Berkshire Choral Festival E-Newsletter June 2006

BCF Goes to Vancouver, B.C.!

In June 2007, BCF will offer a new singing week in Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver is a cosmopolitan city with a vibrant and multicultural population of two million. Located on Canada’s spectacular west coast, and surrounded by ocean and mountains, Vancouver is one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

The University of British Columbia will be the base for this new BCF singing week. UBC is situated on Vancouver’s Point Grey Peninsula, surrounded by temperate rainforest and sandy beaches. The University features the renowned Museum of Anthropology (featuring Northwest Coastal art), Botanical Gardens, indoor and outdoor pools, athletic facilities, a golf course, hiking trails, and beaches.

The University is also home to the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, featuring an exquisite concert hall. The first concert will feature the Verdi Requiem, conducted by Duain Wolfe and supported by Canadian soloists and the CBC Radio Orchestra, one of Canada’s premier ensembles.

A major objective of this venture is to attract new singers to BCF. As you have heard us say, BCF has struggled with enrollment issues since the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the subsequent downturn in the economy, military actions, and at the same time the proliferation of choruses touring on their own. We downsized in 2003, closing our Santa Fe venue, which helped a bit, but still we have been filling seven weeks with only six weeks of choristers.

The west coast is home to a large population of singers and Vancouver in particular is an amazing microcosm of choral expression. The west coast’s proximity to the Far East is also compelling. We have set a goal of recruiting 50 per cent new singers for this week in Vancouver, and are planning a variety of targeted recruitment strategies to help us achieve this objective.

What does this goal of ours mean to you? It means that in 2007 there will be fewer opportunities for alumni to be accepted into the singing week. It means that we will not be able to offer the Vancouver week as an “Early Bird Special.” And it means that we will be putting our Mondsee/Salzburg week on hiatus for the 2007 season. But if we achieve this goal, it also means that there will be more opportunities for alumni in Vancouver and elsewhere in the future.

The Board and staff are truly excited about this opportunity for BCF to have a presence on the west coast. It may take some time, but we hope you all will be able to experience the setting. We thank you for your continued support, your enthusiasm, and most of all, your singing!