Cantus Vocum's Christmas for all ages
Lifestyles The Telegram: 12/20/99

By C. Jane Gosine - Special to The Telegram

Last week’s biting wind and driving snow was a harsh reminder that it was mid-December in spite of all the mild weather we had been enjoying. The feel of a crisp, clear night, with a sprinkling of snow, and the sound of Christmas music wafting around the Anglican Cathedral served as a much gentler and more welcome sign that the festive season is upon us.

Cantus Vocum, under the direction of Chad Stride, and three local school choirs presented an eclectic mixture of music appropriate to the Christmas season. It was refreshing to see so many young people experience the thrill of performing in the glorious setting of the Anglican Cathedral before a very appreciative audience.

The opening group of pieces performed by Cantus Vocum highlighted some of the outstanding qualities of the choir, including beautiful phrasing with sensitivity to dynamic nuances and incisive, clear singing. At times, due to the acoustics of the building, there was a need to enunciate the words more clearly, but on the whole the diction was good. Despite occasional problems with intonation, the choir gave a stylish performance of Stephen Hatfield’s setting of Gaudete, in which the use of cross rhythms give the piece an earthy quality. Later in the concert, Cantus Vocum performed a second group of pieces, including Stephen Smith’s haunting and serene O Oriens, which grew from a hushed opening to a rousing climax. Although the ensemble was superb in the choir’s rendition of In the Bleak Midwinter, and the purity of the singing at the opening of the last verse was very moving, I found the fluctuations in tempo, particularly at the ends of phrases, a little distracting. Cantus Vocum concluded the selection with a lively rendition of A. Warrell’s arrangement of A Merry Christmas.

In between Cantus Vocum’s musical selections were performances by the three school choirs and a chance for members of the audience to stretch their legs and sing well-loved congregational carols, accompanied on the organ by Sharon Whelan, with descants provided by Cantus Vocum. No matter how many times I hear the final verse of David Wilcock’s arrangement of O Come All Ye Faithful, shivers go down my spine at the wonderful harmonies provided by the organ — Saturday night was no exception!

Beaconsfield Junior High Jazz Choir, directed by Sheila Ryan, treated the audience to some beautifully controlled, sweet singing, particularly in It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The I. J. Samson Show Choir sang with enthusiasm and good intonation. The singers delighted the audience with their rhythmic performance of Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town in an arrangement by the choir’s director, Jennifer Nakashima. The third school choir to perform was the Prince of Wales Collegiate Chamber Choir, directed by Terry Howlett. In Carol of the Bells, the singers demonstrated their musicality by shaping the phrases with great subtlety while maintaining a strong sense of rhythm.

One of the highlights of the concert was a joint performance by the PWC Chamber Choir and Cantus Vocum of Diane Loomer’s exquisite setting of Yuletide Fires. The choirs produced a beautifully fresh, warm sound, with excellent ensemble. The concert concluded with the massed voices of all of the choirs giving an energetic performance of John Rutter’s joyous Star Carol. For me, Rutter’s name is almost synonymous with modern Christmas carols. His carols evoke the spirit of Christmas with melodies of bright, innocent simplicity. In Saturday night’s performance, the choirs created a wonderful sense of spaciousness and also managed to bring out the catchy rhythms that are so much a feature of Rutter’s writing.

It has been a busy year for Cantus Vocum. In May, the choir released its first CD and in November inaugurated what the choir hopes to be an annual Remembrance Day concert held at the Anglican Cathedral. The choir has also given many other local concerts, two of which were recorded for broadcast on CBC Radio. Next summer the choir is embarking on a concert tour of Europe, culminating with participation at an international choral festival in the Netherlands where the choir will be one of only two choirs invited to represent Canada. Saturday night’s concert left the audience in no doubt as to why this dynamic choir is in such high demand both locally and further afield.

Cantus Vocum should be congratulated on its initiative to involve local school choirs in its Christmas concert. Young musicians reap huge benefits from the opportunity to perform alongside more experienced musicians. The sense of discipline and camaraderie gained from such an experience, as well as the pure musical enjoyment felt by all those involved, will have a long-lasting positive effect on these young musicians that will reach well beyond their musical development.