people in chairs watching a choir- everyone is wearing masks
Arts

Quadra Singers hold in-person concert

The Quadra Singers first in-person concert since the beginning of the pandemic was at the Quadra Community Centre on December 10th and 11th. 

“We had almost sold out concerts, both nights. Our tickets went on sale and in Quathiaski Cove’s ‘Inspirations.’ We had pretty well sold out both nights,” said Valerie van Veen, one of the singers.

Robin Beaton on Flute at the Dec 10/11 concerts – Photo courtesy Valerie van Veen

The theme was Christmas, but the choir’s interim conductor, Dr John Hooper, had a surprise for the audience. 

Prior to his retirement, Dr. Hooper was the Director of the School of Music at the Concordia University of Edmonton. Based in Courtenay, he is currently the Music Director for Island Voices – an auditioned chamber choir with singers from throughout an area stretching from Denman to Quadra Islands, as well as Vancouver Island. Hooper is an accomplished musician, composer and wrote a piece of music called ‘the COVID Corona Chorus.’

“it is wonderful piece of music about COVID and really a lot of fun to sing, but he expressed a little bit of concern that maybe some people wouldn’t find it appropriate to sing about COVID,” explained van Veen.

The performance seemed to end with ‘Deck the Halls.” Only, as the audience prepared to go home, they noticed the choir was not moving. People realized something else was coming. Then the soprano started singing the Gaelic blessing.   

“The choir had trouble getting through it, because there were a few tears. It is such an exquisite piece of music and so sensitive,” said van Veen. 

Dr Hooper warned the choir the audience would react one of three ways and the most profound reaction will be that they will be stunned. 

This is was what happened both nights. There was dead silence. Van Veen said the choir subsequently received a number of emails, thanking them for the amazing experience. 

The Quadra Singers rehearsing, Dr John Hooper conducting – courtesy Valerie van Veen

The Quadra Singers is a non-auditioned choir, open to anyone from the age 16 and up who wishes to join. They have been presenting two concerts every year for about 30 years. 

 The choir’s Spring 2020 season was shut down because of COVID. 

That Fall they held a ZOOM concert and Kate Alexandra, the Choir Director, put together a video for Christmas. 

“Then this fall (2021), our board decided that the public health mandates were such that we could get together under very limited circumstances and we decided to go for it,” said van Veen.  

They took a number of precautions for this performance:

  • The choir wore a special mask that they could sing in
  • There was no intermission, or concession stand 
  • As there was not room for them to stand six feet apart on the stage, most of the choir performed from the floor. 
  • All of the singers and audience members had to be fully vaccinated. The singers ‘vaccine passports were checked at first rehearsal and audience passports were  checked at the door before each performance.

Prior to COVID, there would have been 140 to 150 people attending their concert in the the Quadra Island Community Centre. 

As this was not possible, due to spacing requirements, they aimed for 140 over two nights.

The hardest part for the singers was not being able to really hear the person beside them.

“Most of us have not had the chance to take anything like the level of training that this sort of separation probably needed,” said van Veen. 

“Suddenly you’re a soloist and that is another whole level of having to perform and accept your realities of what you sound like and where your strong and weak points are as a singer.”

Event poster

The Quadra Singers are now planning a Spring concert. 

Their new conductor, Jo-Anne Preston, is a former conductor of the Campbell River Singers (1979 to 1984), as well as a founding member (in 1996) and a past conductor (2006-2014) of Island Voices.

“She’s retired and is going to conduct us for the Spring. So we have another opportunity to work with someone new and learn new skills and new opportunities,” said van Veen.

She added, “I’d like to thank all the choir members who put their hearts into this performance. I’d like to thank Dr. Hooper who took on just a little community choir and taught us so much, under such challenging circumstances for everyone. He had to commute up from Comox every Thursday night. I’d like to thank our board and I’d like to thank Joyce Baker who, everyone knows, did a phenomenal work behind the scenes to make sure that everything went tickety-boo and that we all really did know our parts.  And I’d like to thank our audience and all the Quadra people who support us. It’s an amazing opportunity to come to an island like this as, as my husband and I did and have the opportunity to join something like Quadra Singers and enjoy the experience of singing together. And if anyone listening is interested, and you’re not a member, just look us up.”

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