November 2, 2021

Dear Friends and Supporters of Pro Coro Canada,

As we move into November, a belated Happy Halloween. I hope you were able to enjoy a beautiful autumn weekend wherever you are. Vibrant colours were all around us - in nature, in Halloween decorations and in inspiring costumes of young, - and older, trick-or-treaters!

This past Friday, the Pro Coro Society of Edmonton (also known as Pro Coro Canada) had its Annual General Meeting. I would like to thank all the attendees for their time and contribution to an expedient process. Please see the note below from Robert Barrett, who is entering his third term as chair of the board.

And we continue with our Singer Spotlight Series, I would like to introduce one of our basses, Adam Robertson. Enjoy the read!

With my best wishes,

Michael Zaugg, Managing and Artistic Director

Annual General Meeting 2021

Succession on the Board

Effective governance of our non-profit society requires an enthusiastic and committed volunteer board combining elements such as: size sufficient to handle the workload; an appropriate combination of competencies; effective organization; and a balance of continuity and renewal. As of our Annual General Meeting of October 29th, 2021, we are delighted to welcome three new directors to our board: Mary Lynne Campbell, Tonya Holowitski and Carol Anne Kushlyk.

We thank two retiring directors, Calvin Carpenter and Bo Li, for their years of service to Pro Coro Canada.

Robert Barrett, Chair of the Board of Directors

Singer Spotlight: Adam Robertson

Adam holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of Lethbridge (BMus) and choral conducting from the University of Alberta (MMus, DMus). He is currently the director of the University of Alberta’s Concert Choir, the assistant conductor of the University of Alberta Mixed Chorus, and the founder of the All Points West Chamber Choir. At the University of Alberta, Adam teaches courses in a number of areas including conducting, music history, and music theory. He and his wife Jessica have been married for nearly 19 years and have 5 (often) wonderful children. When he’s not singing, he’s baking, and when he isn’t baking, he’s eating - usually dessert.

1. What was the last TV show you watched?

Grace & Frankie (An all-time fave. Re-watching it to prepare for the last season which comes out next year!)

2. What is one item that you can't spend a day without?

It’s so boring and pitiful to say “my phone,” so in the interest of transparency and vulnerability I’ll say my CPAP machine - a good sleep wins every time.

3. Would you rather go to a beach or hiking?

BEACH. Hiking’s great, but so is chilling out.

4. Opera or Broadway?

Oof. I’ll have to say opera for right now, specifically Mozart - he knew everything.

5. What is your favourite part of singing in Pro Coro?

I love singing with other people who care as much about choir and music as I do. We all want the music to be amazing, and we work and sacrifice to make those gigs happen because we love it.

Upcoming Concert: Moonshot III

November 28 at 3PM

IN-PERSON: Westbury Theatre (located in the ATB Financial Arts Barns Building, 10330 84 Ave NW)

ONLINE: ProCoroTV

Single tickets will be available during the second week of November. Purchase a Season Passport for early ticket access to all concerts.

Join Pro Coro Canada in collaboration with the Canadian League of Composers as the choir explores the trends and inspirations of Canada’s emerging composers as they use vocal music to address the use and abuse of nature.

The program will include:

We’ve gone too far - Sarah Albu
Têtard, Tête à Tête - Félix-Antoine Coutu
What time is left - Steven Webb
Prima Materia - Jessie Rivest
The Great Patch - Rebecca Gray
Jöklaklukka - Fjóla Evans