Communities Come Together in Harmony
- Manitoba Choral Association
- Oct 24, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
Hundreds of young Manitoba singers participate in joint concert
There are many reasons why Manitoba is called The Singing Province! This past October, after touring in their own respective regions, Manitoba’s regional youth choirs culminated the end of their touring programs with a joint concert at the William Glesby Centre in Portage la Prairie on October 20, 2024, hosted by Manitoba Choral Association (MCA). The Central Manitoba Youth Choir, Eastman Youth Choir with singers from Interlake Youth Choir, and Western Manitoba Youth Choir participated in the collaboration concert after holding rehearsals in September and October and performing for audiences in their respective regions in mid-October. The auditioned choirs each drew a healthy contingent of singers and were collectively seen by thousands of Manitobans over the course of their tours.
The 2024 Central Manitoba Youth Choir (CMYC), directed by Vic Pankratz (Winnipeg) and accompanied by Loren Hiebert (Altona), included 49 singers from Grades 10-12 in the Central Region. They held two rehearsal weekends at Circle Square Ranch near Austin, MB in September to prepare a wide range of repertoire including works by Canadian composers Andrew Balfour, Katerina Gimon, and Dan Wiebe. From October 17-20 they performed 12 concerts in middle schools and high schools, senior centres, and various churches.
This year was also the 40th anniversary of the CMYC. "It’s not just a celebration of music—it’s a celebration of the memories and the relationships we’ve built over the past 40 years," shared CMYC President Heather Clyde. Founded in 1985, the CMYC has been an integral part of Central Manitoba’s cultural landscape. Over the past 40 years, it has grown into a beloved institution, providing young singers with an outlet for their talents and a supportive community.
The 2024 Eastman Youth Choir (EMYC) was made up of 61 singers from grades 9-12 from various Eastern Manitoba & Interlake cities and towns, who met over three weekends to rehearse and then perform on tour. This year’s choir was directed by Scott Leithead (Edmonton) and accompanied by Julie King (Steinbach). Over two weekends at Camp Assiniboia, singers rehearsed ten selections of repertoire including works by Sherryl Sewepagaham, Dylan Bell, and Suba Sankaran.
Tour performance stops included schools and churches around Eastern Manitoba in the communities of Steinbach, Grunthal, and Stonewall. They also performed in Winnipeg at the Manitoba Legislative Building and the Human Rights Museum and the VIA Rail Station.
The 2024 Western Manitoba Youth Choir (WMYC) was a great success. Now in its 43rd year, the WMYC was one of the original regional youth choirs to be created. Founded by Derek Morphy, Bill Lawson and Earl Davey to give students in the Westman region a high calibre experience unlike anything that was available to them at the time. The choir still offers this experience to its singers today.
This year’s WMYC was comprised of 54 singers, representing 17 different communities across the region. The choir was co-directed by Dr. Stuart Sladden (Winnipeg) and Deanna Ginn (Brandon) and accompanied by Danielle Guina (Brandon). The choir met at Camp Wannakumbac for a weekend of rehearsals before hitting the road to tour around Westman. Singers came from the communities of: Souris, Killarney, Pierson, Rapid City, Brandon, Justice, Virden, Deloraine, Brandon Hills, Miniota, Forrest, Oak Lake, Ninette, Cottonwood, Rivers, Neepawa, and Nesbitt.
The Communities in Harmony concert provided a unique opportunity for Manitoba singers and supporters from around the province to connect and experience the great choral music that is happening around The Singing Province. The regional youth choirs came together in Portage la Prairie that morning for a workshop led by EMYC guest conductor Scott Leithead to learn two songs: Sikirileke/Koloi, a traditional SeSotho Folk Song, and Sing Together by Nico Rho. The singers then performed the pieces at the concert as a mass choir, after performing 5-6 selections of their own repertoire for an audience of about 200 Manitobans.
A true collaboration, MCA co-planned the event with representatives from each regional youth choir committee. “The planning committee started the conversation over a year prior to the event,” said MCA Executive Director Jenny Steinke-Magnus. “It had been so long since the regional youth choirs had come together to present a joint concert like this, that committee members couldn’t recall the last time this type of event had been held!”
MCA was well positioned to plan this event, since our mission is to support, strengthen, and celebrate the choral community across The Singing Province by providing programs, resources, and services to the Manitobans. “We are thrilled to partner with singing groups to offer opportunities just like this, for Manitobans to raise their voices together in song,” shared Steinke-Magnus. “It was exciting to have 150 young and talented singers coming together to share music and build community for this concert. Above all, MCA wants to ensure that our province’s choral community continues to thrive for years to come, and that is certainly happening in the regions with these singers!”
If you missed the joint concert, click here to watch highlights. Thanks to the huge success of the 2024 programs, the regional youth choirs will soon be launching auditions for their 2025 programs. The youth choir rehearsals and performances kick off in the fall where the singers will create new connections with peers and raise their voices together in song!
For more information on Manitoba’s regional youth choirs, please visit them online:
The Communities in Harmony: Regional Youth Choir Collaboration event was made possible thanks to funding from the Foundation for Choral Music in Manitoba.
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