Canada’s youth choir visiting Niagara
A choir of some of the best Canadian youth voices will perform in St. Catharines next week.
The National Youth Choir of Canada, some 40 young people from all parts of the country, will be featured at Knox Presbyterian Church’s annual summer concert on Tuesday, July 18.
It will be the choir’s first stop on a tour of Ontario and Quebec.
Ken Hutton, music director at Knox as well as Ridley College, invited the choir to the city, and it said yes. Simple as that, he said.
The choir’s visit is also an acknowledgement of a “thriving choral scene” in Niagara, he added.
“It’s very exciting to have all this young talent here,” he said.
The National Youth Choir is a project of Choral Canada, designed to develop and nurture some of Canada’s best emerging choral singers.
The choir is made up of people aged 18 to 25. Usually, auditions take place every two years, with up to four singers chosen from each province and territory. But in recognition of Canada’s 150th birthday, a special edition of the choir was assembled this year.
The choir is directed by Timothy Shantz, the chorus master of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Niagara Youth Choir will continue to tour Ontario and Quebec with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. The choir will offer both classical and contemporary material, said Hutton.
Tickets for the performance are $20 for adults and $10 for students. Contact the church, at 53 Church St., at 905-641-8868 for tickets.