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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2017)
1C THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 CONTACT US Erick Bengel | Features Editor ebengel@dailyastorian.com WEEKEND BREAK FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian Connecting through music in Barcelona Astoria’s North Coast Chorale sings songs of peace in Spain By DENISE REED For EO Media Group A brief encounter with another human being via music is some- times worth weeks of encounters via words. In late December 2016, the North Coast Chorale, of which I am the conduc- tor, received an invitation from the Inter- national Federation of Choral Music, an organization that holds a World Sympo- sium on Choral Music every three years in different locations around the world. The 11th symposium was to be held in Bar- celona, Spain, and we were to be part of a special new series called “Circle Con- certs,” held in various venues in and around the city. This seemed like a wonderful opportu- nity for a small choir from a small commu- nity in the Pacifi c Northwest. The crucial requirement was that we present music refl ecting the symposium’s theme: The Colors of Peace. The main problem was fi nancial: Sev- eral chorale members were unable to fi nance a singing trip such as this. But with the help of devoted supporters and com- munity members, we were able to get to Barcelona and represent Astoria, sharing our songs of peace. I arrived on the afternoon of July 17 after several long fl ights. Barcelona is a bustling city with a very diverse cos- mopolitan atmosphere and a vibrant his- tory of choral music. In the late 1800s, José Anselmo Clavé, the composer who founded the choral movement in Spain, had established a choral group of farm- ers and woodcutters. He came up with the idea of encouraging the local workforce to exchange their leisure time in the taverns for choir practice. Some North Coast Chorale members, including myself, were also performing with a touring choir, the Jonathan Griffi th Singers, which do not sing together reg- ularly but come together under a distin- guished choir director, Jonathan Griffi th, and perform major choral works in ven- ues all over the world. By coincidence, the two groups performed in and around Bar- celona on overlapping days. During the North Coast Chorale’s con- cert, there were concerts by other groups taking place in Barcelona, including at the main symposium venue, L’auditori, a part of the Barcelona University system. Submitted Photos Denise Reed (left), conductor of the North Coast Chorale, with Phyllis Taylor (center) and Cheryl Capellen. The three woman are North Coast Chorale singers who also performed with the Jonathan Griffith Singers in Barcelona at the same time. Music of peace The North Coast Chorale’s fi rst concert, on July 22, was at Sant Pere de les Puelles, a 16th century chapel in Barcelona. We only performed half of our “Peace” repertoire, as we shared the venue with the Shanghai Children’s Chorus who performed most of their repertoire in Mandarin or Cantonese. They were very well prepared, and their performance was exceptional. Our performance was also well received and an enjoyable experience for the Chorale members, who connected with strangers through sharing our music. We — the North Coast Chorale and the Shanghai Childrens’ Chorus — were able to connect through the music, though we could not understand every word. It was the music that connected us, and our emo- tional delivery that revealed our meaning. At our second concert, on July 24, we performed the entire “Journey in Peace” program that we had performed for our Astoria audience in early June. The loca- tion was just as beautiful as our fi rst venue, and the acoustics were amazing. It was a small chapel, the Capella de l’Esperança, in another area of Barce- lona. On this occasion, we delivered our message of peace to an audience of cho- ral directors from many different countries and Catalonian community members. We received a standing ovation. One of the volunteers working for the International Federation of Choral Music at our venue thanked me for bringing this choir to share this music with the symposium and our audience. Maybe it’s something that only I recog- nized, but the international audience was one of the most receptive I have experi- enced. Our music as a community choir was less sophisticated than most of the other professional groups, but it seemed closer to the style and content of the music of the Catalonian choirs. What I enjoyed most was the diver- sity of choirs from different cultures and countries, and how they expressed them- selves musically. I experienced exhibi- tions, lectures and presentations, and a The North Coast Chorale sings during its final concert at the Capella de l’Esperança, a chapel in Barcelona. The Shanghai Childrens’ Chorus variety of glorious music. Many concerts were performed at such historical places as the Sagrada Familia and the Paulau de la Musica Catalana. I left word with the fed- eration offi cials that Astoria and the North Coast Chorale would be more than willing to host any of the choirs that might under- take an American tour. Singing for life I had a chance to speak with the fed- eration president who said this was the fi rst year they had offered the opportu- nity for choirs to participate in the “Circle Concerts.” Their purpose: to continue the concept of community choirs, since these offer the opportunity to continue singing for life. And that, he said, is what singing in choral organizations was all about, and what the International Federation of Cho- ral Music is about: Raising the awareness of the need for Choral music in every com- munity around the world. So Astoria: We carried our message of peace halfway around the world and connected on a personal level with peo- ple we may never meet again. But, even if we connected with only one person, we accomplished our goal. Thanks to our many community sup- porters who offered fi nancial help and words of encouragement. We could not have made this “Journey in Peace” with- out you. Please consider joining the Chorale this fall as we continue to connect with more people in our community. Rehearsals are at 6:45 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Sept. 5 at Clatsop Community College Performing Arts Center at Franklin Avenue and 16th Street. Denise Reed is the conductor of the North Coast Chorale and a member of the Oregon Humanities Board of Directors. She teaches opera and music appreciation, along with world music and the histories of some of America’s popular styles of music at Clatsop and Tillamook Bay community colleges.