Canada's choral music king helps Women of Note raise voices higher

Winnipeg's title of 2010 Cultural Capital of Canada can be attributed in part to our strong choral culture.

The 70-member community choir, Women of Note (WoN) is preparing for their Spring Fling concert, taking place at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 12 at Westworth United Church. Founder and artistic director Pat Rabson called in a heavy hitter to help the choir reach tip-top form.

Choral music enthusiasts know the name Robert Cooper. He was executive producer, opera and choral music director for CBC Radio Two for 31 years.

One of Canada's foremost choral conductors, the Toronto resident is artistic director of Chorus Niagara, Orpheus Choir of Toronto and the Opera in Concert Chorus. He also conducts the University of Toronto's Women's Chorus.

So it is an understatement to say that WoN pulled off a coup getting Cooper as performance coach. It is also quite something for a choir director to turn over her singers to a craftsman like Cooper.

"It is very gracious of Pat to pass over the podium," Cooper said during a rehearsal break last month. He commuted for two weekend workshops, in January and March, staying at Rabson's home. "Pat and I have known each other for years," he said. "We were both on the board of the Association of Choral Conductors. I have been working with women's choirs, so she asked me about Women of Note." Rabson's desire to have her choir work with Cooper shows a strong commitment to excellence. And Cooper has high expectations of the group. While he and Rabson use similar concepts, a change in director sometimes elicits enhanced response. "Amateurs have the capacity to perform like professionals," he said. "God gave them particular vocal gifts. I want to raise awareness of the details they can control."

"He's so talented, "said Rabson. "He does such extremely detailed work and knows so much about choral music."

"They are doing really well," said Cooper, a 2003 Order of Canada recipient. "There's a lot to work on -- tuning, blend, proper sound -- the things you need for your choral toolbox."

Cooper chose nine of the works on the program, aiming for variety. "I wanted a few more substantial pieces instead of a bunch of short works," he said. That explains the inclusion of Hungarian composer Gyoygy Orban's Mass #6 that Cooper insists is neither heavy nor gloomy.

Past Life by Australian composer Sarah Hopkins marks a total departure for the choir. "It gives them a chance to use their voices in a different way," Cooper said of the work that incorporates Aboriginal chant. "It is a piece audiences love." The choir will spread out around the hall, doing overtone singing and humming.

Cooper selected a few spirituals, including Josephine Poelintz's A City Called Heaven, which he describes as "slow and bluesy" and Moses Hagan's arrangement of Ride on King Jesus.

Other works include Chabrier's A la Musique and Canadian Bill Douglas's atmospheric Deep Peace, based on the famous Irish Blessing.

I briefly observed a rehearsal and was impressed with Cooper's energy and drive. A real taskmaster, he even advised singers how to hold their music -- not folded over but with both pages showing. "It's better to have twice as much information in front of your face than half as much," he quipped.

And while this is a small thing, it is sometimes those little details that make all the difference. He worked on pronunciation exercises, facial expression and inflection. "No note should go unattended without going though your 'computer,'" Cooper insisted. "You must convey the essence behind the notes."

The women in the choir responded, trying everything Cooper told them. "It is a fantastic experience," said soprano Kristina Coward about working with Cooper. "He is clearly very passionate about what he does and that transfers to us."

Cooper won't take much of the credit. "There's an accumulation of thousands of years of singing in this group," he said. "They just have to get over their inhibitions. The voice is an instrument reflective of the human spirit. I tell them that I am the traffic cop -- they are the artists."

Tickets are $15, available by calling Jodi at 255-5279 or at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free.

gwenda.nemerofsky@shaw.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 10, 2010 D3