The Southwest Manitoba Choir travels to New York to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall.
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A choir from southwestern Manitoba will bring the sounds of the prairie to New York’s famed Carnegie Hall next month.
Brandon’s Konectis Choir will appear in a concert at Carnegie on April 1 called Canada, as part of the Canada National Chorus – a choir made up of vocal groups from across the country.
Konektis bandmate and singer Justin Burke says it’s an important opportunity to prove that there’s talent across Canada, including the big cities.
“Sometimes we think, ‘Oh, we’re just from small towns’ or whatever, but … Konektis is doing huge things, and we’re starting to go big,” he said.
“It’s a lack of name recognition, right? To be able to sing at such a famous venue, such a world-renowned venue.”
Burke said members of Konektis — “connected” in Esperanto, which was intended to be a universal language when it was created in the late 1800s — come from all walks of life, and from the Westman region and beyond. , Burke said.
The choir includes teachers, accountants and healthcare workers – all bound by a love of music.
Brick teaches music to students in grades 5 through 12 at Carberry Collegiate.
“I like to use my group as an example that those of you who are my students can pursue music when you leave my program, even if it’s just professionally,” he said.
“A lot of us are music teachers or have music degrees, but a lot of choirs don’t. But they still love the stage and love to perform.”
‘A truly special occasion’
Last October, Konektis performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in Brandon. After visiting Banff, Alta., for the Rocky Mountain Festival in 2019, Carnegie Hall will be the choir’s first major trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its second out of the province. .
Soprano Nadine McLachlan says she learned a lot during her trip to Banff — especially about the powerful connections music can create.
“It was pretty special… just being able to connect with everyone on a 12-hour bus ride,” McLachlan said.
“We were singing on the bus. We went to the hot springs. [in Banff] And we spontaneously sang a couple of our songs. So it was a really wonderful experience.”
McLachlan, from Brandon, a city of about 54,000, said she never imagined she would be singing at world-renowned Carnegie Hall, which has hosted musicians from Russian composer Tchaikovsky to the Beatles in its more than 130-year history. Hosted by
“This is a really special opportunity for us to take our music…internationally for the first time and really put ourselves on a big stage,” McLachlan said.
“It’s also pretty special to work with other really talented people and then get to show a little bit of our stuff to a wider community.”
Conductor Michelle Chaizk says the trip to New York is an “amazing” opportunity for Konektis, which she calls “a very dynamic ensemble.”
But “of course, it’s a big move,” he said. “These singers are very busy people and they belong to all walks of life.”
Chyzyk says some of the members have had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall before. She graced the stage as a young accompanist while she was a student at Brandon University.
For many, though, it will be a first.
“Carnegie is unique, I mean, it’s world-renowned,” Chyzyk said. “We are proud to represent Canada.”
