One of SFU’s newest performing arts groups is set to make its debut, helping add to the evolving culture scene on campus. The brand-new SFU Chamber Choir will be joining the SFU Choir at their upcoming Winter Winds concert on December 5, with artistic director Melissa Ratcliff at the helm for both groups.
In a first for the SFU Choir, they will be performing a baroque piece in Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s Magnificat. The Chamber Choir will complement the concert by performing the Western Winds Mass by John Tavener, a five-movement composition that was reportedly written by Henry VIII, although Ratcliff herself seems doubtful.
Ratcliff has been the driving force behind SFU Choir for a number of years now, and believes it is “a hidden gem in Vancouver,” comprised entirely of non-music students who simply have a passion for song. Even when she talks about her hopes for the new group, she prioritizes inspiring new members among the SFU student body.
“I’d love for the concert to be really successful and obviously sell a lot of tickets, but I’d really like to interest more of the music community at SFU and the area to come on out,” said Ratcliff. “I’d like to get more of the local talent who is interested in chamber music to come on out and audition for the choir. I’d love to have a longer roster of names.”
Now she’s expanded that goal to the Chamber Choir, a smaller group with whom she hopes to tackle a laundry list of pieces that weren’t suited to the larger ensemble.
“I kept getting requests to do [music] that was more challenging, more modern,” said Ratcliff. “The problem with some of those pieces is that they don’t work in a group of 100. It’s just too complex and ornate.”
The choirs will go as far as Ratcliff takes them, and the choristers themselves feel the same way. Holly Steinson is a part of the new Chamber Choir, but has been with the SFU Choir since 2011. She wasn’t taking classes at SFU when she first started, but was brought to a rehearsal by her brother and hasn’t looked back since.
Steinson acknowledges that so far, the Chamber Choir has been a bit of a trial run, as the group is still in their first semester and are suffering the growing pains one might expect from a new group. However, she’s confident that their first performance will captivate the audience, in part due to Ratcliff’s leadership.
“Nobody is as close as the choir and their audience during performance [as Ratcliff],” according to Steinson. “Groups are only as good as the conductor, which means the sky’s the limit. Our conductor is relatable, reliable, and knows her stuff.”
The mostly-student choirs won’t be the only local artists on display, as each of the soloists performing during Magnificat are up-and-comers in the Vancouver arts scene, mostly in the operatic world. The audience will be treated to Nancy Hasiuk, Erikka Griffiths-Keam, William George, and Andrew Greenwood as the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone soloists, respectively.
If you are interested in attending the Winter Winds concert on December 5, tickets are available at the Brown Paper Tickets website, or at the door at Ryerson United Church.
