Exaudi Chamber Choir

MCA is in the news! Thank you to the Winnipeg Free Press for highlighting how Manitoba arts groups are adapting for the upcoming performance season. The choral ...section is mid-way down, or you can read an excerpt below: From the outset, public health orders deemed singing a high-risk activity for virus transmission, but the Manitoba Choral Association is hoping the government will change its tune. "There are steps that you can take to mitigate the spread of the virus, like wearing masks and limiting your time and your rehearsal space, making sure you have good ventilation," says executive director Jenny Steinke-Magnus. The MCA represents nearly 200 school, community and church choirs across the province all of which have had to cancel their 2020 seasons amid the pandemic. The organization recently pulled the plug on two of its flagship events: ChoralFest, a two-week adjudicated event set to take place in November; and Provincial Honour Choirs, scheduled for February. "We know that many of our members are very disappointed," Steinke-Magnus says. "We are going to be trying to replace them, but you can’t really replicate those experiences online." For one, choir is all about people singing together, and also, video chat platforms aren’t exactly conducive to choir rehearsals. "The technology hasn’t quite advanced enough to reduce the lag time," Steinke-Magnus says. "(And) that social aspect is really, really important for people yes, you can see each other and talk to each other, but it’s just not the same as singing together." To fill the programming gap, the MCA is planning a series of online choral-related webinars and workshops. Click here to read the full article: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com//best-laid-plans-5723198 #manitobasings

From our February 2020 concert, here is James MacMillan's "O Radiant Dawn" from his Strathclyde Motets. We caught the audience unaware of our presence as we sang this from the back of the hall. A worthwhile surprise. https://youtu.be/ULp5yDlAwS8

Some good news and optimism about choral singing amidst this pandemic.

This coming May 30 would have been Exaudi's 4th concert of the year, finishing its first full season of performances. It's unfortunate that the season was cut short, but also gives me a chance to get some of our performances out there for people to see and hear. This is one piece from our first concert of the year, back in October 2019. "Befiehl dem Herrn deine Wege" by Albert Becker (1839-1899). You can find the translation on the youtube page. I have to say, I miss working with these fine people. It's such a great group to work with, and I can hardly wait until we can sing again! https://youtu.be/CDGGAlEvzNc

Like so many other arts groups dealing with the new realities of covid-19, we're cancelling our upcoming May 30 concert. We plan on being back again in the Fall, assuming the situation improves. We'll be keeping things updated and sharing previous concerts in the future. Stay healthy everyone.

It's the human connection that's missing. It's something I know I'm feeling, as well as everyone in my choirs, and probably everyone in the country. Catherine says it best when she says that the opportunity of singing together in a choir is something we can never take advantage of again.