Annapolis Valley Honour Choir to hold 30th reunion
The Sunday after Christmas the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir (AVHC) is going to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The reunion concert is titled ‘Here’s to Song.’
A chorister, later accompanist and since 2010 AVHC conductor Heather Fraser told audiences for the recent ‘Glow’ concerts how excited she is about the reunion.
Like the first reunion a decade ago, former choristers will gather over three days while many are home for the holidays.
The honour choir was started by Kings County music teachers Ross Thompson and Shelly Moore, both of whom will be on hand for the reunion.
This year the AVHC includes two choirs with 140 students in Grades 5–12. The choir expanded to include younger singers in 2013 and, Fraser noted, it includes an instructional program.
She said the singers receive a well-rounded choral education that includes the nurturing of healthy vocal technique, strong musicianship and aural skills.
Typically, the choirs present two or three full-length concerts each season. In addition, the choirs perform at many community functions and special events throughout the Valley.
The choirs also take part annually in the Annapolis Valley Music Festival and other festivals in Nova Scotia. They have won their classes at both the local and provincial level.
Two years ago, the senior choir travelled to Cuba on an exchange and another trip is planned for this coming summer to Spain and Portugal.
In 2015, the junior choir took part in a government supported exchange with the Coastal Sound Children’s Choir in Vancouver. Previous choir trips have included Budapest, Vienna and Venice (2013), Paris and Prague (2008), Barcelona (2003), Germany and Austria (1998), and Britain (1993).
The Dec. 30 concert will take place at 4 p.m. at Wolfville Baptist Church. Admission is by freewill offering at the door.