Gene & Elizabeth Maurice Concert Series 2023

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PROARTS @NOON CONCERTS PRESENTS

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The ProArts Society is pleased to announce a unique series of concerts featuring Calgary artists performing Choral Music repertoire.

Where words fail, music speaks

Hans Christian Andersen

Local Arts supporters Gene and Elizabeth Maurice continue to generously support the ProArts@Noon Concert Series and recently awarded the ProArts Society funding to undertake the 2023 Choral Music Concert Series, which will feature a diverse selection from Calgary’s Choral community.

This special series will be part of the ProArts@Noon weekly schedule of Wednesday concerts.

Now in its twenty-first season, the ProArts@Noon Concert Series of free, noon hour concerts is presented by the ProArts Society, who rent the historic Cathedral Church in the heart of Calgary’s Cultural District to present their weekly concerts.

The Gene & Elizabeth Maurice Choral Music Concert Series 2023 dates are:

1. March 15 Notre Dame High School Vocal Ensemble
2. March 29 One Voice Chorus
3. April 19 Early Music Voices with students from UofC’s School of Creative and Performing Arts and guest Neil Cockburn
4. May 31 Vocal Latitudes World Music Choir
5. July 05 EnChor Chamber Choir
6. September 20 Calgary Concert Opera Company
7. November 15 MRUniversity Kantorei Choir

Artist Biographies

Notre Dame High School Vocal Ensemble March 15, 2023

The members of Notre Dame High School Vocal Ensemble share a love for music and song. When they attend rehearsals, concerts, or performances, they do so for their passion of singing. This is what unites them and ultimately creates a passion for life within. They hope you enjoy their performance.

One Voice Chorus March 29, 2023

One Voice Chorus (OVC) is a mixed choir for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, and queer singers, and their cisgender allies. We are an auditioned choir with a wide-ranging repertoire: from classical to jazz, from madrigals to show tunes, and more!

OVC was founded in September 2011. Four singers signed up for auditions the first night and a choir was born. From four singers we quickly grew to ten and made our debut at a Christmas concert hosted by the Unitarian Church of Calgary in December 2011. By the spring of 2012, we had 17 singers on the roster and were ready to contemplate presenting our own concert. We brought the curtain down, ending our first season on a high note. Our debut concert in June 2012 launched us officially as Calgary’s new LGBT choir. We were joined on stage by the Calgary Men’s Chorus, whom we regard proudly as our big brothers.

Many years have rolled by now since we first opened our doors to singers. We’re a fully-fledged choir of nearly 45 singers that presents two concerts each season, an additional cabaret-style concert every second year, and various guest appearances and collaborations. While the pandemic, unfortunately, brought the cabaret to a screeching halt, we hope to revive this valued tradition in future years.

OVC is thankful to be performing live once again, and we are delighted to have our new Artistic Director, Cass Bessette, bravely guiding us. It is their hope to help the choir continue to evolve while keeping the legacy of the choir intact. 

Early Music Voices April 19, 2023

The Early Music Voices Concert Series has been working to offer UCalgary students experience performing early music over the academic year. 

In the Fall, four students were selected to sing in our season opening concert, performing music by Heinrich Schütz with organist Neil Cockburn.

In the Winter term, twelve students (six keyboard players and six singers) partnered to work on excerpts from Handel cantatas for voice and harpsichord. Each duo has coached extensively with early music specialist and harpsichordist, Justin Luchinski along with Julie Harris, founder of the Early Music Voices Concert Series. 

This ProArts concert offers a chance to see all of this work come to fruition.  The students are excited to share their work with you!

Vocal Latitudes World Music Choir May 31, 2023

Vocal Latitudes (VL) is a world music choir is a choir that can sing anything it wants to!  Each season our Artistic Director works to choose a varied musical adventure for us to present to our audiences.

We sing songs from different musical traditions from around the world, in many different languages. This has included traditional African music, gospel, jazz, Latin chants, Finnish Christmas Carols, Top 40 songs, Broadway hits, original compositions, Japanese poetry, Haitian Creole, themes from Video Games . . . the list goes on and on.

Vocal Latitudes is managed by the Vocal Latitudes Choir Society, a registered non-profit organization with a board of directors. Rehearsals are run by our Artistic Director, Frank Rackow.

EnChor Chamber Choir July 05, 2023

EnChor Chamber choir is an auditioned ensemble, made up of singers from diverse walks of life, who share a passion for choral music. Founded and directed by Elizabeth Paynter, EnChor shares their music in and around Calgary, and also tours regularly. Their most recent adventure was to the Kathaumixw International Choral Festival, where they placed second in the Adult Mixed Choir Competition.

Calgary Concert Opera Company September 20, 2023

The Calgary Concert Opera Company began in 2011 and since then we have presented 10 full live operas in concert format, including some famous operas such as Carmen, Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Samson et Dalila. These have included over 75 professional and emerging opera singers from all over Canada and collaborations with Toronto’s Opera by Request, Foothills Philharmonic Opera Chorus, Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra, 12 Musas Flamenco, Compass Performances Studios and, most recently, Calgary Civic Symphony.

Our Concert Opera format and process is very uncomplicated, straightforward and takes opera to a more personal level.  The singers tell the story through the music, facial expressions and little staging and we are able to make more of a direct connection with the audience.