Dear BCCF members:
In the face of the escalating uncertainty and restrictions imposed on us all by the current pandemic, the BCCF is announcing with deep regret the cancellation of BCCF CHORFEST 2020, BC YOUTH CHOIR 2020 and CHILDREN’S CHORFEST 2020 originally scheduled for May 29-31 in Fort Langley and Abbotsford. This most regrettable cancellation is unprecedented — a move for unprecedented times. Heartfelt thanks are extended to our host committee from the Langley Community Chorus and Valley Festival Singers. The committee’s wonderful “Be The River” theme to have been realized in superior Fraser Valley venues deserves to be revisited in the future! Thanks, too, to clinicians Julia Davids, Jim Sparks, and Sandra Meister and to our cohorts who worked on the musical and organizational aspects of these programs. Your work will be put on ice for a future date, as well.
Individuals who have already registered may receive a refund of registration fees, concert and meal tickets. Charitable tax receipts for all or part of your costs, alternatively, will be issued to those registrants who choose to make a donation instead. Please note that BCCF individual membership fees of $40, which are used to sustain the organization, are non-refundable. Thank you for your continued involvement and commitment to the BC Choral Federation and to the choral art. Our administrator and registrar will be in contact in the coming days. Separate notices about the Annual General Meeting and BCCF Raffle will also follow soon.
Looking forward, please mark your calendars for BCCF CHORFEST 2021 in Ashcroft, May 21-23, 2021. We look forward to singing together again!
Willi Zwozdesky
Executive Director – BC Choral Federation
Your Chorfest 2020 Registration includes:
• All Rehearsals with Clinician Julia Davids
• Opening Reception
• One Banquet Ticket (non-refundable)
• Access to rehearsal tracks for downloading/streaming
• Concert performance
All Chorfest participants are required to purchase or renew an existing BCCF Individual Membership.
Registrants should make their own arrangements for accommodations.
BCCF GST# R113813083
ADULT CHOIR FEES
Early Bird Registration (by April 30): $183.75 ($175 + $8.75 GST)
Regular Registration (from May 1): $204.75 ($195 + $9.75 GST)
Host Choir/BCCF Board of Directors: $144.38 ($137.50 + $6.88 GST)
BCCF Individual Membership: $40 (Purchase or renewal is mandatory for all Chorfest participants.)
Optional Add-ons
AGM Buffet Lunch for BCCF Members who wish to attend Saturday AGM – $19 ($16.96 + $2.04 GST)
Additional Saturday Banquet Ticket – $53.57 + $6.43 GST) for May 30, 7-10 pm
Additional Sunday Gala Concert Ticket – $20 ($19.05 + $0.95 GST) for May 31, 3 pm
Note: A $50 administration fee will be applied to all refund requests received by April 30, 2020. No refunds will be permitted after that date. However, registrations are transferable. Tax receipts for the registration portion are available upon request.
Please CLICK HERE to register conveniently and securely online. We process payment via JotForm using PayPal or Credit Card.
For assistance, please contact Lise Coppin, Chorfest 2020 Registrar, at 604-880-5424 or chorfest@bcchoralfed.com.
ADULT CHOIR SCHEDULE
Friday, May 29
Fort Langley Golf Course
5:00 PM onward – on-site registration, check in
7:00 PM–9:00 PM: Rehearsal
9:00 PM–9:30 PM: Reception
Saturday, May 30
Fort Langley Golf Course
8:00 AM onward: On-site registration, check in
9:00 AM–10:30 AM: Rehearsal
10:30 AM: Break
11:00 AM–12:30 PM: Rehearsal
12:30 PM: Lunch, BCCF AGM
2:00 PM–3:30 PM: Rehearsal
3:30 PM: Break
4:00 PM–5:30 PM: Rehearsal
6:30 PM: Cocktails
7:00 PM: Banquet
Sunday, May 31
Abbotsford Pentecostal Assembly
10:00 AM–11:45 AM: Rehearsal
11:45 AM–1:00 PM: Singers’ lunch break (on your own)
12:00–12:45: Orchestra only rehearsal
1:00 PM–2:30 PM: Dress rehearsal with orchestra
3:00 PM: Chorfest concert presentation
ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS
Registrants should make their own arrangements for accommodations. The BCCF suggests one of four Sandman Hotels properties:
Sandman Hotel Langley
8855 202 Street, Langley
Sandman Signature Hotel Langley
8828 201 Street, Langley
Sandman Hotel Abbotsford
32720 Simon Avenue, Abbotsford
Sandman Abbotsford Airport Hotel
3010 Mt Lehman Road, Abbotsford
ADULT CHOIR REPERTOIRE
La Rideau – Laura Hawley > Demo Recording
Be The River – Stephanie Martin > Demo Recording
The Lake – Laura Sgroi (Renforth Music) > Demo Recording
Water is Wide – Gwyneth Walker (ECS Publishing) > Demo Recording
Dancing Dancing River – Carol Ann Weaver (Kelman)
For rehearsal tracks part-by-part to aid you in learning your music, please click here. Note: the rehearsal tracks page is password-protected; contact the registrar if you have registered and do not receive the password message upon completion of your online registration.
ADULT CHOIR CLINICIAN: DR. JULIA DAVIDS
Dr. Julia Davids is the Artistic Director of the Canadian Chamber Choir, Canada’s professional level ensemble dedicated to building communities through choral singing. A founding member of the CCC, Julia has led the ensemble on concert and workshop tours of every province. She directed the CCC’s 2010 debut recording In Good Company as well as their Juno-nominated 2015 release Sacred Reflections – A Canadian Mass. Julia has led workshops and master classes for choirs and conductors throughout Canada and the US. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of choral conductors and is committed to giving emerging and established Canadian composers a forum for their work. A native of London, Ontario, she grew up singing in the Amabile Youth Singers, the Ontario Youth Choir, and the National Youth Choir, for whom she was the first Apprentice Conductor.
Julia is the Stephen J. Hendrickson Professor and Director of Choral Activities at North Park University, Chicago. She directs the University Choir, the Chamber Singers, and teaches choral conducting and music education. Julia is co-author with Stephen LaTour of “Vocal Technique – A Guide for Conductors, Teachers, and Singers” published by Waveland Press in 2012 and winner of Choral Canada’s 2014 award for Best Choral Publication. Julia is the Music Director of the North Shore Choral Society, a 130 voice amateur community choir. She also serves as Director of Music Ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette. Julia earned a Bachelor of Music in Education and a Bachelor of Education at the University of Western Ontario, Master of Music degrees in Conducting and Voice Performance at Michigan University, and a Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting at Northwestern University.
A message from Julia:
“The BCCF Chorfest theme for 2020 is Be the River. As Canadians we are very influenced by our natural surroundings, especially our many bodies of water. Rivers and lakes are especially evocative – from a gentle, still, meandering stream to a fast-moving, vast, wide body of water such as the mighty Fraser River, rivers and lakes have inspired countless composers. At the heart of the Chorfest program are two works for chorus and orchestra. Canadian composer Stephanie Martin’s “Be The River” and American composer Gwyneth Walker’s “The Water is Wide” from “River Songs”. Canadian composers Laura Hawley’s “The River” for choir and bassoon, viola, and vibraphone and Laura Sgroi’s “The Lake” are complementary works that highlight the various ways water move, setting moving poems with supple melodies and changing tempi. Finally, we’ll combine all of the choirs for Carol-Ann Weaver’s joyful “Dancing, Dancing River”. I’m excited to get to work on these great pieces by all-female composers with the many singers who are coming together to Be the River!”