Anchors Aweigh! BCCF Chorfest for Lower (TTBB) Voices
Comox Valley – May 30 – 31, 2025
All tenor and bass singers are invited to weigh anchor and set sail for the Comox Valley where we will lower the boom and hunker down for a weekend of amazing music making.
Clinician: Mark Ramsay (Exultate Singers – Toronto, ON)
Be there when the first ever BCCF TTBB Chorfest sets sail on Friday May 30 & Saturday May 31 2025 for the historic Native Sons Hall in Courtenay on Vancouver Island! We are very excited to welcome Dr Mark Ramsay (University of Western Ontario) to the podium for this exciting Chorfest. He has planned a delightful repertoire with a balance of styles based on a nautical theme, including premieres of two new arrangements from talented BC and QC composers. (See below for titles).
Most importantly we are thrilled to welcome YOU to our gorgeous seaside communities of Courtenay and Comox, and our up and coming village of Cumberland where choral music thrives.
Registration and online payment
Registration includes music pack, practice tracks, all rehearsals, concert, and a Friday evening wine and cheese social with cash bar.
Please CLICK HERE to register and pay using our online form.
- Early Bird Rate (to May 15): $90 ($85.71 + $4.29 GST)
- Regular Rate (from May 15): $115 ($109.52 + $5.48 GST)
- BCCF Board Member Rate: $50 ($47.62 + $2.38 GST)
- BCCF Individual Membership – required for all participants: $40
These things can be purchased for an additional fee when you register:
- Saturday lunch voucher: $20
- Additional concert ticket: $25 ($23.81 + $1.19 GST)
Clinician
Dr. Mark Ramsay
Dr. Ramsay is Assistant Professor in Music Education and Coordinator of Choral Activities at Western University where he also conducts the Western University Singers. Additionally, he is Artistic Director of Toronto’s award-winning Exultate Chamber Singers and recently co-chaired PODIUM 2022, Canada’s national choral conference and festival. His doctoral thesis at the U of T focused on Canadian choral repertoire written specifically for tenor/bass voices. He was also the conductor of the U of T Tenor/Bass Choir for 7 years.
Schedule of Activities
Friday May 30th
Doors open at 5 PM
Registration: 5:30 – 6:45 PM
Rehearsal: 7 – 9 PM
Social with cash bar: 9 – 11 PM
Saturday May 31
Rehearsal: 9 AM – 12 PM
Lunch & Riser Wrangling: 12 – 1 PM
Rehearsal : 1 – 4 PM
Call Time: 6 PM
Concert : 7 – 9 PM
Informal Afterglow Party (optional)
Repertoire:
| Gullwind (TB premiere) | Robbie Smith/Larry Nickel |
| Hunker Down | Tobin Stokes |
| Kali’s Song (TB premiere) | Martin Donnelly/Donald Patriquin |
| Fisherman’s Son | Jimmy Rankin/Larry Nickel |
| The Gift | Russell Wallace (Lil’wat Nation) |
| The Stars are With the Voyager | Eleanor Daley |
| We Rise Again | Leon Dubinsky/Rankin Family/Stephen Smith |
Accommodations:
Double rooms at the Best Western Hotel in Courtenay for Friday and Saturday nights can be booked now at a group rate ($177 +taxes/BC Choral Federation). Many AirBnB’s are also available at very reasonable rates.
For more information:
Sheila Doncaster
BCCF North Island Board Representative
Choral-Poster