A Year of, “Planning, planning and cancelling”

Written by Simeon Rusnak
Published: 05 November 2020
https://www.classic107.com/news-main/news/a-year-of-planning-planning-and-cancelling

Maestro Yuri Klaz of the Winnipeg Singers on the year thus far - and the launch of two new choral videos this weekend!

2020 was to be a monumental year for the Winnipeg Singers. “The last concert of the [2019/20] season was supposed to be a performance with the WSO,” said Maestro Yuri Klaz, conductor of the group. “Following that, we were hoping to be in Europe.”

One of the province’s most notable choral groups, they were to accompany the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on a landmark tour of Belgium and the Netherlands in recognition of Dutch liberation at the end of Second World War 75 years ago.

Due to the global pandemic, that tour didn’t happen.

Since then, the maestro and his group of 24 singers have been busy “planning and planning and cancelling; planning again and changing,” remarked Klaz. This has been the year in a nutshell; dramatic changes and uncertainty.

One thing is certain, however. This weekend, the Winnipeg Singers premiere their first virtual performance, in an online launch Sunday, November 8th.

The process of producing a virtual choral performance is a rather laborious one. Following health guidelines, singers recorded in physically-distanced small groups. Those files were then mixed by Dan Donahue and returned as a master. The Singers then gathered in Assiniboine Park to produce the video component, back in August. The production is now ready to be shared online in a free-to-watch broadcast at 7PM.

When asked about how he chose the music to be performed, Klaz remarked that this was “probably the biggest challenge.” In narrowing down the process he “looked through many programs and tossed many titles around [his] brain” before settling on two pieces.

One by renowned composer Ola Gjeilo, with whom the choir performed in 2019. “An absolutely incredible experience for me as a conductor,” remembered Klaz. “For the choir, and I’m sure the audience as well.”

For the other piece, the Winnipeg Singers wanted to feature a Canadian composer, ideally a Manitoban. They looked no further than Winnipegger Sid Robinovitch; it was “sort of an obvious choice” said Klaz. The composer and ensemble have worked together closely for decades.