Date: Saturday Feb. 11
Time: 1:00 – 4:30 PM
Location: St. Timothy’s Anglican Church, 8420 145 St, Edmonton
Fee: $20 (no cost to students). Pre-registration required.

We’ll spend the afternoon singing and working on various aspects of group vocal performance, listening, blend and so forth.  Invited are some guest section leaders who will make sure we sound great and sing with confidence, and we’ll learn some tunes to perform together.

All who participate are invited to join us in a short performance set at our concert “Fusion of Voices” on Sunday February 26.

All are welcome; any degree of experience.

To register, email vocalalchemy@gmail.com or click here.

Tickets for the February 26 concert are also available through our website and at Tix on the Square. This concert will be an exciting and widely varied program featuring the fantastic Edmonton Youth Choir.

For the second concert of its tenth anniversary season, Vocal Alchemy will host Edmonton Youth Choir. The 100 voices of these combined choirs will join in presenting a widely varied program. This is an opportunity hear two exciting choirs prepared by one conductor in a truly collaborative concert.

Fusion of Voices
Vocal Alchemy with Edmonton Youth Choir
Jordan Van Biert, conductor
Sunday, February 26; 7:30 pm
McDougall United Church, 10025 101 St
Tickets: $15/12 in advance; $17/15 at the door
Advance tickets through members of the choir and Tix on the Square: 420-1757

For the 2011-2012 Season, Vocal Alchemy Artistic Director Jordan Van Biert has been appointed conductor of Edmonton Youth Choir, an award-winning chamber choir for youth age 14-24, and this concert will fuse the two groups for a program much more collaborative and integrated than is usually possible for two separate choirs with their individual seasons and directorship.

This concert will feature a capella music in the great variety of genres and styles for which Vocal Alchemy has become known, featuring these two choirs performing together for the majority of the program, including music by great classical masters, folk songs, contemporary tunes and spirituals. Each choir will also be featured individually; Vocal Alchemy will treat the audience to several classic favorites including Randall Thompson’s gripping Alleluia, and EYC will perform music including that of this week’s Grammy®-award-winner Eric Whitacre.

A highlight of the program will be the choirs joining on Franz Biebl’s stirring double-choir Ave Maria.

The concert will also include a set of music performed by the Men of Vocal Alchemy together with some invited special guest singers, as a culmination of VA’s Men’s Workshop which has become a successful annual event.

Get tickets.

Edmonton Youth Choir (EYC) is the oldest group in the Edmonton Youth and Children’s Choirs organization under the artistic direction of Dr. John Wiebe, which provides a professional music education to singers age 8-24. Established in 1995, the Youth Choir is a chamber choir consisting of singers aged 14 to 24, dedicated to the performance of excellent music from a variety of cultures and genres, focusing on advanced unaccompanied music from the Western choral tradition. The emphasis is on high quality of vocal and musical instruction, and the excellence of the choir is proven by its track record of success in local, national and international competitions. EYC involves singers who are committed to creating music of the highest calibre. The choir records and tours regularly, and provides an opportunity for travel and the development of lasting friendships. Jordan Van Biert has joined EYC as conductor for the 2011-2012 Season.

Concert Sponsor:

Many thanks to our 2011-2012 Season Sponsors:

For the 2011-2012 Season, Vocal Alchemy Artistic Director Jordan Van Biert has been appointed conductor of Edmonton Youth Choir, an award-winning chamber choir for youth age 14-24, and this concert will fuse the two groups for a program much more collaborative and integrated than is typically possible for two separate choirs with their individual seasons and directorship.

This concert will feature a capella music in the great variety of genres and styles for which Vocal Alchemy has become known, featuring these two choirs performing together for the majority of the program, including music by great classical masters, folk songs, contemporary tunes and spirituals. Each choir will also be featured individually; Vocal Alchemy will treat the audience to several classic favorites including Randall Thompson’s gripping Alleluia, and EYC will perform music including that of this week’s Grammy®-award-winner Eric Whitacre.

Vocal Alchemy’s Christmas concert for 2011 will be a delight for audiences, and we’ve added an afternoon show to be sure everyone can get a ticket!

This year’s December concert features Conrad Susa’s Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest, a collection of carols from numerous Spanish-speaking parts of the world.  This stirring work features choir, soloists, harp, guitar and marimba, and we’re delighted to welcome Keri-Lynn Zwicker, Trevor Sanders and Court Laslop for this performance.

The concert will also include a variety of traditional and contemporary music for choir: works of Victoria, Mozart, Lauridsen, Gjeilo and Chatman; some familiar carols, and solo performances from our guest instrumentalists.

Our featured soloist is Janet Smith, soprano, who will join us for Mozart’s Laudate Dominum and a number of other works.  Janet’s performance with Vocal Alchemy is sponsored by Top Shelf Closets & Glass Inc.

Sunday, December 4, 3:00 and 7:30 pm
St. Andrew’s United Church, 9915 148 St Edmonton

Tickets are $15/$12 in advance through members of the choir or through Tix on the Square. Get tickets.

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Want to support the choir but can’t attend the concert?  Consider participating in our poinsettia fundraiser: these large and beautiful plants are available for order through members of the choir until November 20, for $15 or 2/$25.

Many thanks to our 2011-2012 Season Sponsors:

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Join us for an “artfull” evening of food, beers and music in support of Ronald McDonald House® Northern Alberta and Vocal Alchemy! Enjoy an art show by local artist Nancy Sorenson, and song by Vocal Alchemy. Food and beer pairings in collaboration with Alley Kat Brewing.

Friday May 27, 2011
7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
at Crestwood Community Hall, 14325-96 Avenue
Tickets:  $40 each  or  2/$75

For tickets, or to make a donation, email Colleen at vocalalchemy@gmail.com

Many thanks to our sponsors of this event: Nancy Sorenson, Alley Kat Brewing Company and Rayacom Print and Design.

Vocal Alchemy with special guests The Men of Pro Coro Canada on May 15

The choir tops off a successful year with this spring concert showcasing its wide range of repertoire and sound. Including great choral masterworks by composers like Mozart and Mendelssohn, beautiful arrangements of folk songs, and soul-touching spirituals, this concert will have something to surprise and delight everyone in the audience.

In another exciting collaborative performance, the choir will be joined for this evening by the Men of Pro Coro Canada (including our own Jordan Van Biert), directed by Trent Worthington. The group will perform a variety of lighter repertoire, classical and popular tunes and join VA for a set of folk songs together.

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This program included:

Many thanks to our 2010-2011 Season Sponsors:

These Are Our Songs:

Vocal Alchemy in collaboration with Jessica Heine for a Canadian folk program February 27

Get tickets!

Vocal Alchemy’s February 27 performances will feature traditional Canadian folk songs and the music of Stan Rogers, Ian Tyson, Rita McNeil, Joni Mitchell, Susan Aglukark, The Rankin Family and Sarah McLachlan, and we’re adding a second show to accommodate our increasingly large audience!

The 2010-2011 season has started off strongly for the choir, with season tickets sold out early in the fall and a sold out December concert, and this next program is highly anticipated: an all-Canadian music show celebrating our great folk song tradition, in collaboration with Jessica Heine.

Jessica Heine (hi-na) is a singer-songwriter who until very recently was based in Edmonton. She is a graduate of the University of Alberta with a BMus in vocal performance, but although she enjoys singing occasional operatic arias, her passion is folk music and storytelling through song. She has performed at The Edmonton Folk Music Festival and Medicine Hat’s Tongue on the Post Festival, has been a finalist in songwriting competitions in Calgary and Texas, and in 2010 performed in the Songwriter Showcase at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado.  In the spring of 2010, Heine was commissioned to write a song for Tourism Jasper, and the song, “Give Me Jasper” has been used in ads for the national park.   Heine embarked on a successful three-month western Canadian tour with singer-songwriter Kelly Tschritter in the fall of 2010 and is currently residing in Yellowknife, NT where she is looking forward to  all the inspiration the north is going to send her way.

This concert will feature Vocal Alchemy, Jessica Heine and a guest trio: Brett Ludwig on piano, Keith Rempel on bass and Thom Bennett on drums. The show will include traditional folk songs and ones from singer-songwriters of yesteryear and today, including originals from Jessica with the choir in a backing role. The evening show will also include a set of music for male choir as a follow-up to our annual Men’s Workshop.

Vocal Alchemy is building a tradition of having a lighter, popular-style concert in February, and past demand has led us to add a second show to this year’s performance. Concerts are at 3 pm and 7:30 pm, Sunday February 27 at St. Andrew’s United Church, 9915 148 St Edmonton. Tickets are available at Tix on the Square and through members of the choir: $15/12 in advance, $17/15 at the door.

Get tickets!

Brett Ludwig’s appearance with Vocal Alchemy is sponsored in part by Cuthbert Smith Consulting Partnership Inc.

Many thanks to our 2010-2011 Season Sponsors:

Vocal Alchemy Men’s Workshop 2011

Date: Saturday Feb. 12
Time: 10 AM – 4 PM
Location: St. Timothy’s Anglican Church, 8420 145 St, Edmonton
Fee: $20 (no cost to students), lunch included. Pre-registration required.

We’ll spend the day singing and working on various aspects of group vocal performance, listening, blend and so forth.  Invited are some guest section leaders who will make sure we sound great and sing with confidence, and we’ll learn some tunes to perform together.  The day includes pizza lunch, generously sponsored by Pizza 73.

All who participate are invited to join us in a short performance set at our evening performance of our concert “These Are Our Songs” on Sunday February 27, with dress rehearsal the afternoon of Saturday Feb 26.

All are welcome; any degree of experience.

To register, email vocalalchemy@gmail.com or click here.

Tickets for the February 27 concerts (3 pm and 7:30 pm) are also available through our website and at Tix on the Square. This concert of all Canadian folk music features guest singer-songwriter Jessica Heine and a number of excellent guest musicians.

Hope to see you soon!

This concert, featuring sacred music composed and arranged by Canadian composers, will make a great addition to the festive season. The 65 voices of Vocal Alchemy will be joined by Satomi Tozawa, piano, and Robert Zylstra, organ, both of whom will be familiar to our audience.  This year, we’ll also be joined by spellbinding soprano soloist Janet Smith. The audience will also get a chance to sing with us on some familiar favorites. Get tickets.

Want to support the choir, but can’t make it to the concert? Consider supporting Vocal Alchemy through our Christmas Poinsettia fundraiser.  These big, beautiful plants will last far beyond the holiday season, and are available for $15, or 2 for $25. Speak to your favorite member of the choir for details, or send us a message.

]]> http://www.vocalalchemy.com/dec-2010-a-canadian-christmas/feed/ 0 http://www.vocalalchemy.com/may-2010-songs-and-sonnets/ http://www.vocalalchemy.com/may-2010-songs-and-sonnets/#comments Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:10:01 +0000 alchemist http://www.vocalalchemy.com/?p=379

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Join Vocal Alchemy as we present a wide variety of music, all taking its inspiration from great English poetry. The Bard himself is well-represented, as is music from Shakespeare’s time, along with some instrumental and vocal sounds of the time. We’ve also got plenty of contemporary works, including music from a number of different Canadian composers, and three pieces from “Songs and Sonnets” by jazz composer George Shearing: jazz settings of classic Shakespeare texts for choir with jazz piano and bass.

We’re joined by great guest artists including soprano Eve Richardson and our fantastic pianist Satomi Tozawa. Vince Kelly and Jen Hoyer will play recorders, and Toscha Turner joins us to play bass on the Shearing pieces.

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Vocal Alchemy Men’s Workshop 2010

Gentlemen! Join the men of Vocal Alchemy and conductor Jordan Van Biert for a day of singing, this year featuring barbershop and doo-wop tunes, with a follow-up opportunity to perform with us in our February 28th concert!

No experience is required. That’s the fun of it!  And guys with lots of experience are VERY welcome; we’ll have a great day of inspiring and being inspired!

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