Champlain Choir comes through “Time after Time”
The Champlain Lennoxville CEGEP Choir held two sold out shows named “Time after Time” April 25 and 26 in Bandeen Hall at Bishop’s University (BU). Directed by local music veteran and Champlain Professor Fannie Gaudette, the 60 some odd young men and women dazzled the audience with their vocal talents for just over an hour, singing a combination of around 20 older and contemporary pop hits centered around the theme of “time.”
Behind the scenes, this reviewer learned that Gaudette is somewhat unique in her preparation for her choir shows, in that she allows her amateur student choristers substantial input into which songs will be performed. The laudable effort towards student engagement only makes her job more difficult, for not all songs are created equal when it comes to translation to the choral form. Nevertheless, no song seemed out of place, though this reviewer failed to recognize many of the pieces himself, being mostly out of the loop regarding recent pop trends.
Notable was the composition of the six-person band, with many familiar faces from the BU music scene accompanying the choir throughout. Besides Gaudette conducting from the piano, local multi-talented Alex Cattaneo played electric and acoustic guitar. Recent BU graduates Andrew Rutherford, Amy Rutherford, and Tyler Casat were on drums, bass guitar, and electric keyboard respectively. Student Nicolas Audet, also on guitar, rounded out the team. The professional-quality group performed their own band-only piece near the end of the concert, “Where’d All the Time Go?” (Dr. Dog, 2010), showcasing their excellent voices and group cohesion.
The concert started off very strong with a rendition of “Time” (Pink Floyd, 1973) sung by Elizabeth Clarke, which included a blistering electric guitar solo by Cattaneo. It was followed by “Time after Time” (Cyndi Lauper, 1983) with Sarah-jane Bernier, Saskia Bertrand Demers, and Sabrina Richer taking turns soloing. The choir backed up the three with the most complex choral part of the night - harmonious and melodious “doos.”
The climax of student skill in the show was right in its middle with Amélia Viscogliosi stunning the crowd in a dominant performance of “Gets Better” (Catie Turner, 2019). Viscogliosi’s voice was well-suited to
The climax of student skill in the show was right in its middle with Amélia Viscogliosi stunning the crowd in a dominant performance of “Gets Better” (Catie Turner, 2019).
the piece and featured subtle and expressive dynamic changes.
Not to be outdone, the exquisite duet of Agena-loire Kwizera and Luck Ingabire followed with a performance of “Goodness of God” (Ben Fielding et al., 2019). Washed in a soft purple glow, the two with their perfectly-matched voices enchanted this reviewer from his perch in the balcony at the back of the hall.
Needless to say (and as is usual for amateur choirs) the young women stole the show. But the young men did not go unrepresented with the male-only (“football team”) rendition of “Daylight” (David Kushner, 2023) drawing raucous applause. A sole, unnamed and excellent tenor voice added nicely to the piece’s otherwise deep, masculine vocals.
Gaudette took the opportunity to sing one of her own well-received originals, “Maman Dit Statue,” adding the French language to the show and mixing up the vibe of the concert.
The song of the night that drew the most audience participation was “Stick Season” (Noah Kahan, 2022) performed by Rania Oubibette, with those gathered enthusiastically clapping and singing along.
The show had no intermission but entertained throughout and did not drag on; it was very well timed and put together. What will Gaudette and her group come up with next time? Time will tell.