Okanagan Festival Singers
Box 21106 Orchard Park V1Y 9N8 Kelowna, BC, Canada

Christmas is almost upon us, so let us ring those Christmas bells. Please enjoy this performance from a few years ago by the Okanagan Festival Singers along with Worldfest. #OkanaganFestivalSingers #OFSingers #Surviving2020

This morning we share with you a recording done by the Okanagan Festival Singers from years back. This is a traditional 19th Century French Christmas Carol. The lyrics in English are: He is born, the Heav'nly Child, Oboes play; set bagpipes sounding.... He is born, the Heav'nly Child, Let all sing His nativity. 'Tis four thousand years and more, Prophets have foretold His coming. 'Tis four thousand years and more, Have we waited this happy hour. Chorus Ah, how lovely, Ah, how fair, What perfection is His graces. Ah, how lovely, Ah, how fair, Child divine, so gentle there. Chorus In a stable lodged is He, Straw is all He has for cradle. In a stable lodged is He, Oh how great humility! Chorus Jesus Lord, O King with power, Though a little babe You come here. Jesus Lord, O King with power, Rule o'er us from this glad hour. Chorus #OkanaganFestivalSingers #OFSingers #Surviving2020

Today is the first day of Winter, so we bring you a piece that we recorded last year. Enjoy this carol as we head into the first days of winter, and just days before Christmas. #OkanaganFestivalSingers #OFSingers #Surviving2020

We would love to introduce you to Linda. She is another one of our multi-talented Sopranos. When asked what she's been doing to keep busy, this is what she shared. Hi everyone! My work with the OFS planning our May concert promotions and front of house volunteers suddenly came to a screeching halt in March as the COVID wave came crashing down and everything was suspended. Suddenly no more rehearsals with a talented group I have so enjoyed making music with for the past six... years. Aside from singing in a few couple of school choir performances as a child I didn’t take up choral music until the ripe old age of 50 when I began taking voice lessons, which eventually led me to OFS and the joys of making music with a group of people with a depth of talent and experience that inspired me to reach farther than I ever knew I could. Being onstage with a professional orchestra and soloists for the first time was a thrill I’ll never forget! Sowhat now? Since my husband and I renovated our yard this spring and summer we’ve been busy outdoors, so my connection with music has been mostly around listening to favorite artists (Jesse Cook, musica intima) and noodling around on my electric piano. As a board member it’s been like no other time, virtually meeting to plan a year that no one can predict, sort of like getting in a boat with no clear idea where you’ll end up, but with an innovative and enthusiastic crew to give you confidence My keeness for long term planning and the ‘big picture’ has definitely been tested by this pandemic, but it’s opened a new avenue - thinking ‘outside the box’ to find creative ways of staying connected to the thing we all love: blending our voices to make beautiful harmony. OFS will survive and thrive! Stay tuned. See more

Today we share a piece that we performed last year for our Christmas production. This is Hodie, Christus natus est. We cannot wait until we can perform for you in person, until then, please enjoy this beautiful piece. #OkanaganFestivalSingers #OFSingers #Surviving2020

Six weeks ago we had to cancel our Spring performance. We wish we could be coming together this evening to entertain you all with some spectacular music. Please know that our choir members are thinking of you all today, and we appreciate your support of the Okanagan Festival Singers, and we cannot wait to perform for you in the future. Stay positive, stay safe, stay healthy, and above all keep music alive. ... #OkanaganFestivalSingers #BachToBach #Kelowna

Our OFS Board has made the decision to cancel our Spring performance that was scheduled for May 2, 2020. If you have already purchase tickets to our concert, you may have have already heard from the choir member that you purchased from for a full refund. While we may be disappointed that we cannot bring you some amazing music this Spring, we look forward to entertaining you for our December performance. ... Stay healthy, and we will see you on the other side...take care of each other, and keep in touch with family and friends that may be alone during this time.

Please be aware that due to COVID-19 the OFS Board has made the decision to suspend sales for our May 2nd performance. In the next few days our OFS Board will be making a decision in regards to the fate of our Spring performance. We are grateful and appreciative of your support for the arts, and for our choir. We will keep you informed on the decision made. In the meantime be sure to make time for music.

We are lucky to have Ramine Adl as a part of the Bass section in OFS. So we thought we'd ask him a few questions, so you can get to know him too! How long have you been singing with OFS? I joined 9 years ago.... What are your favorite pieces that OFS has performed? More recently, I really enjoyed the Schubert Mass #2 in G major, also the Vivaldi Gloria, which I had always wanted to sing. Mozart’s Requiem is also a personal favourite. Maybe we’ll get to the Brahms Requiem sometime. Do you have other musical talents that we don’t know about? Yes and no? I am self-taught on piano, which means that it takes me a long time to learn pieces, and when I do, I will only play them for a very sympathetic public of close friends, or preferably my ageing dog who can’t tell the difference between Chopin and Phillip Glass. I also have been in a recorder ensemble in Lake Country (Toot Suite) for three years and play mostly the bass recorder. We play mostly medieval and renaissance music. Music means something different to everyone, what does it mean to you? I remember a lot of varied music growing up (in Iran, France and Canada). There was a lot of classical music (with the odd Stockhausen the stuff of nightmares), some opera, jazz, early electronica (Jean-Michel Jarre), and of course whatever pop music in France, Iran and Canada. I still like to listen to just about anything; however; I never developed a love for Rock n’ Roll or Rap. I liked opera early on, and really wanted to learn to sing. Many moons ago, I had the luck to join UBC’s Choral Union (an open university choir), directed by Diane Loomer, which was my first opportunity to learn about choral singing (we sang the Brahms Requiem, and the following year, Verdi’s Requiem). Diane was an amazing and encouraging teacher. It inspired me to take private voice lessons afterwards for about five years. After that, I sang in whatever I could find, musical and opera choruses locally (Powerhouse Theatre, Viva Musica). I took solo parts in several United Church musical productions in Vernon and Kamloops; participated in sing-and-dance Broadway-themed cabarets, to name a few things. Music has always been in my life in some form or another. #OkanaganFestivalSingers #OFSBassSection #SingingForLife #BachandBach #May2

OFS is always looking for new and innovative ways to expand our music. This Spring we can download the music along with a coach for our individual parts on an app. How amazing and forward is this?