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Island Voices celebrate hope, faith, life and love

Choir shares a wide variety of music, from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah to Ivo Antognini’s Lux Aeterna
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Island Voices Choir will share a wide variety of music, from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah to Ivo Antognini’s Lux Aeterna to the Pretoria Youth Choir’s Kwela, Kwela, at its annual spring concert on April 21 at the Campbell River United Church and April 22 at Comox United Church.

“Hope… faith… life… love.” These four concepts are at the core of Island Voices’ spring concert, which celebrates the universality of the human condition.

On April 21 and 22, the choir will share a wide variety of music, from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah to Ivo Antognini’s Lux Aeterna to the Pretoria Youth Choir’s Kwela, Kwela.

Titling the concert after e.e. cumming’s poem “hope, faith, life, love”, conductor Jenn Forsland describes the concert’s theme as one which includes all times, all cultures and all genres.

“Literature and art are grounded on these themes. There are great stories to be told, and those stories can be as old as time itself. We all face challenges; we all feel love – having love, losing love, yearning for love. All cultures live in hope, value faith, celebrate life. It is our goal to share many different types of music that resonate with listeners, touching their hearts and evoking emotion.”

Forsland has certainly chosen music that demonstrates these themes. The energy of We Dance and the wisdom of Our Children (with text by Kahlil Gibran) show hope for the future. Jubilate Deo, the spiritual I’m Gonna Sing Till the Spirit Moves in My Heart, and even Jane Siberry’s The Valley, all touch upon elements of faith. Many songs celebrate life; the Maori Ehara, the Indian Dravidian Dithyramb, and the jazz standard A Child is Born. And of course there are songs of love – a modern madrigal, a version of My Love’s Like a Red, Red Rose, the haunting I Am Not Yours, a love song from Haida Gwai, and even a visit to The Punjabi Market.

For this concert the choir has worked on adapting their voices for the many different styles, enabling them to better communicate the meaning and message inherent in each piece.

Says Forsland, “There is so much more to music than just singing the right notes. I think it’s important that the singers challenge themselves to make their sound more beautiful and evocative. If we make you laugh, or make you cry, it shows that we have achieved at least some of our goals.”

Hope, Faith, Life, Love will be performed at Campbell River United Church on Friday, April 21 and at Comox United Church on Saturday, April 22. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($20, students free with adults) are available at The Music Plant (Campbell River), Blue Heron Books (Comox) and Benjamin Moore House of Colour (Courtenay).