a hungry squirrel, a woodpecker hard at work, and some lovely monarch butterflies
Written by Ryan Doyle Valdés, Tenor in Pro Coro Canada
After a successful concert in Toronto, we boarded our early morning bus north, excited for the next leg of our tour amid Ontario’s natural beauty! Our first stop on Monday (July 20th) was Choir Camp, hosted at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Owen Sound, ON. Nestled between Georgian Bay and the shores of Lake Huron, Choir Camp is an annual summer festival offering singers of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to spend five days singing, learning, and performing together. We’ve had the chance to meet and sing alongside their participants, who come from as nearby as Lion’s Head and Fergus, ON, to as far away as Nova Scotia!
This year’s clinicians for Choir Camp are the wonderful Dr. Elaine Choi and Dr. Mark Ramsay, whom many of us know and love. They’re busy this week inspiring beginner and veteran choristers alike to sing their best with their usual skill and charm. In addition to singing with the massed choir in their rehearsals, members of Pro Coro led afternoon workshops on vocal technique, ensemble skills, and more!
After our rehearsals and workshops, three of us headed off with our homestay hosts Brian and Elizabeth to settle in for the next few days and enjoy a lovely dinner before Choir Camp’s evening rehearsal. This year, the massed choir is preparing five pieces, including works by C.V. Stanford, Jason Meyer, Frances Farrell, Adam and Matt Podd, and Sarah Quartel. As sad as we are to be missing their final performance on Friday (and talent night tomorrow …), we’re excited to share our concert program with them and the Owen Sound public tonight!
After breakfast on our day off, we set out with our hosts for a nature walk at Inglis Falls just outside of town. After more than a week of intensive musical preparation and concert performance, it felt amazing to stroll through the mossy forest and enjoy the cool summer breeze between the trees. We were able to spot a hungry squirrel, a woodpecker hard at work, and some lovely monarch butterflies during our short hike. We headed home for some lunch, after which we decided to spend the afternoon visiting some of the Bruce Peninsula between the bay and Lake Huron.
Our hosts have a wealth of knowledge about the area, its history, and its attractions, which made the drive up the waterfront and along farmland roads even more interesting. When we arrived at the entrance to a short trail, we realized we’d parked next to another group of Pro Coro singers who were sightseeing with their host, Nancy! We decided to walk together up to Spirit Rock, a conservation area which includes the ruined foundation of the home of Alexander McNeil, MP for the area from 1881-1901. We had a gorgeous view of Georgian Bay all the way along until we reached the must-see feature of the hike: a spiral staircase winding up the escarpment from the shoreline to the ruined mansion at the top. The story goes that McNeil modelled and named the house after his childhood home in Northern Ireland, the Corran (Gaelic: point of land running into the sea). After his wife died young, McNeil abandoned the completion of construction on the estate, and the home fell into disrepair. After managing our way back down the staircase and dipping our toes in the bay, we said goodbye to our fellow singers and headed home with Elizabeth and Brian for some pizza!
Yesterday was the perfect time for (what turned out to be) a great day off. I feel recharged, socially nourished, and ready to hit the ground running for the second half of our tour. One of my non-musical excitements for this tour has been the chance to visit Owen Sound and enjoy this area of the country’s gorgeous nature, which did not disappoint. Today we’re back to singing, rested and ready to go!