After Coast Symphony Orchestra artistic director Edette Gagné waved the final baton on the May 15 concert in Gibsons, she dashed off to North Vancouver where she is co-music director for The Merry Widow, a production of the North Shore Light Opera Society. She is stage directing this show that runs at Presentation House until May 29 and it fosters her creative side. She has asked the performers to make up their own back story for their characters to give them authenticity. As a vocalist, light opera is one of her favourites.
And that’s not the only show she’s involved with. She is also associate conductor for the BC Boys Choir and the very young children of the Kids Sing Chorus.
“I have five jobs in all,” she tells Coast Reporter. “I love all the things I do.”
Her latest role is somewhat of a sparkling feather in her freelance conductor cap. She is in her first year as artistic director of the Vivaldi Chamber Choir (VCC), a choral group that has been in existence for 27 years, and is based in Vancouver’s West Side.
The choir will give a performance on the Coast on June 5 at St. Hilda’s Church in Sechelt. The programme, titled Beautiful and Bright, is about finding love and beauty. It explores the poetry of Rilke set in a fascinating way in Les Chansons des Roses. In Chant des Oiseaux, the choir will break into bird song – and that’s not the only foreign language used. Songs will be performed in old French, the men take a turn in Japanese, plus Chinese and German are used, and English, of course. The rollicking ditty Feller from Fortune is reputedly written in Newfoundland dialect.
It’s a whirlwind trip for the audience followed by a double fugue by Bach that allows listeners to relax and let the music envelop them. As befits the title of the concert, they will also sing John Rutter’s All Things Bright and Beautiful.
The repertoire is challenging for the choristers to learn.
“I’m pushing them for blend and balance,” Gagné acknowledges, “and they work very hard.” If the many languages and song selection were not difficult enough, Gagné has them standing in mixed formation, in some cases, rather than the standard soprano, alto, tenor, bass groupings. The pride of the concert will be a prize-winning composition from a Grade 10 Vancouver student, Joshua Yang, whose piece titled Song of Nature won the annual Vancouver Chamber Choir competition for new material. Gagné is proud of the boy – he’s one of the members of the BC Boys Choir and the VCC will be only the second choir to perform it.
“We’re proud of Joshua,” Gagné said. “His piece is brilliant … it speaks beautifully of nature. You can close your eyes and hear the rippling of the creeks, the breeze rustling through the trees, the dancing of the grass. It’s a lovely expression of the nature around us.”
The choir is accompanied by Barry Yamanouchi on piano.
Despite the many new musical opportunities for Gagné, she does not want to give up her role with the Coast Symphony Orchestra, which she has held for eight seasons now. She’s seen some new faces join the group and has worked with a core of stalwarts who are growing in knowledge with the orchestra.
Beautiful and Bright is at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church, 5838 Barnacle in Sechelt at 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 5. Tickets are $15 at the door or at Gaia’s Fair Trade or Laedeli in Gibsons, and the Visitor Centre in Sechelt. They are also available at beautifulandbright.brownpapertickets.com
