Friday May 29th – Saturday May 31st, 2026
Presented by BC Choral Federation, Kimberley and Mountain Song Community Choirs
See schedule below
CLICK HERE to register and pay securely online.
$90 –For members of host choirs (Mountain Song and Kimberley)
$100 – Early Bird rate Until March 30, for non-members of host choirs
$120– Regular rate
Registration closes May 16th, 2026
Registration includes:
- Opening Reception
- Rehearsals and Concert Performance
- Access to rehearsal tracks
Add-On Purchases
- BCCF Membership – all participants must purchase or renew $40
- Package of Music – $32 (+$5 if shipping is required)
- Lunch Delivered for Sunday – $25
- Banquet Ticket – $45
Concert tickets:
Please visit the Key City Theatre Box Office
Accommodations: Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort
A preferred discounted rate has been arranged at the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort in Cranbrook. Reservations can be made online or by contacting the hotel directly.
Please note that reservations must be made by Saturday, May 16th to secure the discounted rate. Rooms and specific room types are not currently being held and will be offered based on availability at the time of booking.
We encourage guests to reserve early to ensure their preferred room selection.
When calling to make your reservation, simply reference the “BCCF ChorFest” to receive a discounted rate.
250-417-0444
1-877-737-8443
Click here to book your stay at the Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort
Schedule:
Friday May 29
5PM – 7PM Registration at Key City Theatre Lobby
7PM-9PM Rehearsal at Key City Theatre/Mount Baker Secondary School
Reception follows at Key City Lobby
Saturday May 30
8:00AM – 8:45AM – Late Registration at KCT Lobby
9:00AM – 11:30AM – Rehearsal at KCT/Baker
11:30AM – 1:00PM – Lunch on your own
1:00PM – 4:00PM – Rehearsal at KCT/Baker
4:30PM – 5:30PM – Youth and Teen Concert at Key City Theatre
Banquet at Royal Alexandra Hall
6:30PM – Cocktails
7:00PM – 10:00PM – Buffet dinner provided by Heidout, BCYC performance
Sunday May 31
10:00AM – 12:00PM Rehearsal KCT/Baker
12:00PM – 1:00PM – Lunch – On your own, or lunch purchase option
1:00PM – 2:30PM Rehearsal KCT/Baker
3:00PM – Songs of Home Concert at Key City Theatre
*Concert dress: semi-formal blacks or your home choir’s outfit
Clinician: Fiona Blackburn
Fiona Blackburn has earned an esteemed reputation for her passionate support of the art of singing in all its forms, as well as for her engaging and uplifting interaction with singers of all ages. Fiona holds three degrees from the University of British Columbia: a Bachelor of Music in voice performance,
a Bachelor of Education in secondary music, and a Master of Music in choral conducting. She performed, recorded and toured for 13 seasons with the Vancouver Chamber Choir and sang numerous roles with Vancouver Opera for five seasons. Her solo concert work includes performances with the Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver CBC Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia among others. Fiona has two Celtic CDs to her credit and even performed for five summers on an Alaskan cruise ship.
As an educator and choral director, Fiona has taught music from kindergarten to university, where she was adjunct professor in the Department of Education at UBC.
Fiona recently retired from her appointment as Artistic Director of the British Columbia Girls Choir which she founded two decades ago. She toured internationally with the singers to over 15 countries. In 2018, the choir was awarded the coveted ‘Children’s Choir of the World’ trophy, the highest honour at the world’s prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales. She has also directed the Zephyra Women’s Choir and Pacifica Singers, the associate ensemble of the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
Fiona was awarded the BC Choral Federation’s 2016 Healey Willan Award for her work to promote choral singing in our province; and she was awarded the Most Inspiring Director Award at the Vancouver Kiwanis Choral Festival that same year.
Piano Collaborator: Tim Plait
Growing up in Kimberley, BC,Tim Plait studied with local teacher Arne Sahlen, and carried on at the Victoria Conservatory Music with Robert Holliston and Nicholas Fairbank.
Tim is a piano teacher, accompanist for solo singers and choirs, leads small vocal ensembles and directs worship music in his church. In his spare time, he plays with
Brass Roots (Latin Jazz) and is the principal keyboardist for the Symphony of the Kootenays.
Repertoire:
A la claire fontaine (Smith)
All the Little Rivers (Nickel)
Black Fly Song (Peach)
Born Like the Pines (Emery)
Nitohtamok Askîy (Sewepagaham)
Old Lady Rose (Baker/Nickel)
Place In the Choir (Phare-Bergh)
Savory, Sage, Rosemary (Patriquin)
So Still (Tate)
We will sing of our rivers and woodlands through the early 20th century poems of Bliss Carmen, James McGirt and Emily Carr. Two British Columbian folk-songs are on the list – a version of ‘Scarborough Fair’ brought to BC by early pioneers, and the sad tale of a beloved ship that used to ply our coastal waters. We have a beautiful song from Québec and a finale that celebrates every critter wanting to sing in a choir. An added treat will be a tribute to our indigenous peoples, a piece by Sherryl Sewepagaham; we will sing this with the BC Youth Choir!
All the poetry, music or arrangements have been created by Canadian composers (with one posthumous exception to a great American folk musician, Bill Staines), so we will be waving our flag at Chorfest – musically-speaking!
While a couple of the pieces may be familiar to you, I hope that it would feel like returning to an old friend. We can always find something new to learn and celebrate when we come back to a known piece. I also hope that you will experience some gorgeous new music and poetry. These pieces are varied in so many ways and they provide us with lots of opportunities to consider musical concepts that enhance both our own personal singing, and the performances of our own choirs – keeping us all on the path of life-long learning.
I look forward to seeing you at the end of May for a fun-filled weekend of singing and performing!
Partners:
Key City Theatre & School District #5
Cranbrook History Centre
Heidout Restaurant
Elizabeth Lake Lodge
Prestige Rocky Mountain Resort
Questions/Information:
Please reach out to cranbrookchorfest[at]bcchoralfed.com