Neepawa and Area Community Choir receives national recognition
- Details
- Published on Thursday, July 24, 2014
By: Kate Jackman-Atkinson
myWestman.ca
Just two years after forming, the Neepawa and Area Community Choir accomplished an impressive feat at the national level. The choir, which was formed in November 2012, recently received an honourable mention at the 2014 National Music Festival.
The choir is made up of 20-25 men and women from the area who sing under the direction of accomplished singer and chorale conductor Sangmyoung Kim. The diverse group includes a range of voices and singers with ages ranging from their late 20s to their late 70s.
The choir first performed in December 2012 and since then, they have performed at events including Lily Festival, Mayfest and the 55-plus Games in Neepawa.
The choir’s path to national accolades began this spring with the Neepawa Fine Arts Festival. Based on the choir’s performance there, the adjudicators recommended the choir advance to the provincial festival. The choir prepared a recording of their performance, which was forwarded to the provincial festival for judging.
The young choir’s performance was well received at the provincial festival and they were recommended to advance to the national competition. At the national competition, they finished with an honourable mention in their category.
Denise Kennedy, one of the founding members of the community choir, said that this was the first time a choir she has been a part of has been recommended to the national level. Kennedy credits much of the choir’s success to Kim, who lives in Brandon but became involved in Neepawa when he and his wife, an accomplished pianist, began attending Knox Presbyterian Church.
Kennedy explains that Kim, who leads the choir at Knox, wondered if there would be interest in a community choir for the wider community. In late 2012, a strong response from the community resulted in the creation of the Neepawa and Area Community Choir. Kim selects the music they will learn based on the strengths of the choir.
“We learn a lot of selections in a year,” said Kennedy. Practices occur weekly, except for a short break in the summer.
Kennedy said that the choir is always open to new members and members pay a small fee to join, which helps cover some of the costs, such as music. Anyone interested in learning more can contact Kennedy or Pat Martin. “It’s a family atmosphere,” said Kennedy.
