Past Events › Subscription Series

Jon Washburn combines the Choir's professional singers with advanced choral students from Vancouver's university music departments in the annual FOCUS! event. Special guest choirs include the Capilano University Singers conducted by Lars Kaario and the Trinity Western University Chamber Choir conducted by Joel Tranquilla. Choral excitement will be guaranteed with music by Lotti, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Monteverdi, Fauré, Rutter and more! Antonio Lotti • Crucifixus Ludwig van Beethoven • Opferlied, Op.121b Dietrich Buxtehude • Missa brevis Claudio Monteverdi • Lasciatemi…

Our audiences are fully aware of Kathleen Allan's multiple talents as conductor-singer-composer and her long association with the Vancouver Chamber Choir. This concert — her official audition — will feature a performance of the famous Mass for Double Choir by Frank Martin, the most renowned Swiss composer of the 20th century. Between those Mass movements, though, Ms. Allan will introduce a great variety of music — both secular and sacred — by Arcadelt, Lassus, O'Regan, Lang, Sharman, Shaw, Braden, Hawley,…

In this 48th season of the Choir, Jon Washburn will conduct his 48th performance of Messiah, Vancouver's perennial Christmas favourite. It features the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Pacifica Singers, Vancouver Chamber Orchestra and a stellar roster of Canadian vocal soloists — soprano Nathalie Paulin, countertenor Daniel Cabena, tenor Isaiah Bell and bass-baritone Stephen Hegedus. G.F. Handel • Messiah   Corporate support generously provided by:

December's other Christmas concert will introduce Artistic Director candidate Nicol Matt from Germany. He will be leading a wonderful and diverse Christmas repertoire including Francis Poulenc's Hodie Christus natus est, Benjamin Britten's A Hymn to the Virgin, Ola Gjeilo's Spotless Rose, Ivo Antognini's Laudate Dominum and other seasonal songs and carols by Reger, Rachmaninoff, Busto, Ramírez, Sixten, Chilcott, Berring, Sandström and more. German conductor Nicol Matt is the founder and conductor of the Chamber Choir of Europe and was the…

The final audition concert presents Erick Lichte, whom Vancouverites know as the Artistic Director of Chor Leoni Men's Choir. His mostly contemporary and international repertoire will include John Tavener's Village Wedding, David Lang's manifesto, Eric Whitacre's A Boy and a Girl and more music by Einojuhani Rautavaara, Zachary Wadsworth, Roberto Caamaño, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Eleanor Daley, Jennifer Higdon, Steven Sametz, Felix Mendelssohn and George Gershwin. As a founding member, singer and Artistic Director of the male vocal ensemble Cantus, Lichte created…

This concert culminates our 39th annual National Conductors' Symposium. Jon Washburn and five Symposium conductors will concentrate on music by Bach, Monteverdi, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Brahms, Willan, Wagner, Raminsh, Poulenc and Orff with music drawn from famous Passions, Oratorios, Masses, Requiems and Operas. Pianist Stephen Smith and the Choir's many fine soloists get ample opportunity to shine, too! Stephen Smith, piano Meet our 2019 conductors:   J.S. Bach • Herr, unser Herrscher (from St. John Passion) Claudio Monteverdi •…

The Farewell Tour, which will be toured across Canada, will feature our all-time Top Ten List (by number of performances over the last 48 years) including Bach's Lobet den Herrn, Debussy's Trois chansons, Britten's Hymn to St Cecilia and more music by Zoltán Kodály, Imant Raminsh, R. Murray Schafer, Stephen Foster and Loreena McKennitt. This concert will mark the 92 domestic and foreign tours with the Vancouver Chamber Choir which Jon Washburn has led during the last half century. J.S.…

Jon Washburn draws all his soloists, choirs, alumni and orchestra together for a wonderful evening of music to celebrate the passage of his 48 years as leader of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. The music is resplendent — J.S. Bach's marvellous Missa brevis in g minor, Tarik O'Regan's mystic and evocative Solitude Trilogy, a premiere performance of Jon Washburn's Two Canadian Folksongs and a celebratory massed performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' glorious Five Mystical Songs. Featuring the Vancouver Chamber Choir and…

This biennial event — co-sponsored by the Canadian Music Centre BC Region — highlights the finalists and winners of our 14th Young Composers' Competition, while Jon Washburn's Vancouver Chamber Choir and Carrie Tennant's Vancouver Youth Choir celebrate the wonderful combination of Youth & Music with music by Uusberg, Rutter, Sixten and Washburn. There will be newly-commissioned pieces from young professionals we've discovered. If you love music and you believe in young people, this concert will warm your heart. Pärt Uusberg…

The first concert is focused on beginnings, the most concrete being the relationship of the new Artistic Director with the choir and its audience. Kari Turunen chose choral works that celebrate the commencement of something new, even if the stories do not end all that well... The Wright brothers taking flight, a new emperor being crowned, the first Canadian satellite, Icarus flying too close to the sun, as well as spring emerging from the cold sky. And there is love,…

With the Focus Choir of University and College Singers Chloe Meyers & Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith, violins Alexander Weimann & Natalie Mackie, continuo Monteverdi and Schütz must have been soulmates. Monteverdi grew up in the rolling landscapes of Catholic Tuscany, while Schütz was in Protestant central Germany, but their musical forms and ideals are uncannily similar. Their gift for setting texts to music and enhancing the words made everything sound natural. Buxtehude, Mendelssohn and Brahms were also masters of breathing life into…

Birds, the animals that sing, have throughout history captured the imagination of composers. But what other beasts have inspired composers? This concert, with a blend of the old and new, presents beasts regular and strange in a range of styles. In this bizarre bestiary, no holds are barred. Also included is the premiere of a new arrangement commissioned from American composer Paul John Rudoi.   Adriano Banchieri • Contrapunto bestiale alla mente Orlando Gibbons • The Silver Swan Philippe Bodin…

Owen McCausland, Evangelist Pacific Baroque Orchestra Three festive cantatas from Bach's Christmas Oratorio (I, III and VI) with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra on period instruments — what could be a better way to open the festive season? With soloists predominantly from within the choir and the softer tone of the period instruments, this aims to be a leaner and lighter reading of this great classic. Johann Sebastian Bach • Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248  

This Christmas journey through time and space incorporates reflections of musical traditions mainly from Northern Europe. It is a mixture of voices, of styles and languages — a polyphony of musical voices. The music ranges from deep calm to joyous dance and from philosophical depth to childlike naiveté, much like the message of this season itself.   Otto Olsson • Guds Son är född Leontovych/Wilhousky • Carol of the Bells Ēriks Ešenvalds • Northern Lights Oliver Tarney • The Waiting…

With Jon Washburn, Conductor Emeritus Our Founder and Conductor Emeritus presents choral favourites, but with a slightly misleading concert title. There is music by Byrd and "three Bs" — Brahms, Britten, Bernstein — but there is nothing naughty going on! There is sacred music, plus delightful music about nature. And we'll present the world premiere of a commission from Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds.   William Byrd • Ave verum corpus Johannes Brahms • Warum ist das Licht gegeben, Op. 74,…

With Stephen Smith, piano Kari Turunen & Jon Washburn, conductors Six Symposium Conductors Kari Turunen and Jon Washburn join forces to lead the 40th annual Conductors' Symposium in Vancouver. This concert culminates the week-long event as they and six Symposium conductors from around the world lead the choir in a delicious concoction of famous madrigals and motets, folksongs and spirituals, prayers and partsongs. Pianist Stephen Smith and the choir's many fine soloists get ample opportunity to shine, too!   Meet…

With the Elmer Iseler Singers Two of Canada's premier ensembles take the stage together — an event not to be missed! The broad theme is the sea and the Vancouver Chamber Choir will present two works on that theme. The choir will also celebrate the arrival of spring with a brand new major composition by US-born Alex Freeman. Both choirs will join forces in two magical works: Healey Willan's An Apostrophe to the Heavenly Hosts and all-too-long neglected Meren virsi…

In light of the continued restrictions imposed on public gatherings it is with great sadness that we must regrettably cancel this production. Subscribers will be contacted directly by the Vancouver Chamber Choir, and non-subscription ticket holders will automatically receive a refund from Ticketmaster within 30 days. Zach Finkelstein, guest tenor soloist Pacific Baroque Orchestra The longevity and success of Bach's passions are based on their deep grasp of humanity. The range of emotions and the psychological acuity of Bach make…

In light of the continued restrictions imposed on public gatherings it is with great sadness that we must regrettably cancel this production. Subscribers will be contacted by the Vancouver Chamber Choir, and non-subscription ticket holders will be contacted directly by the Chan Centre box office. With the Vancouver Youth Choir We're pleased to present the Canadian premiere of Seattle-based Eric Banks' This Delicate Universe. The work is akin to a choral symphony in scope. Its five movements for double choir,…

The first program of the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s 50th season will include many distinct voices: performer, poet and composer. In most cases, the poem came first and played a major role in shaping the music – much choral repertoire could indeed be described as sung poetry. Music by Romantic, post-Romantic and contemporary composers will highlight the diversity of our beloved word-music art form, presented alongside works set to Canadian and First Nations texts by Canadian composers Ramona Luengen and Andrew…

The first program of the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s 50th season will include many distinct voices: performer, poet and composer. In most cases, the poem came first and played a major role in shaping the music – much choral repertoire could indeed be described as sung poetry. Music by Romantic, post-Romantic and contemporary composers will highlight the diversity of our beloved word-music art form, presented alongside works set to Canadian and First Nations texts by Canadian composers Ramona Luengen and Andrew…

THIS PERFORMANCE IS SOLD OUT. The concert will be recorded to video for future release. Mapping the journey to J.S. Bach, this program presents music from 17th- and 18th-century Lutheran Germany. The three great Ss — Schein, Scheidt and Schütz — merged Italian and Dutch musical ideals with sacred texts in German, forming the basis of the German Baroque and the great Bach family that is represented by Johann Christoph and his nephew, the somewhat better-known Johann Sebastian. The music…

Mapping the journey to J.S. Bach, this program presents music from 17th- and 18th-century Lutheran Germany. The three great Ss — Schein, Scheidt and Schütz — merged Italian and Dutch musical ideals with sacred texts in German, forming the basis of the German Baroque and the great Bach family that is represented by Johann Christoph and his nephew, the somewhat better-known Johann Sebastian. The music is optimistic and steadfast in character and will be presented by solo voices and small…

TOGETHER includes a program of reflective and expansive Canadian choral works as well as splashes of extra colour from elsewhere, especially Finland. Throughout the evening, we are proud to present two premieres by BC composers Gerda Blok-Wilson and Don Macdonald as well as a collection of traditional choral selections. Our Fall 2021 Season opening concert will be a performance of truly exceptional choral works in the company of friends once again.   IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE IS SUBJECT TO PROVINCIAL RESTRICTIONS ON…

Estonian Arvo Pärt is the most-performed classical composer of the last decade. His idiosyncratic minimalist style is sometimes described as being influenced by medieval music or Gregorian chant, but he ultimately has a very distinct voice of his own. This concert features choral works composed between 1976 and 2003 which invite the listener to enjoy a soundscape of Pärt’s evolving musical style. This music is best experienced live, and we look forward to sharing a memorable evening with our audience.…

Estonian Arvo Pärt is the most-performed classical composer of the last decade. His idiosyncratic minimalist style is sometimes described as being influenced by medieval music or Gregorian chant, but he ultimately has a very distinct voice of his own. This concert features choral works composed between 1976 and 2003 which invite the listener to enjoy a soundscape of Pärt’s evolving musical style. This music is best experienced live, and we look forward to sharing a memorable evening with our audience.…