The New Brunswick Choral Federation takes seriously its mandate to create opportunities for young people to engage in choral activities. We regularly participate in provincial music teachers' meetings and are actively building our collection of unison and 2 or 3 - part treble scores for school choirs. We also present the NBCF Youth Achievement Award each year to an outstanding young chorister in the province. In 2009, we are co-presenting, with the Mount Allison University Faculty of Music, the inaugural New Brunswick Youth Choir.
National Youth Choir
This critically acclaimed choral program, coordinated by the Association of Canadian Choral Communities in collaboration with Canada’s provincial choral federations and the Canada Council for the Arts, provides a rigorous training and performance opportunity for choral singers aged 18 to 25.
Every two years, talented young people from British Columbia to Newfoundland apply to sing with the National Youth Choir, four being chosen to represent each province. Some of Canada’s finest choral conductors have directed this prestigious choir, including John Standing (1984), Jon Washburn (1986), Wayne Riddell (1988), James Fankhauser (1990), Elmer Iseler (1992), Diane Loomer (1994), Robert Cooper (1996), Iwan Edwards (1998), Leonard Ratzlaff (2000), Lydia Adams (2002), Kathryn Laurin (2004), Richard Sparks (2006), Julian Wachner (2008) and Dr. Victoria Meredith (2010). The National Youth Choir has performed at the World Symposium on Choral Music, Festival 500 and the ISME International Symposium, and its concerts have been broadcast nationally on CBC Radio 2. Many of Canada’s finest soloists, such as New Brunswick’s own Sally Dibblee, are National Youth Choir alumni.
NYC 2010
National Youth Choir 2010 took place in Saskatchewan (in conjunction with Podium 2010), May 8 - 23, 2010. The 2010 choir gathered for a week-long residency with guest conductor Dr. Victoria Meredith of the University of Western Ontario before embarking on a tour of Saskatchewan and Alberta, culminating in a gala final performance at Podium 2010 in Saskatoon.
NBCF was capably represented by four members of our inaugural 2009 New Brunswick Youth Choir:
Sylvie Boulianne (soprano, bottom right), a voice major at the Université de Moncton in her second year studying under Monette Gould; a seasoned choral and solo performer with the Université de Moncton opera workshop and the Université de Moncton Chorale
Jennifer Berntson (alto, third from left), graduating in May with a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University, studying voice with Helen Pridmore and with extensive choral experience dating back to her childhood; a seasoned choral and operatic singer and soloist, and for four years a member of the Elliott Chorale
Shawn Potter (tenor), graduating in May with a Bachelor of Music degree from Mount Allison University; organist and student of choral conducting under Gayle Martin and a seasoned director, recitalist and accompanist, multiple academic and performance award winner, New Brunswick’s tenor in the National Youth Choir 2008, New Brunswick Youth Choir accompanist in 2009 and recipient of the 2009 NBCF Youth Achievement Award
Julien Bouchard (bass, 2nd row, left), second year percussion student at the Université de Moncton, studying under Michel Deschênes, a seasoned performer and a member of the Université de Moncton opera workshop and the Université de Moncton Chorale