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25 Years of Transformation Through Music
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This year, the Victoria Children’s Choir celebrated an extraordinary milestone: 25 years of transformation through music.
Our 25th Anniversary Concert at Alix Goolden Performance Hall was a celebration of the music, people, and community that have shaped the VCC over a quarter century. All four of our ensembles, Prelude Choir, Recital Choir, Concert Choir, and Youth Ensemble, took part in a program featuring special repertoire drawn from the last 25 years of music-making.
As always, we were incredibly proud of our choristers. Every year, we see the dedication, musical growth, and confidence that come from being part of the VCC, and this anniversary concert was no exception. The singers brought focus, energy, and joy to the stage, supported by the remarkable team of conductors, accompanists, administrators, volunteers, board members, and families who make this work possible.
A Celebration of Canadian Music
The anniversary repertoire reflected our ongoing commitment to Canadian music and to presenting the work of Indigenous composers and artists.
Among other wonderful pieces, Our Prelude Choir presented Himmel und Erde by Robert Schumann, arranged by Kristine Johanek.
The Recital Choir joined members of the Pacific Opera Chorus for an Opera Medley, conducted by Giuseppe Pietraroia. We were delighted to welcome Giuseppe and members of the Pacific Opera Chorus to the celebration and to give our young singers the opportunity to share the stage with professional performers.
Our Concert Choir performed music by Sherryl Sewepagaham, a Cree-Dene composer, songmaker, educator, and member of the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta. Sewepagaham’s work is deeply connected to Cree language, Indigenous knowledge, community, and the living traditions of song. We are honoured to present her music and to introduce our choristers and audiences to the work of an important contemporary Indigenous Canadian composer.
The Youth Ensemble performed Prayer Song by Russell Wallace, an award-winning composer, producer, and traditional singer from the St’át’imc and Lil’wat Nations. Wallace learned traditional singing from his mother, Flora Wallace, and his work draws deeply on Indigenous musical traditions and the St’át’imc language. Prayer Song is a collaborative composition involving three elders, with St’át’imc lyrics provided by Wallace’s mother, Flora. The text is a prayer of gratitude and blessing, asking the Highest Chief to continue to bless and gather the people together in unity.
We also featured The Beat of a Different Drum by Sarah Quartel, celebrating the work of one of Canada’s most widely performed contemporary choral composers. Together, these works reflect the VCC’s commitment to Canadian repertoire and to creating opportunities for our singers to encounter a wide range of musical voices and traditions.
We Rise Again
To close the concert, all four VCC choirs came together to perform Leon Dubinsky’s We Rise Again, arranged by Scott Macmillan and Stephen Smith.
After 25 years, it was a particularly fitting way to end the evening. The entire organization, our youngest singers alongside our oldest, stood together and sang as one choir.
We Rise Again is a Canadian song about resilience and renewal, and in this setting it offered a simple reflection on the VCC’s own history. Over 25 years, the organization has continued to grow and change, with new choristers, artistic leaders, repertoire, and ideas shaping each season. What remains constant is the work of making music together.
We are proud of the many generations of choristers who have been part of the Victoria Children’s Choir, and we are equally proud of the team that continues to support them. Our 25th Anniversary Concert gave us a chance to celebrate that work, and to look ahead to what comes next!
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