solos. He played with his usual sweet tone and unparalleled musicality. The trumpet section was also put to good use and charmed the audience with exciting and beautiful playing.

This impassioned performance received a prolonged and well-deserved standing ovation.

Concert Review: The Christmas Oratorio
Winnipeg Singers with MusikBarock Ensemble
December 18
Westminster United Church
Attendance: 565
**** (four stars out of five)


From whirlwind tour to new season

ON Sept. 30, the Winnipeg Singers will step onto the stage of the Centennial Concert Hall to perform in George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

We'll understand if they seem to be experiencing a bit of culture shock. Fresh off a whirlwind tour of Taiwan and Japan this summer, they're back home and about to embark on their new season, starting somewhat ironically with an historical American folk opera, full of songs that have integrated themselves into mainstream U.S. culture.

It's a far cry from singing with the 150-voice Setagaya Citizens' Chorus Society, one of Japan's largest community choirs.

The Winnipeg Singers were the sole Canadian representative and only one of four North American groups selected to perform at the World Symposium of Choral Music (hosted by the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) in Kyoto. Thirty-four choirs from around the world were selected from over 150 applications.

"The symposium is like the Olympic Games of choral music," said Yuri Klaz, artistic director and conductor. "It was an honour to be invited and to be among these choirs."

The trip is the culmination of a dream for Klaz, who has attended as a delegate three times. The symposium is held every three years. Fundraising efforts and personal contributions enabled the group able to scrape up the funds to get to Kyoto. The original itinerary included touring and performing in Russia and Finland, but it soon became clear that the financial support for this was just not there.

"We decided to cut back and just go to Japan," said the group's executive director, Andrew Thomson. In just three months, the group managed to raise $90,000.

Twenty-one of the 24 ensemble members made the trip to Taipei on July 23. Manitoba composer Sid Robinovitch, accompanist Shannon Hiebert and the group's stage manager rounded out the entourage.

They performed in a workshop featuring Robinovitch's music the next day, and then gave a full concert the following evening in Taiwan's National Concert Hall.

In the morning they were off to Yokohama, their home base for the duration of the symposium. Their concert planned for the 26th was cancelled due to a typhoon, but they visited Setagaya where they were received by city officials and honoured with a large reception.

"Words fail to explain how gracious they were to us," Thomson said. "Everyone was so excited we were there. They stood in the hallways outside their offices and clapped." The singers then performed two main concerts at the symposium, with a quick side-trip to sing in a satellite concert with three other choirs in Kobe July 29. By Aug. 1 they were on a plane back home.

Determined to be true ambassadors, their repertoire was made up entirely of Canadian works, representing music from across the nation.

They made a memorable impression. "Derek Healey's A Salish Song was a real crowd-pleaser," Thomson said.

Robert Cooper, one of Canada's leading choral conductors, stepped on stage after their performance to say publicly that they had "made Canada proud." Michael Anderson of the IFCM told Klaz that he expects many more applications from the Winnipeg Singers.

This kind of exposure is already reaping rewards. The ensemble has received several invitations to perform around the world, including in Argentina next August. The Setagaya Choir is planning to visit here and perform in two years.

"There were delegates from 49 nations and many top scholars and choral conductors," Klaz explained. "It's the best way to see the development of choral music around the world. You get exposed to different styles, different repertoire, and different choirs.... all have to be top notch."

And of course, there's the country itself. "The Japanese culture is stunning," Klaz said. "and there is a very strong choral tradition in Japan."

So, next Friday night, after a summertime that was anything but easy, the Winnipeg Singers will step right back into North American culture with those famous first words "da-doo-da..."

The WSO Pops season opener Glorious Gershwin featuring soprano Roberta Law, bass-baritone Kevin Deas and the Winnipeg Singers runs Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Tickets at the WSO box office, 949-3999. The Winnipeg Singers' official season kicks off on Oct. 23 with A Feast of Motets. Call 989-6030 then press 1 for tickets.

Gwenda Nemerofsky
Winnipeg Free Press
Thursday, September 22, 2005


Winnipeg Singers going on tour

TWO years ago, Andrew Thomson was sitting in his backyard when he had an idea -- why not take the Winnipeg Singers on a world tour?

Now, with their departure for Taipei only a week away, Thomson says the tour will be a highlight of the Winnipeg choir's history.

Thomson is the executive director of the Winnipeg Singers -- a local choir of 24 trained performers who are heading to the Taipei International Choral Festival and the 7th World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto, Japan at the end of July.

Along with 33 other choirs from around the globe, the Winnipeg Singers are one of two choirs from Canada who will be performing Canadian music in Japan. Toronto's Nathaniel Dett Chorale will also be there.

"The selection process is very tough to get in the symposium," says Winnipeg Singers conductor and artistic director Yuri Klaz. "It's really, really a great honour and responsibility, on the other hand."

Thomson says the choir applied to be a part of the Kyoto symposium in 2003 and was delighted to be invited to perform at this summer's festival. Although lack of funding threatened their upcoming trip for several months, the group has been able to raise $85,000 since March through private donations and organizations like the Winnipeg Foundation and the Manitoba Arts Council.

Thomson says this is the group's first international trip since Austria in the mid-1980s.

The choir will be performing music from local composer Sid Robinovitch along with folk music from across the Prairies, Quebec and the Maritimes. The group performs in Taipei on July 23 before leaving for Setagaya, Japan for a special performance with the Citizens Chorus Society of Setagaya and a reception with the mayor. Winnipeg Singers will then perform at a community concert in Kyoto and at the symposium on July 30.

Klaz says the singers will have the opportunity to meet top conductors and musicologists from around the world and participate in various workshops and lectures.

Klaz, who has attended four previous symposiums with other choirs, says it's a great opportunity for the Winnipeg Singers, and adds that it's a personal milestone in his musical career to be able to conduct at the highly regarded international symposium.

As for the future, Klaz says he would love to show off his group's talent with a cross-Canada tour, and adds that by traveling the choir has the chance to meet other singers and new ideas. "It's the experience of ideas, it's the experience of music," he says.

Winnipeg Free Press
Wednesday, July 13, 2005


Choral performance a real treat for Easter season
Concert Review: Choral Beauties
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
March 26, 2005

Attendance: 1,773

Review by Gwenda Nemerofsky

AS Yuri Klaz put his baton down after the final note of Saturday night's aptly named WSO concert, Choral Beauties, the concert hall was completely silent. A few seconds later, an entranced audience leapt to its feet in thunderous applause. Billed as a choral celebration of the Easter season, this City Classics concert delivered beyond expectations.

Centre stage was a marvellous massed choir, comprised of the Winnipeg Singers, the Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and members of the Renaissance Singers. The evening marked Russian-born Klaz's debut conducting the WSO and he made an impression. Artistic director of the first two ensembles, he led an emotional and dynamic production of powerful music.

Gabriel Fauré's Requiem was the undisputed highlight of the evening. Fauré himself said that he composed it for pleasure and pleasure it gives. The well-rehearsed choir followed Klaz's every move, which he adapted in size and space to produce the calm, contained vocals required. Singing along with the lovely tenor line in the Kyrie were the violas and cellos, also featured in the Offertorium, their rich, full tone so easy on the ears.

American baritone Nathaniel Watson projected his even-toned solo well, while Lottie Enns Braun's organ accompaniment lent a reverent touch. Quebec soprano Frédérique Vézina was perhaps not the ideal fit for the beautiful Pie Jesu. Although elegant and poised, her diction was muffled. A more modest interpretation of this peerless piece would have displayed it better.

Harpist Richard Turner lent an ethereal quality to the Sanctus and the singers took their cue from this, floating magically through the entire piece, which was entirely uplifting. So was the Agnus Dei, sung lovingly. Every entry was pure and true and the balance with the orchestra was perfect. One couldn't help but be moved.

Klaz drew exquisite performances from his singers -- producing a sort of controlled vibrancy that was both serene and spiritual. The audience, who sat completely motionless and captivated, anticipated the final word, "Requiem". You didn't have to be religious to feel you'd had a religious experience. Earlier in the program, the choir performed Verdi's exciting Stabat Mater with impassioned enjoyment, reaching out and grabbing listeners.

Bach's Cantata No. 4, known as the Easter Cantata, featured local soloists Kirsten Schellenberg, alto; Stacey Nattrass, soprano (filling in on just three hours' notice) David Menzies, tenor and Derek Morphy, bass. Schellenberg is always a treat to hear, with her mellow tone and clean diction. Menzies had to compete with an overzealous violin section drowning him out, while Morphy fared better, emoting plenty of feeling and rocking the house with his ultra resonant low notes. The choir responded to Klaz's ardent direction with plenty of rousing, hearty singing.

This performance ranks among the best of the WSO concert season. Audience members left the hall feeling renewed and refreshed, the ideal sentiment for the Easter holiday.


Singers take audience to Scandinavia
Concert Review: Fabulous Finnish

Winnipeg Singers
Crescent Fort Rouge United Church
February 27, 2005

Attendance: 205

Dedicated music lovers who passed on the Oscars were treated to an evening of beautiful singing Sunday night by the Winnipeg Singers. The group took its audience on a whirlwind tour of the choral music of Scandinavia and the Baltic nations in its Fabulous Finnish concert. Opening promisingly with Jean Sibelius' popular Finlandia Hymn sung in English, the choir sang with a hearty joy and warmth. With Sibelius' Sydämeni laula, the choir switched to Finnish -- and not another word of English was heard all night. Artistic director Yuri Klaz approached this unique and ambitious undertaking with vigour. A high point of Rakastava Op. 14 was in the second section, which contained a repetitive soprano and alto line reminiscent of a walk through the countryside, light and flowery. Toivu Kuula's Hautalaulu, or Funeral Song, was deceivingly joyful. The sopranos floated above especially jubilantly. His Auringon noustessa (At Sunrise) was sung lovingly. The first half of the program ended with Rautavaara's Lorca Suite, written in honour of Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. Rautavaara employed unusual and captivating vocal techniques in this four-part work; the singers executed the many demands with a sense of fun and ease.

The second half of the program included composers from outside Finland in the framework of the Scandinavian Mass. A particular highlight was the Gloria by Lithuanian composer Kristina Vasiliauskaite, in which Klaz obtained a good flow, building momentarily, as if shafts of sunlight were breaking through the clouds.

What Scandinavian-themed concert would be complete without a work by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg? His Ave Maris Stella possessed fully developed harmonies, with the inevitable folk flavour. The sopranos displayed impeccable pureness of tone.

Estonian Arvo Pärt's ethereal Magnificat was a peaceful, lovely ending to this concert. Special mention must go to the flawless tenor entry followed by a duet with the sopranos, creating a huge wall of constant sound.

This polished ensemble will do Winnipeg proud at the World Choral Symposium in Kyoto in July.


"The total performance was powerful and moving. The Singers managed to convey an impressive interpretation of this major choral canvas." (The Rachmaninoff Vespers)

Singers meet Rachmaninov challenges - Andrew Thompson, The Winnipeg Free Press

"One cannot help but be impressed with the quality of The Winnipeg Singers. They projected well, their diction was excellent, and the phrasing was spot on. All sixteenth-note runs were well defined and sprightly, and their balance was clean and focused."

Tis the season to hear a lovely Messiah - Andrew Thompson, The Winnipeg Free Press

"Real virtuoso choral writing can hit you right between the eyes when it's done with originality and flair and sung as if the choir's collective lives depended on it. Such happened at the New Music Festival last night…. It sent the audience to its feet after The Winnipeg Singers, led by Yuri Klaz…nailed its pagan soul to the recesses of ours in a knockout performance….Never mind what the words meant….This piece proved to be a slam-dunk."

Don't know the words, but the choir's fantastic - James Manishen, The Winnipeg Free Press