New York City Bound - AVHC to sing at Carnegie Hall!
/Media Release
March 14, 2023
New York City Bound - AVHC to sing at Carnegie Hall!
Kentville - The Annapolis Valley Honour Choir is about to embark on an experience of a lifetime - to sing at one of the world’s most famous concert venues, Carnegie Hall, New York City.
“Canada at Carnegie” is an event produced by National Concerts. Over three days, the program will welcome six youth choirs (over 200 voices) from across Canada to rehearse together under the direction of Dr. Jamie Hillman (University of Toronto) and Carrie Tennant (Vancouver Youth Choir), culminating in a final performance on April 1 in Carnegie Hall.
The AVHC senior choir have been preparing for an incredible program that proudly features all Canadian composers, including music by Marie-Claire Saindon (Quebec), and a piece by Tracy Wong (Ontario based, Malaysian Canadian) that was commissioned in part by the AVHC Artistic Director, Heather Fraser. They will sing music by the revered African Canadian composer Nathaniel Dett, who brought spirituals to the concert stage and to their celebrated place in the choral canon. They will perform the world premiere of a newly commissioned work by Ontario composer Sarah Quartel, and will learn from and perform with Mattagami First Nation artist Corey Payette with a song from his musical about residential school survivors.
Perhaps the most moving moment for the AVHC singers and parents in the audience, will take place when the choirs sing the Cape Breton anthem “We Rise Again” by Leon Dubinsky, who just passed away earlier this year. Artistic Director Heather Fraser says of this moment, “To bring a song that is so meaningful to us as Nova Scotians to such a famous stage, with a chorus over 200 voices strong, will be unbelievably special and a remarkable feeling that will stay with us forever I have no doubt. It’s a song that has lifted communities up in hard times for almost 40 years - what an incredible way to celebrate the resilience of all these young people and our choral community through the pandemic. I get teary just thinking about it!”
48 singers and 19 adults will travel on March 28th, with other family and community members heading to New York to take in this performance. While in New York the choir will also perform at a friendship concert for all the participating choirs, and will pay their respects with music at the 9/11 Museum and Memorial. They will soak in the sites from street level at Times Square and from the Top of the Rock Observation Deck. Other visits to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Central Park, and seeing multiple Broadway shows will make this an overall unforgettable experience.
After the last 3 years of Covid struggles, this cultural and performance opportunity is the perfect way to revive, reconnect, and reimagine what’s possible for these youth, as well as the future of AVHC .
As a final event before they go, the singers will showcase what they have learned in a casual performance for friends and family. “In a New York Minute” will be Saturday, March 25th, at 4:00pm at Wolfville Baptist Church. Free Will Offering at the door with proceeds going to the trip.
If anyone would like to support the choir in this experience, final donations can be made by visiting www.avhc.ca.
