Elektra announces search for new artistic director
Current leader Morna Edmundson will be departing after the 2024-25 season and 38 years with the organization
THERE’S AN EXCITING job opportunity out there for someone who wants to continue the legacy of a leading local musical organization. Elektra has announced its search for a new artistic director, with current leader Morna Edmundson departing after the 2024-25 season.
Edmundson cofounded the celebrated 45-member treble-voiced volunteer choir in 1987 with Diane Loomer. During her time as artistic director, which began in 2009, Elektra has commissioned more than 120 works and released 17 CDs, many featuring first recordings of Canadian compositions, and launched a YouTube channel.
According to Elektra’s website, the group is seeking someone who “gets” Elektra, who understands and appreciates the legacy that Edmundson has created. The ideal candidate, who will start a transition period in April 2025 and take over fully in July, holds a master’s of music degree or equivalent experience and has comprehensive knowledge of the Canadian choir and composer landscapes, a background in leading adult treble ensembles, and a conviction for maintaining strong connections within the choral community across Canada and beyond.
The role also entails developing programming that spans historic and new repertoire and recruiting the right voices to add to the group as required. The new artistic director will also have a strong grasp of budgets and grant planning, working within a three-year strategic plan.
The part-time contractual position allows the successful candidate to hold other paid positions.
Edmundson’s farewell 38th season kicks off with The Light of Hope Returning (November 30 and December 1 at Vancouver’s Pacific Spirit United Church), composer Shawn Kirchner’s American folk solstice oratorio; it features original video projections by Syrian-American artist Kevork Mourad, who has collaborated with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma. (See Stir’s feature on The Light of Hope Returning here.) That’s followed by The Lost Words: A Spell Book (March 8 and 9, 2025 at Pacific Spirit United Church), which is inspired by the bestselling book of the same name by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris. It features works by 10 Canadian composers, the accompaniment of six instrumentalists, and watercolour projections; the performance also sees local actor Laara Sadiq doing spoken word for each spell. (Stir previewed the work when it premiered in Vancouver in 2022; see story here.) Bringing the season to a close is Legacy (May 25, 2025 at Surrey’s Church of the Good Shepherd and May 31, 2025 at Vancouver’s Christ Church Cathedral), a concert featuring Edmundson’s “desert island playlist” of Canadian works drawn from nearly four decades of Elektra commissions. The performance also features premieres of brand-new works by Laura Hawley, Cassie Luftspring, and Tawnie Olson.
Elektra also runs community engagement programs, which mentor the next generation of youth and adult singers, conductors, and composers.
Edmundson has acquired an honourary degree from UBC and has degrees and diplomas in vocal music from Vancouver, Bellingham, and Stockholm. She has adjudicated across North America and Asia, conducted honour choirs throughout the U.S., and codirected the American Choral Directors Association National Women’s Honour Choir.
Formerly associate AD of Coastal Sound Music Academy, Edmundson has also received a BC Community Achievement Award and a Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction award in recognition of her work. She has served as a board member of Chorus America and in 2020 joined the board of Choral Canada as its president elect.
Gail Johnson is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.
Related Articles
Director Lucas van Woerkum will edit and adapt his film to the orchestra’s performance in real-time, in program that includes Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Morlock’s Night, Herself
Organization’s 51st year of programming opens on September 27 with Ugandan electronic musician Afrorack and closes with Toronto-based artist SlowPitchSound
Multimedia show immerses audiences in the intimacies of the Juno-winning musician’s Salluit community, located in the very north of Nunavik
Pacific Baroque Orchestra performs a new arrangement of the variations which incorporates Johann Gottlieb Goldberg’s Trio Sonata No. 4 in C Major
Program includes an enchanting Stravinsky ballet score, romantic Rachmaninoff, and late composer Jocelyn Morlock’s mysterious Night, Herself
Highlights include Figure humaine by Francis Poulenc as well as world premieres
Singer Behind the Song series presentation in collaboration with UBC Opera will also feature an exclusive interview and masterclass
Ahead of her Come Toward the Fire festival performance, the JUNO award-winner shares how writing her latest album, Boundless Possibilities, helped her heal from loss and trauma
Lineup features works by Johannes Brahms, UBC music student Joanne S. Na, and the choir’s new composer-in-residence Laura Hawley
On the program that explores interconnected forces are works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Vancouver-based composer Jeffrey Ryan
B.C. tour visits 18 cities (six local) with favourites from the musical-theatre icon’s greatest shows, spanning Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, and beyond
UBC Opera alum has been gaining international acclaim for her immersive interpretations and double talent
Show presented in partnership with Red Gate Arts Society features guest performances by Adam 2, Goo, and Jacob Audrey Taves
Juno-winning singer-guitarist George Leach, soulful singer-songwriter Hayley Wallis, and Cree hip-hop artist K.A.S.P. are among the talented performers scheduled
Takács Quartet, Han Finckel Setzer Trio, and Pacifica Quartet are among the 10 concerts on the books for FCM’s 77th season
Nine member choirs to perform seven concerts on 2024-25 lineup, including annual Christmas and Valentine’s Day shows and nature-inspired programs
Beethoven, Mozart, and Vancouver’s own Jeffrey Ryan are included on the roster
Duo that often draws on B.C. landscapes for inspiration brings chill summer vibe to free outdoor show
Current leader Morna Edmundson will be departing after the 2024-25 season and 38 years with the organization
Performances by the Qing Ensemble, Microcosmos Quartet, and M’Girl are in store, along with nosh from food trucks Planted and Dos Amigos
British a cappella artists VOCES8 are here in February as LUMEN Festival makes return in the new year
Burton Cummings, Daryl Hall, The Commodores, and The Pointer Sisters are some of the nostalgic favourites hitting the Pacific Coliseum in August
Among the featured artists are musicians Oh Pray Tell, drag performer Maiden China, and Indigenous femmecee Lil Smudge
Written for and performed by Haney’s double-bass colleague Meaghan Williams, the album is both a personal triumph and a creative pivot point
Social justice is top of mind for trio appearing at free all-day celebration at Trout Lake Park August 17
Sonic Storybook features new compositions by 12 B.C. artists based on stories and songs they grew up with
Proceeds from jazz and poetry performance hosted by writer-musician Hadani Ditmars will support the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza
Performers from Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and beyond bring diverse traditions to Vancouver Mural Festival’s Mount Pleasant Street Party
Free ticket package to Giacomo Puccini opera worth $200 in value, while e-newsletter perks span early ticket access, great deals, and behind-the-scenes videos
The B.C. band blends jazz with psychedelic and electronic music to create a sound they describe as “meditative and interplanetary”