Already alive with music, the Kootenays’ Kimberley will host BCCF Chorfest 2019 – May 17, 18 & 19 at the Kimberley Conference & Athletic Training Centre, nestled at the foot of Kimberley’s Alpine Resort.
Breathe in spectacular 180-degree views of the Rocky Mountains as you learn from England’s master clinician Bob Chilcott, composer and conductor of renown. Let our unique boutique shops in Kimberley’s downtown Platzl tickle your shopping node. Stretch your legs on numerous hiking and biking trails. Indulge in a simple “cuppa” or confections amidst friendly locals and a variety of culinary temptations. Come for the singing, stay for the delights… And all with only one stoplight!
REGISTRATION
This year, we will be offering three choirs. Please click on them to learn more:
Adult Choir (Non-auditioned)
Conducted by Bob Chilcott (from England)
Teen Choir (Grades 8 to 12, non-auditioned)
Conducted by Paul Cummings (from Powell River)
BC Youth Choir (Ages 16-25, auditioned)
Conducted by Carrie Tennant (from Vancouver)
TRANSPORTATION
Group transportation from the Kimberley Airport will be offered by Simply Kimberley, in cooperation with the BC Choral Federation. We will offer the following options:
– A transfer from the Cranbrook airport to the conference location on Friday, May 17 – $25
– A transfer from the conference location to the Cranbrook airport on Sunday, May 19 – $25
ACCOMMODATIONS
Registrants should make their own arrangements for accommodations. Trickle Creek Lodge in Kimberley BC is offering a limited number of rooms at a special Chorfest 2019 rate. Phone 1-877-282-1200 ext. 2 and ask for the BC Choral Federation rate. Booking must be made before April 17 to receive the discounted rate.
GUEST CLINICIAN: BOB CHILCOTT
As a composer, conductor, and singer, Bob Chilcott has enjoyed a lifelong association with choral music, first as a chorister and choral scholar in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and for 12 years as a member of the King’s Singers. He became a full-time composer in 1997, embracing his career with energy and commitment, and producing a large catalogue of music for all types of choirs which is published by Oxford University Press.
Music for Christmas forms a considerable part of his most popular repertoire, and works for the season include Wenceslas, My Perfect Stranger, and On Christmas Night. In his carols he sets both new and traditional texts, and writes for mixed-voice and upper-voice choirs.
He has written substantial sacred works including the St John Passion for Wells Cathedral Choir and the Salisbury Vespers. A Little Jazz Mass and the Requiem are amongst a number of works which continue to be performed worldwide. Other works include The Angry Planet, composed for the 2012 BBC Proms, and The Voyagefor Age UK Oxfordshire, which in 2017 was nominated for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. He has written many pieces for children, including his much-loved song, Can you hear me?, and a significant amount of music for the church. In 2013 he wrote The King shall rejoice for the service in Westminster Abbey to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the coronation of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Bob has conducted choirs in more than 30 countries worldwide and has worked with many thousands of amateur singers across the UK in a continuing series of Singing Days. For seven years he was conductor of the Chorus of The Royal College of Music in London and since 2002 he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Singers.
His music has been widely recorded by leading British choirs and groups including King’s College, Cambridge, Wells Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, The King’s Singers, The Sixteen, Tenebrae, The BBC Singers, The Bach Choir, Commotio, and Ora. In 2016 Bob enjoyed a collaboration with the celebrated singer Katie Melua and the Gori Women’s Choir on the album In Winter, which reached the top 10 in the album charts in the UK and Germany. His first Christmas disc, The Rose in the Middle of Winter, was recorded by Commotio. In 2017 two new discs were released by Commotio and Choralis – All Good Things on Naxos, and In Winter’s Arms on Signum, his first recording collaboration with an American choir. Newer recording projects are with Gloucester Cathedral Choir, Houston Chamber Choir, and Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir.
In 2017 Bob was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of The Royal School of Church Music.