The Southern Manitoba Choral Society is well into their fall season, with an eclectic selection of music in store.
The committee recently held their registration night, and treasurer and archivist Sarah Dueck says they’re delighted to have 30 singers come aboard.
“We’d like to have 10 more but this is a great start. There are posters around town if people are still interested in joining us. We’d love to have more and welcome singers in each voice – soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.”
The choir practices together every Tuesday in the W.C. Miller Collegiate choral room.
“We’ve got some great representation of voices from Morris, Emerson, Gretna, and Altona,” Dueck noted.
In the past, the choir also included members from Plum Coulee, Winkler, Lowe Farm, and surrounding areas.
“So, this is a community choir, but it’s also a regional choir,” Dueck said.
Rehearsals build up to a grand performance on Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. in the Altona Bergthaler Church.
“The next concert date hasn’t been determined yet,” noted Dueck. “But we will continue to meet for practices from January to sometime in March before spring break.”
Conducting this season is Ben Kroeker, music director at Northlands Parkway Collegiate in Winkler.
“We’re excited about this season. We have retired people, students, people in education, health care, agriculture, business, so quite a variety of singers,” Dueck said. “We have so many talented people in our region. There’s so much power in singing as a group.”
The choir has a rich performing history. It began in fall of 1957, with Ben Horch at the helm. Horch participated actively in the musical life of the Canadian Mennonite community and did much to determine the nature and direction of musical development. His work at CFAM and CBC brought Mennonite choral singing and music making to the attention of the Winnipeg and Canadian public.
“They had their first concert that spring with a choir of about 120 singers of all ages and walks of life, which completely filled the West Park School stage,” shared Dueck. “It was just amazing and had huge appeal.”
There were a variety of concerts in the years that followed, featuring a host of local and guest soloists and musicians.
“We loved providing concerts for the community. The early concerts were usually classical in nature, and big pieces such as Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation, with more variety in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Later, Buhler Hall in Gretna became the scene of a variety of classical presentations.
“We always had a full house,” Dueck recalled.
In the last few years, their performances have evolved to feature a variety of music, such as folk, gospel and modern music, along with classical.
“We have modern composers that the younger people enjoy and some music from movies as well. This year we’re featuring Evermore from Beauty and the Beast.”
The choir has enjoyed a variety of gifted conductors through the years, each bringing their own style and flair.
Dueck says originally, the concerts were an homage to the ‘sangerfest’ concerts performed by Mennonites from Russia in the 1920s
“So this is an attempt to keep singing as a gathering of people who simply love to sing and want to present a concert to people who like to listen, and we’ve been gifted with some wonderful sponsors.”
The legacy of the choir lives on, Dueck said, with grandchildren of some of the original members sometimes joining in.
Practices run every Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. until Nov. 14, and then picking up again in January. The cost is $35 per individual.
If you’re interested in joining the choir, contact Dueck at 204-324-7144 or email srdueck@hotmail.com.
“There are no auditions. You don’t need any musical training,” Dueck said.
“Whoever wants to sing is welcome.”
