- The Birralee Blokes, Saturday, June 30 at 7 p.m. at St. John's Anglican Church, 220 West Eighth St., North Vancouver. Tickets: $10 per person or $20 per family, from the church office, 604-986-1151, or at the door.
- The Kenyan Boys Choir and the Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir of Australia, Friday, July 13 at 7: 30 p.m. at St. Andrew's United Church, 1044 St. Georges Ave., North Vancouver. Tickets: $15/$5 from the church office, 604-985-0408, or at the door.
NORTH Shore residents are invited to experience the joyful sounds of three international choirs set to perform in North Vancouver in the coming weeks.
Australia's Birralee Blokes and Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir, and Africa's Kenyan Boys Choir, are visiting Canada to participate in the International Choral Kathaumixw. The biennial five-day choral festival is held in Powell River and this year's edition is set for July 3-7. Kathaumixw features a diverse line-up of performers, both Canadian and international, and takes its name from the Coast Salish expression meaning, "A gathering together of different peoples."
Some participating ensembles, supported by the festival, decide to tour the surrounding area as part of their trip and the North Shore has a long tradition of playing host. This year is no different and the congregations at St. John's Anglican Church and St. Andrew's United Church are presenting performances, as well, planning to billet members.
"It's a real mixture of choirs they get, from all ages and all types of choirs. Just a few of them choose to tour and actually this year only five of the choirs are touring so we're lucky here in North Van that we've got three of them planning on coming through," says Anne Kaario, a St. Andrew's congregation member as well as wife of Lars Kaario, a well-known local choral director, Capilano University choral educator, and founder and artistic director of Laudate Singers.
"It's a wonderful experience," adds Linda Harrison, warden of St. John's Anglican Church.
The Birralee Blokes, a dynamic ensemble of young Australian men, aged 13 to 22, are set to perform tomorrow evening, Saturday, June 30 at 7 p.m. at St. John's Anglican Church. The choir will also participate in the church's Sunday morning service, which gets underway at 10 a.m.
Fellow North Vancouver church St. Andrew's United is planning to present an evening of song Friday, July 13 at 7: 30 p.m., showcasing the Kenyan Boys Choir and the Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir. The Kenyan group, the International Choral Kathaumixw's 2012 choir-in-residence, rose to fame following their performance at United States President Barack Obama's inauguration. The group was formed in Nairobi in 1998, and members, between 14-and 25-years-old, are selected by founder and conductor Joseph Muyale Inzai, whose goal is to give them a better start in life than he had.
The Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir is a community choir from northern New South Wales, Australia, and members range in age from 16 to 80.
For more information on the 2012 edition of the International Choral Kathaumixw, visit www.kathaumixw.org.
