Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs announces 94th season spanning Beatles hits and Handel's Messiah
Nine member choirs to perform seven concerts on 2024-25 lineup, including annual Christmas and Valentine’s Day shows and nature-inspired programs
Sarabande advanced adult chamber choir, part of the Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs. Photo by Michelle Diamond
PEACE, HOPE, AND CONNECTION to nature are all themes at the forefront of the Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs’ just-revealed 94th season, which will see a diverse collection of seven concerts performed by its nine member choirs.
The choirs’ 2024-25 season will kick off on October 18 at 7:30 pm with Fauré & Bernstein, a reflective program of chamber arrangements at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church. The Vancouver Bach Choir will perform Gabriel Fauré’s gentle yet haunting Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48, with an organist and solos by soprano Sydney Trotter and baritone Obi Ifediora. They will also sing Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with an organist, percussionist, and harpist from the Vancouver Bach Chamber Players, plus a treble-soprano soloist from the Vancouver Bach Children’s Choirs.
On December 1 at 2 pm, Christmas with the Bach Choir marks the beginning of the winter holiday season at the Orpheum. The annual concert will feature the voices of more than 500 singers from the Vancouver Bach Choir, the Sarabande and Cantabile chamber choirs, and Vancouver Bach Children’s Choirs, along with the Touch of Brass quintet and organist Michael Dirk. Extra perks include an interactive holiday photobooth and an audience carol singalong.
The Christmas spirit will continue on December 14 at 7:30 pm at the Orpheum with Handel’s Messiah, a famed oratorio performed by the Vancouver Bach Choir with members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, soprano Caitlin Wood, alto Nicholas Burns, tenor Spencer Britten, and bass Jonathon Adams.
Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs artistic director Leslie Dala.
Another annual favourite, the Behind the Keys fundraiser show, will take place in celebration of Valentine’s Day at the Annex on February 14, 2025; Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs artistic director Leslie Dala will perform a romantic program of solo works by Liszt and Schumann. Wine (or a soft drink) and a chocolate are included with each ticket, and there’s also an optional charcuterie add-on.
Other shows to look forward to in the new year are SpringSong: Flora & Fauna, a whimsical evening of nature-inspired music (think “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” from The Lion King, and Handel’s aria “Ombra mai fu” about the healing power of the forest) performed by the Vancouver Bach Children’s Choirs at the Pacific Spirit United Church on March 11, 2025; and Britten’s War Requiem at the Orpheum on April 6, 2025, featuring the West Coast Symphony Orchestra, soprano Melody Courage, tenor Asitha Tennekoon, baritone Tyler Duncan, and the Vancouver Bach Children’s Chorus, all conducted by Dala.
The season will wrap up on May 13, 2025 with SummerSing!: Beatles & Broadway at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, in which the Vancouver Bach Children’s Choirs (Toccata, Partita, Chorale, and Chorus) will perform Broadway favourites from productions spanning Chicago and The Sound of Music alongside hits by The Beatles such as “Hey Jude” and “Let It Be”. The performance will also include pianists Kin Ming Wong and Jeon Mok, plus the adult Sarabande chamber choir.
Tickets to all shows are now officially on sale. Links to purchase them, along with more details on the upcoming season, are available via the Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs website. 
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