The Stratford Concert Choir (SCC) officially launched the festive season last Saturday evening with a memorable performance of Handel’s Messiah. An enthusiastic audience of more than 300 people was on hand at Avondale United Church to watch the choir breathe new life into this familiar classic.

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“It’s always a high when we sing the Messiah,” said Dianne Gaffney, a seasoned veteran who has been a member of the SCC for 18 years. “We try to do our very best in the performance, but this was a particular high point in our time as a choir.”

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This was the first concert for the SCC’s new artistic director Stéphane Potvin who taught choristers a new approach to Handel’s well-known oratorio, “We’ve worked hard over the last months, trying out new musical ideas and a different way of singing Messiah,” said Potvin. He encouraged the singers to think about the flow of the whole piece and the story they were telling. “For people to get used to my ideas and my way of working is going to take some time but I think this was a very good first step towards that.”

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“It absolutely differed for us,” said Gaffney. “His approach to the Messiah is more textured. He really puts a lot of emphasis on a greater range of dynamics, so not over singing certain parts. That allows the music to really shine through,” she said, “It was a lot of work, but I think it was well worth it. Stephane, in a short period of time, has taken us to the next level.”

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Potvin noticed some nervousness among choir members for the first part of the concert but, as the evening unfolded, he was rewarded with what he calls a few “wow moments”. “There was that moment where the choir bloomed and the sound just opened up, and I thought, whoa, okay, this was great,” he said, “I had shivers up my spine during the last movement.”

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The audience was equally impressed, “It’s certainly the best one I’ve seen,” said Mary Louise Laberge, who has watched the SCC sing Messiah 15 times. “The calibre has increased considerably,” she said. “The choir focussed on what they do best and that is to sing. There were no theatrics coming off the stage. It was all about the voices. I found it clearer, less emotional. They left that to us, to respond to the words, to the story.”

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“It was a joyful experience,” said Brad Stager, a former concertgoer who is now part of the SCC’s bass section. This was his first time singing Messiah, music that he loves. “I’m just so happy that I had a chance to perform it,” he said, “I walked out of the venue on a high.” 

 

Christine Dowdell

Stratford Concert Choir Board of Directors

Director of Communication and Marketing