Additional Information
For its 20th anniversary, Voces Boreales and organist Henry Webb are offering a major program, presented on Saturday, October 18, at the Église du Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood.
Under the artistic direction of choral conductor and arranger Andrew Gray, who kindly answered questions from PAN M 360, this program will offer “a musical journey intertwining the quest for peace and humanity”…”A concert that plunges into the heart of the quest for meaning, love, and absolute beauty.”
Founded in 2006, the elite choir Voces Boreales has become
a staple of the Canadian music ecosystem. Two decades later, Voces Boreales has racked up a string of daring collaborations, including singer Karen Young, poet Hélène Dorion, the Bozzini Quartet, the Quasar saxophone quartet, and BradyWorks. Let’s celebrate the choir’s 20th anniversary season with this first program, which justifies conducting this interview.
Founded in 2006, the elite choir Voces Boreales has become
a staple of the Canadian arts scene. Two decades later, Voces Boreales has racked up a string of daring collaborations, including singer Karen Young, poet Hélène Dorion, the Bozzini Quartet, the Quasar saxophone quartet, and BradyWorks.
For its 20th anniversary, Voces Boreales and organist Henry Webb have put together an impressive program, which will be presented on Saturday, October 18, at the Église du Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood.
It promises to be “a musical journey intertwining the quest for peace and humanity”…”A concert that plunges us into the heart of the quest for meaning, love, and absolute beauty.”
PAN M 360: What do you consider to be Voces Boreales’ main achievements, 20 years after its founding?
Andrew Gray : I feel that one of our main successes (apart from still being around after two decades – no small achievement given the ever-present struggles for financial support) is having remained relevant both artistically and culturally, whilst developing within our mission. Artistically speaking, we continue to support emerging artists in multiple ways (whether singers, composers or conductors), we maintain a programme of cultural outreach and education through workshops and masterclasses, as well as giving concerts outside of the metropole (Dorval, Pointe Claire, Repentigny, Valleyfield, La Prairie, Laval, Joliette, etc.). For two decades we have prioritized offering work to Montreal singers, helping them to develop their skills and experience with the ensemble and often go on to establish fine solo careers. This very much reflects the path that I myself took as a singer and then towards conducting.
We are also particularly proud that we were able to keep active and indeed grow the organisation during the pandemic with some clever project design and innovative performances. Many other organisations had to significantly reduce activities or even close their doors entirely during the same period. Branches of these projects continue to be in development for the years ahead.
Another achievement – and long may it continue(!) – is our record of Canadian repertoire programming, being able to regularly commission new works from Canadian and Quebec-based composers and to give premiere performances of many contemporary works not previously sung in Canada / Quebec / Montreal.
Voces Boreales has become an accepted and recognized part of ‘la fabrique culturelle’ with a growing number of collaborations with major arts organisations (eg. collaboration with SMCQ 2024, with CIOC 2025)
PAN M 360: Broadly speaking, how does this translate into the choice of works and the
ensemble’s preparation for your 20th anniversary?
Andrew Gray : One of the beauties of contemporary music is that it is both born and then breathes in real time, within our lifetimes. Most of the repertoire that we explore has been written recently or within living memory (with some exceptions of course). And so, for the 20th season large and widely embracing themes were important to me to not only include works that I have wanted to present for a long time, but also themes that could move and touch people across all humanity.
Schœnberg’s Friede auf Erden (Peace on earth), one of the most challenging choral masterpieces of the 20th century, is a work that I’ve wanted to present for a long time. It takes centre stage around which the rest of the programme is structured. There’s not enough time or space here to write about all the incredible elements of this 8 minute piece – but suffice it to say that it’s an absolute must, both for singers and audiences. The works that surround it include themes that touch us all : birth, childhood, family, death, forgiveness, redemption, and love. The dramatic, emotional and dynamic scale of these works take us from some very quiet, relaxing and restful places to immensely powerful and climactic experiences : perfectly reflecting the breadth of human experiences that unite us.
Our existence in the natural world and sharing this planet is another theme common to all. Here in Montreal the St Lawrence river is of dramatic importance – physically, historically, culturally. My family and I live on its banks and, as most Quebecers, we have explored it along its path, heading both west to the great lakes and beyond and to the east out into the ocean. Peter Anthony Togni’s Sea Dreams trilogy beautifully encapsulates the importance and greatness of major bodies of water and in commissioning him to add a fourth movement specifically about the Fleuve Saint Laurent seemed like the perfect starting point. Pieces from other Canadian composers as well as works from around the world will again showcase the group’s virtuosity, pay homage to its origins from 20 years ago (with a substantial Scandinavian work) as well help us explore this unifying central theme.
PAN M 360: Could you tell us a little about your partnership with the Canadian International Organ Competition?
Andrew Gray : Our collaboration with the CIOC came about very organically (pardon the pun!) and was set in motion with the programming of two stunning choral works that require organ ; Jonathan Dove’s Seek Him that maketh the seven stars, and Sir John Tavener’s Mother and Child. In working to include these pieces in an otherwise a cappella programme, speaking with Jean Willy-Kunz, the CIOC’s artistic director, was the obvious first step and we subsequently invited Henry Webb, a very talented young organist, to collaborate with us on this project. The CIOC have been incredibly helpful in the process as well as helping to organise access to the church and its amazing twin organs (one at each end) which Henry will use to great effect, playing them both from one single console.
PAN M 360: More specifically, let’s look at the program for October 18: could you please briefly comment on the choice of each work in the program and tell us the challenges posed with their performance?
Andrew Gray:
Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951) Friede auf Erden
– see above plus:
This is a work that, as Schœnberg himself said later in his life, was written at a time when he believed that ‘peace’ was an achievable goal. Disillusioned as he was by the realities of war, the work now represents the absolute requirement of us all to continue to believe in and strive for peace – globally, internationally and towards our neighbours in the streets of our own cities. And everything that is going on around the world at this very moment reinforces the importance of this message, this theme, the pertinence of this programme.
Sir John Tavener (1944-2013) Mother and Child
– Peace starts at home, in the love from a Mother’s gaze. It is all encompassing and ever guiding. Tavener’s music encapsulates the mystic, the awesome, the everlasting and refers to the ancient sanskrit word for ‘that from which everything comes and unto which everything shall return’.
Ramona Luengen (born 1959) O süsses Licht
Wonderful Canadian composer draws on ancient Gregorian chant combined with her own contemporary style to set texts from Edith Stein. Stein and her sister died in Auschwitz. To work for lasting peace one has to remember the lessons of the past.
Alexander L’Estrange (born 1972) The Prophet
Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran believed in the unity of religion, welcomed people of all faiths into his home and wrote about the human condition in his work The Prophet. When I heard that my good friend (I am godfather to his youngest boy) and renowned composer Alexander L’Estrange had set some parts of the texts for an a cappella ensemble, I knew it would be a fit for this programme. His music is beautiful, incredibly sensitive to the text and highly accessible. It will also be the Canadian premier performance.
Florence B. Price (1887-1953) Adoration
A short work for organ in a quiet and meditative style is included to create a moment of calm and quiet reflection. Discovered just 15 years ago in Illinois amongst other lost works (it was written in 1951) the piece evokes a sacred devotion that reflects the nature of the composer’s deep faith. Listening to this work will allow space to reflect on the themes presented during the evening and enjoy the sounds of the Casavant organs.
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010) Veni Sancte Spiritus, op. 61
This relentlessly peaceful setting of the ‘Come Holy Spirit’ text is meditation in music. A gentle yet repetitively insistent prayer that includes such phrases as ; ‘Heal our wounds and pain, Bend what is hard and stubborn, Warm our cool and rigid hearts, Guide all those who are astray’. It seems to me that these sentiments are as important today as they ever were and show us the path to peace.
Slava Morotow Psalm 70
Canadian composer Slava Morotow was a featured guest at one of our emerging composer workshop weekends and his sketch of his setting of Psalm 70 was subsequently completed and we will give its premier performance at the concert. At the psalm’s centre a plea to stop those who wish to do us ill.
Jonathan Dove (1959 – ) Seek Him that Maketh the Seven Stars
Seek him that… turneth the shadow of death into the morning. Yea, the darkness shineth as the day, the night is light about me.
The theme of light, and star-light in particular, is an endless source of inspiration for composers and is another unifying theme for all. The anthem begins with a musical image of the night sky, a repeated organ motif of twinkling stars that sets the choir wondering who made them. The refrain ‘Seek him’ starts in devotional longing but is eventually released into a joyful dance, finally coming to rest in serenity. It’s a message of unity and hope.
