What does one reminisce about at Christmas time? It’s a question that easily opens the door to a massive flux of responses. And what does a choir offer to an audience when it entitles its annual Christmas concert “Reminiscing”? At the very least, enlisting a title such as this means having your work cut out for you. But the Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir was quite successful at accomplishing a well thought out balance of seasonal recollections. From traditional and contemporary pieces to biblical insight, social issues and of course a few slices of humor this was a concert that presented well.

As with each concert that this organization presents, there is always an element of something new that raises the caliber of the show from any of their previous performances. Almost immediately, there were several subtle elements which were noticeable. New lighting gave a warmer more professional ambience. The wider placement and more fluid movement of the Senior boys and Men of Note on the stage during the first selection made a more noticeable presence. The use of a professional writer who weaved thematical elements throughout the show resulted in a more robust and satisfying concert experience. Along with the choir’s pianists who are always incredible, the incorporation of dual violin, dual cello, harp, flute and additional guest instrumentalists were elements that increased the caliber of the performance.

But it was the singing . . .it is always the singing that continues to define the Boys’ Choir as a team who pursues and accomplishes vocal and acoustical marvels.

This was the first performance for twelve Prepatory boys who are to be congratulated on having good pitch, great concentration on their conductor and a wonderfully executed cutoff on the end of “Snowy Flakes”. Very fine for their premier presentation.

The Junior boys were endearing to say the least. They shone during their performance of “Estrella Brillante” showcasing great breath longevity and agility on the sung “alleluia”. One of their highlights was the performance of “When I Was Young”: a retrospect of thirty, cocoa drinking 10 year olds reminiscing about Christmases of past, all in flawless unison. “I remember when I had to walk all the way to the car, to drive to school . . . . “.

Remarkable and memorable!

The Seniors and Men of Note were at the top of their game in this concert and one couldn’t help but melt into acoustical euphoria as they sang “In the Bleak Midwinter”. The Seniors continue to produce great pitch and blending while they perform repertoire that gives them some very noteworthy skill under their belt such as the Chichester Psalms by Bernstein. The Men of Note have become a sort of “pièce de résistance” and one always wonders what they are bringing to the concert each time they step up on stage. In “Repleti Sunt Omnes”, a traditional chant arranged for the choir by Trent Worthington, the soloists and men took vocal and emotional ownership of the piece and wore it like a glove. The lady sitting beside me put it best when she simply uttered “Wow”. The ability of these men and of the Director in successfully carrying out the melodic and harmonic elements of Caccini and Liebergen’s Ave Maria were very apparent and appreciated. The Blue Christmas skit and song was nothing short of marvelous in humor, nostalgia and solo talent.

As is tradition in the annual Christmas show, the concert closes with a congregational sing-a-long followed by the “Dads” joining their sons on stage for a final number. After

10 years of training her “dads” for their Christmas appearances, Director Jeannie Pernal was thrilled to be able to enlist their now “qualified and experienced” capabilities to perform the Hallelujah Chorus by Handel. And what a finale it was! A concert to remember; to Reminisce”.

Concert review by Mary-Ann Lynch

It’s raining in Grande Prairie – raining opportunity that is.

As members of the Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir prepare to participate in the International Boys and Men’s Choral Festival, two of the choir’s members are all smiles.

Ryan Thibeault and Jonathan Soles are both heading to Arizona along with other senior members of the local award winning choir.  Originally, both boys were unable to go due to financial restraints and Thibeault stated that he was quite “bummed out” about not being able to join his team mates on this opportuity.  However, an anonymous sponsor has graciously offered to cover the outstanding portion of the cost that both Thibeault and Soles needed to come up with.  “I’m so grateful” said an enthusiastic Thibeault, “I never thought I would be able to do anything like this!”

Boys’ Choir members have been fundraising to participate in the event which will have them showcased in public performances taking place in Flagstaff, Tucson and Mesa over an 8 day period.  The GP Boys’ Choir will join other boys’ and mens’ choirs from North America to be tutored, inspired and conducted by renowned conductors and clinicians.  “It’s going to be a great educational experience” stated Thibeault, “we are going to be taking part in a class on how to sing Barbershop style.”  In addition to the songs they have previously prepared, the local boys need to be ready to competently fine tune several new pieces of music for the performances. The participating choirs are also scheduled to take a sight seeing trip to the Grand Canyon which Soles says he is “looking forward to”.

Exposure to the famed stage doesn’t end there either.  Prior to jetting off to Arizona, the Boys’ Choir will share stage time with vocal sensation The Canadian Tenors.  This once in a lifetime experience will happen during the sold-out Dan Akroyd Family & Friends Dinosaur Ball taking place on July 23 in Grande Prairie as a fundraiser for the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.  Visit the Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir at www.gpboyschoir.org.

It has been 10 years since the Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir began sprouting their roots here in the Swan city and they heralded the event during their 10th Anniversary concert on Saturday, May 14, 2011. The award winning choir performed to a full house of over 1000 concert goers at the Grande Prairie Alliance Church.

Once again, the choir’s director, Jeannie Pernal, showed her adept instinct at selecting pieces of music that satisfy a wide range of musical interests while providing challenge and growth for her boys. This concert included familiar, international and sacred pieces. It also included the world premier of what may be the most, dare I say, “constructive” piece of choral music to date.

The Prepatory boys opened the show with three appropriate selections. These 12 boys had impressive unison and great choral vowels considering this is their first year of study with the choir. Next were the Junior boys who performed 5 songs including their gold award pieces Wind on the Hill and Kokoleoko. With great breath longevity and seamless interval transitions, they’re fast on their way to fabulous and are definitely a group to keep your eyes and ears on. These young choristers are currently transitioning between being careful and setting their musical spirits free. Their 5th piece entitled “The Baseball Game” from You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown kept everyone travelling through laughs, frowns and ended with a universal sigh from the audience.

Did you know that an air compressor runs at a consistent Bb once it’s powered up? Or that cordless power tools can perform in 4-part harmony? All Boy Choir members, their Dads and Alumni took to the stage to perform the world premiere of the Power Tool Concerto which was conducted by and co-written by Trent Worthington. Definitely “constructed” well and unique, the stage performance included an air horn, coffee break and a green biffy. This selection is not soon to be forgotten.

When is the last time you ever heard a choral arrangement on a conversation regarding acne and hormones? Well, imagine mixing the thoughts of the average 12 year old, the prose and comedy of The Arrogant Worms and you end up with the piece My Voice is Changing. The audience loved the soprano swoop on the line “my voice is changing” and couldn’t help but bust a gut at 20+ boys proclaiming that they “will be a man before they’re 13”. The highlight however for the Voice Changers was definitely “The Lord’s Prayer”. Did this production ever shine! They were able to produce the perfect sound for the perfect prayer. The song had excellent closure with a sung consonant; accolades to the conductor on this refined choral finish!

The Senior choir performed Tres Cantons Nativos Do Indios Krao. This is a unique piece which is freely based on melodies sung by the Krao tribe. The low rustle of the audience was brought to attention with the sudden beat of the Djembe along with Amazon bird and animal sounds. The Senior Boys are well known for their warm and spirited sound and that certainly came through in their performance of Down By the Riverside.

Libertatum was listed in the program as one of this choir’s favorite pieces from the past. The Men of Note choir members took this to great heights by successfully nailing the

great variety of dynamics, color and serious change of rhythms throughout the piece. But this piece really soared when the Men began to physically move on stage. Hoorah! This was the freedom and movement we were waiting to hear and experience. Yes – hear! Now they were really singing and the audience soaked it up. They were releasing everything they had and we loved it! Get this one to the recording studio!

To the delight of the audience and members of the choir, the evening also saw the return of guest performers Epsilon. An accapella group of six men from Edmonton, they are nothing short of incredible. With their performance you could see and hear how the elements of choral training, solo singing and ear training all come together. Songs such as The Face and Fields of Gold were supported by their own vocal creations of bass, synth and percussion. You would swear there was a whole band on stage. Their “percussionist” could easily rival any small, supped up, imported boombox that shakes the pavement under you as you sit at the traffic lights. Their charisma and delivery are well worth a young choir member striving for.

Happy Anniversary! Cheers to those who have made it happen and to those who will continue to uphold the excellence in the Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir in the years to come!

When one celebrates an anniversary, we´re expected to reminisce over the past.  Euphemisms such as, “I´ve watched these boys grow into such fine young men,”  or “Remember when we did that song with the flashlights?”  One might comment on the growth of the choir over the years or mention the accomplishments, but I want to tell you a story instead.

One cold day in January, 2005 I got a call from someone at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.  They wanted two young male sopranos to sing at a Tsunami Relief concert to be held at the Winspear in two weeks time.  “Well,” I thought, “what a fabulous opportunity for an excellent cause.”  After a few minutes I convinced the caller that what they REALLY wanted was the entire choir to sing two numbers with the Symphony Orchestra accompanying us.  It was agreed.  In just two short weeks we had the scores arranged, the boys rehearsed, the busses and hotel rooms booked.  This was a BIG deal.

The night of the concert was unbelievably exciting.  Here we were backstage in the Winspear warming up amidst symphony players, political figures, famous musicians, and stage hands.  Soon it was time to go onstage.  I went over the check-list.  “Shoes, shirts tucked in, vests done up, hair combed, and ties.”  Ties!  One of the soloists  lost his tie.  “Man, oh man, now what?” I exclaimed, rather loudly.  In typical boy choir fashion, one of our young men, Alden to be exact, (whom we will say good bye to this evening after essentially growing up in the boys’ choir after being with us since that first group of boys) quickly whipped off his tie and handed it to the soloist.  No one would notice, right, especially his mother, because he was standing in the back. That was the thought anyway.  We were ready.  The stage manager informed us we were “ON” in two minutes.  As I turned to the choir, I noticed that the boy immediately in front of me was dancing around like crazy, so I asked him if he needed to go to the bathroom.  “Oh YES…. Please!” he replied.  Suddenly the stage manager spoke into his walky-talky and said “Hold for 5.  Bathroom emergency!”  Obviously the stage manager had never worked with a group of boys before, for the next thing I knew he was asking if anyone else had to go the bathroom.  Not wanting to miss this all-important opportunity, all 30 boys sauntered off to the rest rooms.  “STOP!”  I screamed hysterically,  “All of you get back.  Only HE gets to go to the bathroom!”

Finally our moment came.  We were all extremely excited and I was especially nervous.  Alden was to lead out.  “Perfect,” I thought.  He was the oldest boy, and very reliable.  Out he went, marching across the stage before all the other boys, in front of hundreds of people… without his tie!  Up in the third balcony his mother could be heard, groaning.  ”I´m gonna kill that boy.  I told him NOT to forget his tie.  And look, there he is without his tie!”  As I stood trembling on the podium, I could only reflect on Alden´s mother and how proud she would have been if she only knew the REAL reason why he didn´t have his tie!

The boys were brilliant that evening.  People cried, Alden was forgiven, and everyone was so proud of the boys. It’s just one experience of dozens that fill up my life and make me the luckiest person imaginable to have been part of the creation and blossoming of this organization that has garnered national attention and acclaim out of one remote but impassioned community.

Photos curtsey of Joshua Irwin. Concert review by Mary Ann Lynch & Jeannie Pernal.

Photos curtsey of Tom Gorman.

Going to a concert usually means just that; you go to the concert.  You are an onlooker, a listener, and your senses taking in what the performance has to offer.  But what if you were literally IN the concert?  That’s how the Boys’ Choir concert this Christmas began. The opening song “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” was in full accapella stereo as the singers encircled the audience.  The basses carried the song with a secure “hmmmm” which was smoothly taken over by the cello later on in the piece as the last of the men made their way toward the stage to complete the song.

The pieces in this weekend’s performance shared the multi-faceted relationships between fathers and sons, including the relationships of our Heavenly Father.  From comical to introspective, the topic was well  presented.  Several pieces provided refreshing sounds of multiculturalism to the ear such as “Bonse Aba” performed by the Changing Voices and Seniors, “Still, Still, Still” sung by the Juniors and “Niska Banja” presented by the Men of Note.  The rookies in this concert (aka Prepatory choir) sang with unbeatable conviction.  They definitely all had the “no turning back” attitude as they bravely and enthusiastically performed their pieces including “Christmas Bells” by K Lee Scott.  Their freshness of stage presence and the occasional off-timed bow definitely worked some endearing charm on the crowd.  The Seniors once again brought their warm spirited sound to the stage when they joined the MON in singing “The Lord’s Prayer” by David Childs.  With seamless entries and a well grounded depth to the sound, this piece was a pleasure to experience.

During the second half of the program, the audience was once again brought into the concert – or should we say the concert was brought to a particular audience member when the Men of Note went out into the crowd and invited a lady to join them on stage for a barbershop style version of “White Christmas”.  This style of strong and personable performing has become somewhat of a signature trademark for the MON to which the audience always responds well.  The program continued by showcasing some more drama based pieces including the incredibly choreographed “James Bond”.  Now here was a brilliantly thought out piece which cleverly took the concept of the multiples of Mr. Anderson (The Matrix) and combined it with the smooth yet solo James Bond.

The finale to the evening was once again the much anticipated “Dads” joining the boys on stage.  All together they rang out an impressive sounding “Zion’s Walls” and “Silent Night for All the World”.  Once again, the GP Boys’ Choir shared with us a gift of spirit for the season.

Concert review by Mary Ann Lynch, Junior Choir parent

The GP Boys’ Choir wrapped up the year with finesse at their May concert titled “Spring Sing”.  Once again it was clear to see (and hear) why this choir continues to grow in success, professionalism and a supportive audience.  Their stage presence is punctual yet fun, their sound is polished and their collective soul is very much alive.

The Junior choir began the program by singing three pieces with impressively clean and unified vowels.  The Prepatory boys showed good breath management and breath longevity with their three pieces and ended with a crowd pleaser called “Cookie for Snip”.  The Prep boys are to be commended at being able to perform this piece unconducted!  The Seniors treated the audience to their award winning dynamic performance of “Lightning” and the smooth, flawless “Deo Gratias”.  To wrap up the program, the Men of Note successfully delivered what most choral groups and conductors dream of: sounds that are seamless and balanced, sounds that are perfect.

Dispersed in between the performances of these boys and men were other small group pieces and solos.  Cello, musical theatre songs from “It’s Saturday”, solos by two senior members graduating from the choir and solos from some of the Men of Note.   The concert concluded with a standing ovation and to the audience’s delight, the Men of Note returned to the stage with their barbershop encore “Silhouettes on the Shade”.  Truly delightful.

Concert review by Mary-Ann Lynch, Prep Choir parent

The Men of Note claimed 1st place at the provincial music festival in the 19 & under category.

The Senoir Choir won 1st place in the 14 & under category.

The Junior Choir won 2nd place in the 10 & under category.

The Seniors Choir and Men of Note sang in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Arctic Winters Games.

Here is a sample of the many emails the choir received after the event.

Hi Jeannie – The performance by the choir  last night with the Lord’s Prayer in Swahili, and the renditions of the five national anthems took my breath away.  At this morning’s  chef’s meeting, ‘Yana, the Russian chef expressed her heartfelt gratitude and appreciation on behalf herself, and the coaches, athletes and officials,  for the fact that it was the “right” version of the anthem, and asked how “they” meaning the choir,  could have known that.    Other chefs expressed their appreciation for their anthems as well.  I can tell you everyone one in the room this morning “felt the moment” and we were blown away by the fact that Grande Prairie had provided one of best memories  of the Games experience, which will never be forgotten.   Thank you Jeannie for making that possible! You rock!

Lois Harper, Manager
Culture & Sport Development
City of Grande Prairie