Bach Mass in B-Minor a resounding success

Posted on June 1, 2019 by

AURA’s 40th anniversary concert, our third performance of the Bach Mass in B-Minor, was an outstanding success!

Performed in both Vernon and Kamloops, the concerts were very well attended by appreciative audiences and much enjoyed by all the performers.

Thanks to Vivace Choral, our professional orchestra and especially our soloists for making this a performance long to be remembered.

For me, one of the “highlight” moments was Lynne McMurtry’s wonderful aria Qui sedes ad dextram Patris accompanied by the beautiful oboe of Jean Landa. There is no sound more exquisite than Lynne’s rich and powerful contralto voice combined with the haunting sound of the oboe.

We give great thanks especially to Imant Raminsh, our retired Music Director, not only for choosing this wonderful work to celebrate his 4o years with AURA but also for all the programming selections he has made. The choir and our community have been richly enhanced by these choices, not least of all, the many pieces of his own composition that we have performed.

Finally we warmly welcome our new Music Director, Tami Harker. Please see her biography on this web site. We look forward to announcing her program for our Fall concerts which will take place on November 9th & 10th at All Saints Anglican Church in Vernon.

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AURA’s 40th Anniversary concert this weekend

Posted on April 25, 2019 by

This Saturday April 27 at 2:30 pm, AURA will celebrate it’s 40th anniversary with the performance of Bach’s Mass in B-minor including Vivace Chorale from Kamloops, professional orchestra and soloists. Our conductor (performing in his last program as AURA’s music director) will be the internationally recognized Imant Raminsh, C.M.

This music is powerful, inspiring and among the world’s most awe inspiring creations. Composed by J. S. Bach, what more needs to be said except not to miss this concert if at all possible. This will be only the third time that the Mass in B-minor has been performed in the Okanagan Valley (all performed by AURA).

Please see the post below for information about our soloists for this performance.

Tickets are still available from choir members and the Bean Scene coffee house or at the door.

Trinity United Church (3300Alexis Park Drive) is the venue for the Saturday afternoon 2:30pm Vernon concert with our Kamloops performance at Kamloops Full Gospel Tabernacle, 1550 Tranquille Road at 7:00 pm, Sunday April 28, 2019 conducted by Cvetozar Vutev.

For more information, please send us a message from the “contact us” button at the top of this page or call 250-542-8118.

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Meet our Soloists

Posted on March 27, 2019 by

Exactly one month (Saturday April 27, 2:30 pm) from today, AURA will celebrate it’s 40th anniversary with the performance of Bach’s Mass in B-minor including Vivace Chorale from Kamloops, professional orchestra and soloists. Our conductor will be the internationally recognized Imant Raminsh, C.M.

Tickets are now available from choir members and the Bean Scene coffee house or at the door.

Trinity United Church (3300Alexis Park Drive) is the venue for the afternoon Vernon concert with our Kamloops performance at Kamloops Full Gospel Tabernacle, 1550 Tranquille Road at 7:00 pm, Sunday April 28, 2019 conducted by Cvetozar Vutev.

For more information, please send us a message from the “contact us” button at the top of this page or call 250-542-8118.

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Imant Raminsh- Order of Canada

Posted on January 11, 2019 by

AURA offers heart felt congratulations on the appointment of our founding conductor Imant Raminsh as a member of the Order of Canada.

Imant is recognized Internationally for his compositions and has recently retired as principal second violin with the Okanagan Symphony and continues as a violin and theory teacher with the Vernon Community Music School. He is a founder of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, Nova Children’s Chorus, founder of the Youth Symphony of the Okanagan and AURA Chamber Choir.

And it is in that role as AURA’s music Director that so many North Okanagan people have come to have amazing musical experiences with him. Imant’s programming choices over these 40 years have given AURA singers the opportunity to perform a wide range of programs including many of the masterpieces: The Mozart Requiem and Grand Mass in C-minor, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Brahm’s German Requiem, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and the  St. John and St. Mathew Passions are among my personal favourites.

In recalling Imant’s forty years with AURA, we cannot forget the challenge and the beauty of the many Raminsh works we have been privileged to perform especially Ave  Verum Corpus, Gloria, and a highlite of my musical life, singing his Magnificat and Missa Brevis under his direction in Carnegie Hall.

But surely the best of the best will be our upcoming third performance of Bach’s Mass in B-minor. It is monumental, inspiring and awesome in its capacity to bring light to the world.

Thank you Imant for these forty years of outstanding music.

Please see the link below for news coverage of the announcement.

https://globalnews.ca/news/4801874/coldstream-composer-order-of-canada/

Please see the link below for more information on the Okanagan appointments to the Order of Canada.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/245460/2-locals-named-to-Orderhttps://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/245460/2-locals-named-to-Order

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The Fall Concert

Posted on November 21, 2018 by

Thank you to the large audience that came to hear our fall program, “Moving Between  Light & Darkness”. The concert was a delight to perform for you and the music was beautiful! Many commented on the experience of hearing  Palestrina’s Videntes Stellum surrounded by the choir. The Harker String Quartet was also a highlight in Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs. 

The next project is of course the 40th Anniversary presentation of Bach’s monumental Mass in B-minor with professional orchestra. Mark your calendar for our Vernon concert on Saturday afternoon April 27, 2019 (2:30pm) at Trinity United Church or in Kamloops on Sunday evening April 28, 2019 (7:00pm) at Kamloops Full Gospel Tabernacle.

 

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Moving Between Light & Darkness

Posted on November 10, 2018 by

AURA Chamber Choir presents “Moving Between Light & Darkness” at All Saints Anglican Church, 3205 27th Street, Vernon, BC this coming weekend.

Concerts will take place on Saturday November 17 at 7.30pm and Sunday November 18 at 2.00pm.

Our new Music Director and Conductor, Tami Harker, will lead the choir in a wonderful selection of pieces featuring Schubert’s Mass in G.

The concert will begin with Palestrina’s Videntes Stellam recalling the Magi finding Jesus and Mary and offering him their gifts. The audience will be “surrounded” by sound as this double chorus is performed from the side aisles at All Saints.

The program includes two pieces by Norwegian born composer Ola Gjeillo; The Rose based on a poem of the same name by Christina Rossetti and Ave Generosa with the text of poet Hildegard von Bingen.

The concert continues with a short piece by Brahms, Waldesnacht  (Wondrous Cool Thou Woodland); Oh How Beautiful, This Finely Woven Earth by Greg Jasperse; Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs accompanied by string quartet and three sixteenth century French folk songs.

Our retiring conductor, Imant Raminsh may even delight you with Put, Vejini , one of his Latvian folk songs (the unofficial national anthem of Latvia).

Tickets (Adults $18; Students free) are available at the door and from choir members. Please visit our web site at www.aurachamberchoir.com for further details or call Wayne or Marjorie at 250-542-8118.

We hope you will join us for this evening or afternoon program of choral music to delight!

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AURA is looking for Tenor and Bass singers

Posted on September 15, 2018 by

AURA’s fall season is under way!

We have just finished our first workshop under the direction of our new conductor, Tami Harker. We have had a wonderful day in preparation of a beautiful fall program to be presented November 17th and 18th at All Saints Anglican Church.

Tami has chosen the Schubert Mass in G as the foundation of the program. Rounding out the concert will be two pieces by Norwegian born composer Ola Gjeilo that are sure to make you say “Ahhhh”. Also included will be Five Hebrew Love Songs by Eric Whitacre. The poetry was written by Whitacre’s now wife, Hila Plitman. Oh How Beautiful, This Finely Woven Earth was written by Greg Jasperse in response to the 911 attacks in New York. There might even be a Latvian folk song arranged by our retiring conductor Imant Raminsh.

If this program excites you and you are a tenor or bass choral singer, we would welcome you to contact us using the “Contact Us” button to arrange an audition to sing this program with AURA.

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