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A
Conversation with Vashon Chorale Artistic Director Gary
Cannon Q: Even
though you guest conducted last fall, this is your first season as the Vashon
Chorale's artistic director. How is that different? A: The
differences are more managerial: helping with long-term planning, working more
behind-the-scenes with the board, and increased administrative duties. But
the core goal is the same: to make the best music possible in the time we have
available. It's actually very nice to come to the directorship with some
experience with the ensemble. The first rehearsal, a couple of weeks ago,
was very relaxed like old friends coming together for a fun musical evening. Q: What do
you think sets the Vashon Chorale apart from other choirs you have been
associated with? A:
There is a certain camaraderie and sense of community among the singers in the
Chorale that I find very inspiring and somewhat rare. You have
professional-quality singers sitting next to people who may not have sung for
years. There are people with a great degree of experience and knowledge singing
alongside those who may never have had a voice lesson or studied any kind of
music formally. You walk into that room and there's a built-in support
network. We're all there to make great music and it takes everybody to do it. Q: How do
you go about choosing music for this group? A: Oh, now
there's a challenge, but so it is for every ensemble. I try to find music
that is sufficiently challenging to be interesting over many weeks of rehearsal,
but not so daunting that people want to give up. Of course it has to be
top-quality music, well written for voices, and fit within a coherent concert
program. I also want to make sure that the concert will be rewarding for
audiences, though I find that if the music fits the singers' abilities well, and
the singers like the music, the audience enjoys it too. Q: What can
the audience expect when they attend "A Celebration of Carols" on
December 6-7? A: In preparing this program, I
tried to include a variety of composers and styles. The music is all English
or American, ranging from traditional carols to modern settings of Christmas
texts. Three of the pieces are wonderful collections of old carols, many of
which will be familiar to listeners. Two of my favorite composers - Gustav
Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams - are represented. They capture the English
holiday spirit so perfectly, especially Vaughan Williams's masterful Fantasia
on Christmas Carols. Vashon's own Andy
Krikawa will be our soloist for that work. The other carol collection involves
audience participation, and is by a San Francisco composer, Conrad Susa. We'll
also present three comic carols by that great pseudo-historical figure,
P.D.Q. Bach. And I am looking forward to performing a carol by a local
composer and friend David Hahn. It should be a fun and festive evening. The Vashon
Island Chorale under the direction of Gary Cannon will perform “A Celebration
of Carols” at the Bethel Church on December 6 at 7:30 pm and December 7 at
3:00 pm. Tickets will be available after December 15 at the bookstores. For more
information go to www.vashonislandchorale.org. |