Menno Singers raise their voices in praise
New artistic director leads three choirs’ 100 voices for Christmas concert
WATERLOO — On Sunday three choirs, raising 100 voices, and an organist that knows how to bathe a room in music will perform “Come Emmanuel”, a celebration of Christmas and the beauty of choral singing.
This will be the 62-year old Menno Singers second performance under their new artistic director, Brandon Leis and he is happy to be leading such a richly storied group in his hometown.
“I’m excited,” said Leis who was born and raised in nearby Wellesley in a household where music was a part of the fabric of family life.
“There was a passion for musicmaking,” he said.
Leis, who took over from 19-year veteran artistic director, Peter Nikiforuk, comes to the choir with impressive credentials: a master’s degree in community music, honours bachelor in vocal performance and an opera diploma from Wilfrid Laurier University. He also sang with the Menno Singers for many years and after a busy performance career as a tenor soloist, the young married father thought it was time to stick closer to home.
Aside from the Menno Singers, Leis is a lecturer and voice instructor in Wilfrid Laurier University’s music faculty.
He is also music director at Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church in Kitchener.
This weekend’s concert, “Come Emmanuel” will be followed by a singalong of Handel’s “Messiah” on Dec. 17 which usually attracts a few hundred enthusiastic participants.
These two concerts will require Leis to use all the skills he’s learned leading amateur groups in music and he appreciates the obstacles all the singers must overcome starting with learning how to listen to each other.
“It’s very humbling trying to work on your own craft (voice) while attempting to evoke music out of others,” he said. “When you’re working with professionals it’s different.”
Yet when it all comes together, the experience is “wonderful” he said, adding “it can be transformative.”
“You have to know what context you’re in,” he said. “What we try to do is have one single vision.”
The Menno Singers was established in 1955 originally formed for singers of Mennonite background. Since those early days the choral group has been open to anyone though they sing a predominantly Christian sacred music repertoire. The group is usually a cappella, but for this concert they will feature two accompanists, pianist Ian Vander Burgh and Kathleen King Martin, organist and music director of First United Church in Waterloo.
This concert will feature the three choirs under the Menno Singers umbrella: the Inter-Mennonite Children’s Choir, Menno Youth Singers and the 45-voice adult Menno Singers, performing a wide variety of Christmas music including favourites such as “Ave Maria,” “Silent Night” and “Joy to the World.”