An Okotoks conductor didn’t let Canada’s short music history stop him from delving into it for an upcoming concert.
Foothills Philharmonic Chorus conductor Tim Korthuis rounded up pieces created by Canadian composers for a concert he’s calling Songs of the North. The performance will be held at the Okotoks United Church Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
“There’s really only about 100 years of composition because the country itself is very new compared to many others, but there’s a variety of stuff,” he said. “Some pieces are 80 years old and we have pieces that are written in the last year or two.”
The songs the 70-member chorus will sing will represent various areas of the country, said Korthuis.
“We wanted to make sure we were well rounded with Canadian music,” he said. “We have a composer from Vancouver Island up to the Northwest Territories all the way to Montreal. We specifically titled it Songs of the North because we wanted to focus on Canadian stuff.”
Korthuis expects some people will recognize good old Canadian names like Gordon Lightfoot and will enjoy the array of songs about Christmas, winter and the wide-open spaces that speak to our country.
“It still allows us to put the Christmas flare here and there,” he said. “There’s a whole world of Canadian choral music that nobody knows exists.”
Korthuis learned this while studying music at the University of Calgary, where he recently earned his degree as a conductor.
“I was exposed to lots of different music from lots of different places,” he said. “I was struck that Canadian music has its own flare and voice and I’m not sure how many people have regularly heard it.
“There’s a whole world of Canadian choral music that nobody knows exists. There is such a multiculturalism in Canada.”
The chorus tends to focus on classical repertoire so Korthuis said Canadian music is difficult because it’s classical choral music in more of a general sense.
“It’s written a bit more formally,” he said. “There is still Canadian composers who do things much more formally or European style, but a lot of these pieces there is just this sense of openness and expanse just celebrating the multiculturalism and the wise spaces of Canada.”
The chorus will be joined by the Okotoks Men’s Chorus and a smaller group of the Foothills Philharmonic Chorus, which will sing more challenging harmonies throughout the evening.
“It makes it a more enjoyable experience when people bring in a different variety,” said Korthuis.
“It makes the ticket price more worthwhile and it generally improves the enjoyment of the concert.
“I’m a firm believer that variety allows there to be something for everybody in the concert.”
Korthuis said the chorus enjoys partnering with other groups in the area.
“There are so many great performing groups in Okotoks and so many great musical groups,” he said. “We just want to make sure that everybody knows about that. Regularly we run into people who don’t know there is a philharmonic chorus or even heard of the men’s chorus.
“There’s a lot of great musical things going on and we want to make sure everybody in town knows about them.”
Tickets to attend Songs of the North cost $20.
A portion of the proceeds go to the Purnaa Ethical Garment Manufacturers in Nepal, which teaches women skills to keep them out of the sex trade.
The remainder of the proceeds will go towards costs to operate the Foothills Philharmonic Chorus, including purchasing music and renting facilities.
To purchase tickets go to foothillsphilharmonic.com, email [email protected] or call 403-938-2614.
