Choirs give back at benefit for beloved venue
Vancouver may seem to be blessed with a diverse selection of venues for classical music. But the matchup between location, sound, and audience capacity is tricky to get right. All the more reason that our choral community is prepared to go to such lengths to protect and improve Dunbar-Ryerson United Church, a much favoured and greatly appreciated space for music making.
“ReSounding Ryerson” is an ongoing series of benefit concerts which allow local choirs to give back to their favourite venue. Sept. 16 is the latest concert, with four groups performing.
Recently re-christened Dunbar-Ryerson as the result of a congregational merger, the structure was built in the late 1920s and takes part of its name from Egerton Ryerson (1803-1882), a firebrand Methodist minister, politician, and public education advocate from Upper Canada.
Kerrisdale in the 1920s was an aspirational neighbourhood accessible by interurban and streetcar lines; the newly formed United Church of Canada wanted to make a statement about tradition and significance with a new building that complemented the growing neighbourhood. Architects Richard Thomas Perry and Robert Claud Kerr created a fine structure in a picturesque neoGothic idiom that can accommodate just over 800. A makeover in the 1960s by Thompson Berwick and Pratt added new decorative elements designed by sculptor around town Jack Harman. (Remember The Family, a large bronze group that graced the old Pacific Press building on Granville?) A good Casavant Frères organ was installed around the same time.
Dunbar-Ryerson’s musical distinction stems from the days of the late Hugh McLean (19302017), organist extraordinaire and founder of the Vancouver Cantata Singers. On his watch, music at the church blossomed; his connections to the University of B.C. and the professional music scene significantly enlivened the church’s musical offerings. And the building has been on the musical map ever since.
Nobody is more connected to choirs in Vancouver than publicist Bruce Hoffman, who sings with Chor Leoni and has connections with a range of ensembles.
“While Vancouver is renowned for its vibrant choral scene, there is a definite lack of venues of the right size with choral-friendly acoustics,” says Hoffman. “Dunbar-Ryerson is one of the few, and over the decades the various church administrations have always made choirs welcome. ReSounding Dunbar-Ryerson began several years ago as a way for ensembles that call the venue home to say ‘thank you.’ It’s a fun and relaxed evening of music, sort of a sampler of the fall’s choral delights.”
And a diverse sampler it is this time round, with the Vancouver Orpheus Male Voice Choir, the Vancouver Youth Choir, the new(ish) Post Modern Camerata, as well as the Vancouver Chamber Choir.
Location and accessibility is an important part of Dunbar-Ryerson’s appeal. But so is the experience of making music there. Even though some contemporary choirs are anxious to show that choral music making goes well beyond traditional sacred repertoires, the fact is that the actual acoustics of churches and cathedrals is just what most composers took into account when writing choral music.
While a dry sound can work for certain contemporary types of ensemble writing, and big concert halls are, by default, the place for grand works for voices and orchestras, most everything else works best in resonant spaces just like Dunbar-Ryerson: an environment that gives life, lustre, and depth to most every choral classic.
“Singing at Dunbar-Ryerson is a pleasure,” says Hoffman. “The combination of good acoustics along with a sense of intimacy — you can see almost everyone in the audience — lends a communal feeling to performing there that feels quite unique.”