Reflections - Part 3: One Earth, Many Voices
Reflections: Pro Coro at 40, With Richard Sparks
n honour of Pro Coro Canada’s 40th Anniversary, former Pro Coro Artistic Director Richard Sparks reflects on his tenure as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor from 1999-2011. Open up the Pro Coro archives in this three-part series as Sparks reveals his musical journey with Edmonton’s Professional Choir.
2006-2007
In my final seasons with Pro Coro, there were some tough budget decisions. In 2006, we went back to just five programs, with only Trent Worthington as guest conductor. More Daunis on the first program, including his Jeux de Cordes, which we could do because we had an orchestra, and it calls for strings. It’s a fun work, typical of Daunais in that he wrote the text, which is a series of puns around the word, “cordes” (strings): acorde, corder, décorde, cor, cordier, l’accord, cordons, corps, cordage, cordial, and encore! Also typical is that the edition by L’Alliance des chorales du Québec has . . . well, challenges, plus no parts, which Trent put together (thanks for so many things to Trent!). We encored (pun intended) Allan’s Nou goth for Good Friday.
October 8, 2006 Haydn Mass Series IV
Jeux de Cordes Lionel Daunais
Figures de Danse
Missa Quinta György Orbán
Heiligmesse F. J. Haydn
November 5, 2006 The Lighter Side/Male Choral Tradition – Trent Worthington
December 17, 2006 A Pro Coro Christmas
A variety of carols and other music with guests Jubiloso Handbell Choir and Caesar Zmyslowski, guitar
January 14, 2007 Moving the Soul
Lobet den Herrn J.S. Bach
Four Eulogies John Estacio
Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine Eric Whitacre
Hymn to the Creator of Light John Rutter
Songs and Sonnets George Shearing
A Tribute to Moses Hogan
April 6, 2007 Good Friday at the Winspear
Nou goth sonne under wode Allan Bevan
Requiem Gabriel Faure
2007-2008
Back to six programs this year, Trent did a program for male voices and Len was also brought back.
September 30, 2007 Haydn Mass Series V
Schöpfungsmesse F.J. Haydn
A Schubertiad (solo Lieder, works for women’s, men’s and mixed choir) Schubert
Due North Stephen Chatman
November 11, 2007 Male Voices, Trent Worthington, conductor
December 16, 2007 A Pro Coro Christmas
A variety of carols and other music with guests Pro Coro Brass and members of three University Choirs for Rutter’s Gloria
January 27, 2008 The Power of Music, Leonard Ratzlaff, Guest Conductor
February 24, 2008 One Earth, Many Voices
Biegga Luothe Jan Sandström
Songs of the British Isles (arr. Holst, Vaughan Williams, Quick, McGlynn)
Gamelan R. Murray Schafer
Set of French Canadian Folk Songs
Past Life Melodies Sarah Hopkins
Arrangements of Music by Piazzolla
Set of English Canadian Folk Songs
Three Spirituals (arr. Martin, Luboff, Martin)
March 21, 2008 Good Friday at the Winspear
3 works with Bass solo Pavel Chesnokov
All-Night Vigil Sergei Rachmaninov
2008-2009
Six programs this year as well, bringing Simon Carrington to guest conduct. We also finished the Haydn Mass series with the largest, his Harmoniemesse. The Victoria and Rutter Requiems (budget!) for Good Friday.
September 29, 2008 Haydn Mass Series VI
3 Motets (Os justi, Ave Maria, Tota pulchra es Maria) Anton Bruckner
Mass in G Minor Ralph Vaughan Williams
Harmoniemesse F.J. Haydn
November 2, 2008 Music of the Dance
Figures de danse Lionel Daunais
Liebeslieder Walzer Johannes Brahms
An Angel Embraced Me (premiere) Trent Worthington
Choral Dances from ‘Gloriana’ Benjamin Britten
Liebeslieder Polkas P.D.Q. Bach
December 13, 2008 A Pro Coro Christmas
A variety of carols and Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata
January 25, 2009 One World, Many Voices
Music from around the world, both folk and world music
February 15, 2009 The British Choral Tradition, Simon Carrington, Guest Cond.
April 10, 2009 Good Friday Concert
Victoria Requiem
Rutter Requiem
2009-2010
There were a number of big budget issues and, in fact, when our General Manager was ill and on sick leave, I took over as Executive Director in the previous season for about 8 or 9 months with a lot of work to do to try to right the ship. This season was shorter, had fewer core singers (20 instead of 24) . . . and I’d taken a position at the University of North Texas, a much longer “commute” than from Tacoma! We’d commissioned a companion piece for Nou Goth from Allan Bevan the year before, but had to cancel its premiere, but managed to do it this season. We brought Mark Bailey as guest to do one of his specialties, Ukrainian repertoire—Edmonton has the largest Ukrainian population in North America. For Good Friday, I chose to do the Brahms Requiem in the 4-hands version (no orchestra, but we had 32 singers) with Jeremy Spurgeon and Roger Admiral. A great way to end the season!
October 4, 2009
Due Corale Ildebrando Pizzetti
Choruses from ‘The Lark’ Leonard Bernstein
Special guests, “The Pre-Tenors”
November 8, 2009 Male Voices, Trent Worthington, Guest Conductor
December 13, 2009 A Pro Coro Christmas
Besides carols, we commissioned and premiered a major new piece by Allan Bevan, Fowre Thowsand Wynter, for soprano soloist, narrator, choir, and chamber orchestra (about 35 minutes)
February 7, 2010 Ukrainian Sacred Music, Mark Bailey, Guest cond.
Edmonton has a large Ukrainian population and Mark, who conducts the Yale Russian Choir and is a specialist in Orthodox music, did an all-Ukrainian program from Byzantine chant through Bortniansky
April 2, 2010 Good Friday Concert
Ein Deutsches Requiem Johannes Brahms
(in the version for piano four-hands)
2010-2011
This was my final season with Pro Coro. There were various candidates for the permanent position in addition to my three programs, including Michael Zaugg, who would become the choir’s next Artistic Director. Ending my tenure with the St. John Passion was a good way to end my twelve seasons with Pro Coro!
“Sparks Bows Out of Pro Coro”
Read Richard Sparks’ final interview with the St Albert Gazette by Anna Borowiecki
October 3, 2010 Virtuoso Choral Music
Mass in Eb Gabriel Rheinberger
Zigeunerlieder Johannes Brahms
Mass Frank Martin
February 13, 2011 Space and Time
Creator alme siderum (premiere) Larry Nickel
Five Einstein Fragments (premiere) Trent Worthington
Lux aeterna Györgi Ligeti
Gloria Patri (exerpts) Urmas Sisak
April 22, 2011
St. John Passion J.S. Bach
Looking back, I got to do so much fabulous repertoire in my Pro Coro years. I grew in so many ways, including sorting out how to help run an organization such as this. So many wonderful singers, so many great friends, and it was a joy to work with the instrumentalists of the ESO on so many projects. I simply can’t say enough what a great period in my life this has been. Thanks to all who made it possible.
-Richard Sparks
Pro Coro At 40: Join the Celebration!
