Press Releases

Blog Posts From Our PROMYS Participants

From our 2007 guys:

November 9, 2007
from Keith Sinclair

Well having come home from dress rehearsal at Christ Church on the eve of my first performance with the lions, I have to say looking back on the experience...im baffled at the fact that I'm ALOUD to sing with these people. And that I'm ALOUD to be conducted by the amazing Diane Loomer. All that aside...I came from a music program that was heads above most high schools around here which i am indeed very grateful for. This can be proven that 3 students from Burnaby Central are in Chor Leoni and myself and Sky are in PROMYS. Having said that..it was still high school, and coming here is a major adjustment that i hoped to have been prepared for and i think for the most part i was. the biggest adjustment i would say is how everyone just knows, for the most part what they are supposed to do. there's no bashing of notes or trying to get the sopranos to sing in tune or the basses to be louder. Its all there. and its everyone's responsibility to make it happen. I love that. And also..I'm used to having upwards of 20 rehearsals and still wondering if the choir is unprepared. We've had 5 I think and I'm so pumped for these concerts. So in summary...it has been nothing less than life changing this experience. I feel bad at not being as good as the rest of the choir but I'm trying. It has also cemented in my heart and mind WHY I chose music as my life's path. Its another example of how life changing music is and how universal it is. I very much want to audition and hopefully join this choir if there's ever the chance for me to do so. and if I'm good enough. Until then...I very much look forward to the concerts this week. Good Luck everyone!

October 5, 2007
from Edmund Natividad

Whoa, I was so totally impressed by the quality of all your voices and I'm just hoping by the end of this program that I would be kinda adequate enough to even be in you all's presence. I really want to learn how to blend in well with my section as well as with the whole choir, especially since the choir I am in, does not really have much dedication and experience thus, we do not have as great quality as we'd like... haha well you guys rock so much and it's a pleasure to be in this program.

From our 2006 guys:

October 11, 2007
from Corey Hollett

Alrighty then! So here's my take on my experience, what i liked, and what i didnt like........ Wait, I have to write about what I didn't like? That, reader, is impossible, on account of there was no such thing. My introduction to Chor Leoni came from the fact that my dad has been in the choir for something like six years now, and I am ALWAYS thrilled to go see the choir. In particular, I NEVER miss one of their Bard on the Beach shows, because it truly shows the dynamics of the choir. No, those Bard shows aren't filled entirely with what you might call traditional, solemn repertoire; however, their sound quality and attention to detail never fails to shine through, from the 4 or 8 part split part songs, to the silliest of jingles. Also, the Bard shows allow the choir to show to you, the audience, just how much fun they always have doing what they do, and how well they get along. It's not that this isn't evident in any of the other concerts; very much to the contrary. This is just the one that most lets the audience join in on it. Having been a PROMYS member for two years, the Remembrance Day concerts are what I became familiar with. Generally the biggest contrast to the Bard shows, the repertoire for these shows are commonly some of the most serious and solemn, but that by no means made the choir seem dark, closed off, or inaccessible. Even though i had grown to know many of the choir members to some degree over the years just from being a devout follower, i was still taken aback in the best way by how comfortable and welcoming the choir is, and just how much they love what they do. Technically, they don't have to be there. Each one of them has their own life, their own problems, their own careers, or their own talents, but their unanimous love of bringing quality music to anyone who will listen is what brings them all together. Jokes are cracked often, but never when it would take time away from working on the music. Friendships are made quickly and easily, but with a strength that has yet to find anything that could break it. Each of these men know that when a song is sung, really sung well, it just might be what just one person in the audience needed to brighten their day and help them get past a dark patch, or if nothing is wrong, the person just leaves with a feeling of great contentment that stays with them long after they have left the venue. None of these men HAVE to be there. But knowing the joy that a good piece of music, sung with genuine emotion and sincerity and love, can bring, it certainly feels like you have to be there, because what good reason could there possibly be not to be there? If you've read this far, i commend you. I tend to babble sometimes (and sometimes i ramble, and sometimes i yammer......), but only when I'm talking about something I'm very passionate about. If you haven't already, go see these Lions. You should hear them roar.

from Noel Hollett

I just want to start out by saying what an amazing experience i have had with Chor Leoni, both as a spectator and as part of the choir. Even watching, it was amazing to always sit in the audience and just watch and listen in amazement. It is a rare thing to have over 50 men, all with their own lives and coming from different areas and backgrounds, who can come together and create such wonderful sound. Every time a performance goes up it allows everyone in and outside of the choir to release themselves from everything outside of the performance site and just immerse themselves fully into musical serenity. Anything bad, like problems at work, at home, or anything else that is bringing someone down is immediately lifted. Then, after the performance is over, any problems that once were there are either gone, or seem so much smaller because we realize in the grand scheme of things they aren't as bad as we make them out to be; they are passing.

My time in PROMYS was wonderful. I was able to meet new people, both in the Chor and in the PROMYS program who shared the same love of music that I did. I made new friends, who I can keep in touch with, and I brought along some friends, who I was able to share the experience with so that they too could experience what I did.

I was able to spend 2 years in the PROMYS program, and they were times that I shall never forget. As a full choir member now, I can look back on the past 2 years with a great knowledge of what has become a wondrous program that helps to show everyone, both in PROMYS and who now know of it through the young men who have taken part, that great music is never far away, if you just know where to look.

Posted by bruce on November 1, 2007 at 1:28 PM
Filed in: PROMYS | Permanent Link