Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 21/05) - The Yellowknife Choral Society is offering the community an opportunity to meet one of the most renowned choral conductors in the country next week.

Vancouver conductor Diane Loomer will lead an instructional rehearsal of choral music, Oct. 29 at the legislative assembly. - photo courtesy of Diane Loomer

Diane Loomer, whose classical music commentary is featured regularly on CBC radio, was the first woman to conduct the National Youth Choir of Canada.

She co-founded Vancouver's Chor Leone men's choir and the Elektra Women's Choir and received the Order of Canada for her contributions and achievements.

In a public event titled The Anatomy of a Choir, Loomer will lead an instructional rehearsal with the Choral Society from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, in the great hall of the legislative assembly. The community is invited to watch, listen and learn.

"It's going to be a really accessible way for people to learn about what happens in a choir," said organizer Shad Turner.

"Musicians and non-musicians alike will enjoy the interactive process."

Loomer will use the Yellowknife choir as a teaching tool to talk about how a choir works, including the roles of the different singers, where each member stands, what the conductor does and why. As a conductor, Loomer approaches choral singing as an instrumental ensemble of voices, not unlike a symphony or a band.

She describes the voice as the most natural and versatile instrument.

"People in a choir become great friends because there's a wonderful sense of community about the work," she said. "They're working to achieve a common goal that none of them would be able to accomplish on their own."

In this way, community choirs bring people together - old or young, male or female - in a spirit of co-operation and creativity.

"It can be people who work in the mines or business people who sit above the twentieth floor," she said.

"It can be a very unusual collection of individuals but the music allows people to move beyond those kinds of boundaries or identities and come together to make really wonderful music."

Joining a choir is a great way for people to develop their singing skills, she said, especially for those who enjoy music but aren't comfortable singing on their own.

"The choral setting is the perfect re-entrance into singing because you're not singing on your own - you're not having to carry huge musical responsibilities by yourself as a soloist would do," she said.

"Any individual in a choir feels their contribution is valued and valuable through the unified effort of people performing together."

The Choral Society will also present open rehearsals with Diane Loomer at the legislative assembly from 10-11:30 a.m. and from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

The event is funded by a grant from the NWT Arts Council.