Featuring choirs participating in Chor Leoni’s 2021 MYVoice program, conducted by Erick Lichte, Artistic Director of Chor Leoni.
Inspiring the next generation of singers is critical to Chor Leoni’s mission. This performance of When The Earth Stands Still overcomes the disconnect of the global pandemic by featuring five youth choirs, singing together in one voice, creating beauty - though separate - and sharing that beauty with you. For us, the listeners, it’s an opportunity to experience something incredible as these five groups form one choir, and for these singers, it’s a mountaintop musical experience that shares their gifts with the world.
These performances were recorded in June, 2021 under strict COVID-safety protocols. Following workshops and rehearsals with Erick Lichte, these sessions were filmed at Vancouver’s St. James Anglican Church. This video is a testament to the resilience of these singers and their teachers who have persevered in care for one another during this challenging year.
Featuring:
Burnaby Central Chamber Choir A - Carrie Taylor, conductor
North Surrey Secondary Chamber Choir (Polaris) - Jonathan Krueger, conductor
Seycove Secondary Senior Chamber Choir - Melodie Langevin, conductor
St. Thomas More Collegiate Chamber Singers (RICE) - Johnson Lui, conductor
St. Thomas More Collegiate Chamber Singers (MORE) - Johnson Lui, conductor
Chor Leoni’s 2021 MYVoice program is generously supported by BlueShore Financial. MYVoice is a free outreach program that gives young singers the opportunity to experience the transformative power of choral singing. In a typical year, more than 150 young tenors, baritones, and basses from across the Lower Mainland participate in 10 weeks of inspiring sessions that culminate on the stage of Chor Leoni’s VanMan Choral Summit. This year, given pandemic restrictions, Chor Leoni turned to our MYVoice teachers and their school choirs to provide these young singers with a mountaintop musical experience.
Engineered by Grant Rowledge
Edited and mixed by Erick Lichte. Audio engineering Grant Rowledge. Video by Phil Jack. Lighting design by Alan Brodie.
Text & Music by Don Macdonald
Come listen in the silence of the moment before rain comes down.
There’s a deep sigh in the quiet of the forest and the tall tree’s crown.
Now hold me.
Will you take the time to hold me and embrace the chill?
Or miss me,
will you take the time to miss me when the earth stands still?
'Cause there’s no use running,
'cause the storm’s still coming
and you’ve been running for so many years.
Come listen in the silence of the moment before shadows fall.
Feel the tremor of your heartbeat matching heartbeat as we both dissolve.
Now hold me….
'Cause there’s no use running,
'cause the storm’s still coming
and you’ve been running for so many years.
So stay with me, held in my arms
Like branches of a tree
They’ll shelter you for many years.