Jenny has been with VBC for just over one year and we’re excited to hear how she’s been enjoying our choir community!
About Jenny: “Both my husband and I took early retirement from our careers and found ourselves facing a late “mid-life crisis”; so we moved quickly to channel our artistic energies into doing more intensely what we have always loved to do… him into ballroom dancing… and I into singing”
What inspired you to join the choir? “Singing is the most unique form of human expression as a group bringing joy to others … After singing with a few other choirs in Vancouver, it finally feels like I’ve found a home to where my heart can belong, with VBC, where I get to sing my favourite Classical works as well as [discover] and learn a new repertoire.”
Do you have a favourite memory of a performance of the choir in general? “My highlight of this past year is our trip to New York in May, led by Maestro Dala, to perform at Carnegie Hall, singing Mozart’s “Sparrow” Mass and Haydn’s Te Deum – a fantastic experience that will remain unforgettable for life.
On the home front, I am most impressed with the eclectic repertoire taken on by the VBC during this past year – my first year with the choir. During just one Season (2018-19), our dynamic Maestro Leslie Dala was able to lead us through a repertoire that spanned through ages and across continents, cultures and genres.”
What keeps you coming back to VBC? “It is a joy to sing with the VBC – each and every rehearsal energizes me. No other choirs in the city had taken me on a journey in choral singing as interesting as that with the Vancouver Bach Choir.
To me, the important functions of a fine choir in a community are:
1. To nurture and deliver a high quality of singing.
2. To present and perform the Master works from the Classical repertoire of Western Music through the ages, from the styles of Gregorian Chant, traditional Mass and oratorials, symphonic choral, to contemporary musicals and Movies, etc.
3. To present, e.g., premiere, and help promote the works of contemporary musicians, e.g., Canadian composers.
4. To include people of all ages in the community from juniors to seniors.
And the VBC does all of the above admirably.