Chez Nous: Christmas With Elektra welcomes the festive season with song
Elektra Women’s Choir offers a diverse program of well-loved compositions, centuries-old works, and new pieces
Elektra Women’s Choir.
Elektra Women’s Choir presents Chez Nous: Christmas With Elektra on December 2 at 8 pm at Good Shepherd Church, Surrey; and December 3 at 3 pm at Pacific Spirit United Church
WELCOMING, WARM, AND BEAUTIFUL: these are the words that come to mind for Elektra Women’s Choir artistic director Morna Edmundson when asked about Chez Nous: Christmas With Elektra, the ensemble’s annual festive concert. It’s something the artist looks forward to every year, even more so since the pandemic.
Morna Edmundson.
“We hope that people will feel connected to each other through listening together in the same physical space,” Edmundson tells Stir. “We’ve gotten so used to experiencing music alone on headphones. This will be quite the antidote to that.”
Another term that could describe the concert is diverse. The program is made up of everything from brand-new pieces to centuries-old works.
“There are many gems in the mix,” Edmundson says, “original pieces such as ‘Lully, My Liking’ by Gerda Blok-Wilson, ‘Christmas Comes in the Morning’ by Stephen Smith, and an astonishing and vibrant piece from the 14th century, ‘Flos Regalis’.
“Arrangements of ‘Silent Night’, ‘In dulci jubilo’, and ‘Quelle est cette odeur agréable?’ provide those familiar melodies in fresh forms,” she adds. “The centrepiece of the program is ‘Veni, Veni’ by J. David Moore. It's a fantasia on “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. We're doing a beautiful arrangement of Joni Mitchell's ‘River’ that reminds us that this time of year can be emotionally very challenging for many people.”
Forty-one voices strong, Elektra has been offering a holiday show since 2004. Year after year, Edmundson is keenly aware that there will be seasoned choral listeners in the audience as well as people who are new to the form or who may not have been to a concert in years. She strives to meet everyone where they’re at.
“My goal is always to create a welcoming door through which a curious listener can enter,” Edmundson says. “Choirs hold a special place keeping melodies alive, and melodies of Christmas are uniquely resonant in many people's lives. That's why I always program some music that listeners will recognize mixed in with newer pieces of music that perhaps use a familiar text as the connective tissue between memory and freshness.”
“This year, Elektra is taking centre stage with our beloved pianist, Stephen Smith,” she adds. “We have many soloists stepping forward from the choir in different styles, all just right for the pieces they're doing. I love showcasing them in this way.”
Elektra Women’s Choir.
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