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BRIDGING
THE GAP
Making choral music accessible
By RENATO PAGNANI
Josiah Maxfield, vocalist
Britney Huynh, conductor
IN THE WORLD of choral music, the leap from academic training to
a professional career can feel like crossing a vast canyon without
a bridge — unless you’re in Edmonton. Here, Pro Coro Canada has
constructed a pathway that helps transform promising young talents
into polished professionals through its emerging artists program.
While aspiring choral musicians can often find themselves in a post-
graduation limbo, Edmonton’s only professional choir offers a unique
— and rare — opportunity to gain invaluable hands-on experience
to help artists fulfill their potential, thanks to grant funding from
Edmonton Community Foundation (ECF).
Founded in 1980 by conductor Michel Marc Gervais after
studying with legendary choral conductor Eric Ericson in
Stockholm, Pro Coro Canada was created to establish a professional
ensemble in Edmonton based on Swedish choral culture. Since
its inception, the choir has performed on stages including the
Toronto International Choral Festival, toured the country numerous
times and commissioned close to 100 new works, the majority
by Canadian composers. For the last decade, the choir has been
led by conductor Michael Zaugg, in his own words, a “passionate
pedagogue”, who loves working not only with choirs but also up-
and-coming choral artists.
Composer Jason Noble, now a professor of instrumental and
electroacoustic composition at the Université de Moncton, describes
his time in the program as “extremely empowering and one of the
most satisfying artistic experiences” of his career. His experimental
and thought-provoking piece Furiouser & Spuriouser, written during
the choir’s residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in
2018, has become his most-performed work.
“The program … gave me the luxury of immersing myself in
composing without distractions,” Noble explains. “Working directly
with singers during the composition process allowed me to be both
adventurous and practical in my work. It’s rare to find a professional
choir that supports emerging composers and encourages
exploration of new music the way Pro Coro Canada does.”
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