Singing songs of the season
Yellowknife Choral Society celebrates winter with a harp
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Friday, December 2, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The holiday season is not just about Christmas and tradition - it's about winter and even the emotions that come along with this time of year.
Edmonton-based harpist Samantha Spurrier tunes her instrument in St. Patrick's Parish Church on Wednesday
morning before practising with the Yellowknife Choral Society. She and the choir will be performing Strike the Harp tonight and Saturday evening at the church. - Robin Grant/NNSL photo |
That's the message in the songs to be performed by the Yellowknife Choral Society at its annual holiday performance tonight and Saturday night.
This year, the performance, called Strike the Harp, features Edmonton-based harpist Samantha Spurrier.
"Some of it is sacred, some of it is secular, some of it is a little lighter, some of it is a little more intense," explained Margo Nightingale, conductor of Aurora Borealis, one of the three choirs performing this year.
The songs explore themes related to the season, such as grace, peace, family and connection, Nightingale said.
"We will have some pieces that will speak to feeling kind of lonely and disconnected in the season too," she added. "And reflect on some of the natural changes."
Among the songs sung will be Northern Lights, which is from the symphony Nordic Lights by Latvian composer Eriks Esenvalds.
"It involves some soloists in the choir and also includes tone chimes and water glasses that kind of give that real sense of what Northern Lights actually might sound like," Nightingale said.
The choir will be singing a piece composed by Yellowknife musician Carmen Braden called Solstice Shadows as well.
Based on the work by Whitehorse poet Clea Roberts, Solstice Shadows explores how light changes in the winter and how it affects peoples' moods.
Jason Doiron has been a part of the Yellowknife Choral Society for nine years.
"Singing choral music is hard but it's very rewarding," he said. "We end up having a great concert in the end. We have three every year so it's really great, and this concert specifically, we're singing a song that's really special to me."
Harpist Samantha Spurrier arrived in Yellowknife from Edmonton on Wednesday morning.
She said the Choral Society was very accommodating of her trip North but said there are usually challenges transporting a giant hard case and harp, which together weigh approximately 300 pounds.
"We had some adventures at either end," she said.
"I don't think either moving van fit the harp and so we had to find alternatives and then there were issues with lifting it. But we got it here, it was exciting."
Spurrier graduated from the University of Alberta's bachelor of music program two years ago. As a freelance musician, she plays at local events in Edmonton.
"One of the main pieces we're doing is Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, which was written for harp and choir," she said.
"Britten was quite good friends with one of the well-known harpists in England at the time and also with a tenor so they were a good trio of friends and lots of good music came out of that."
