The Northwest Chorus and the Southeast Chorus have been teaming up to perform popular and lesser-known Christmas carols for nearly half a century.
They’ll present their 46th annual Celebration of Christmas music on Dec. 3 and 4, with the performance on the first night happening at St. Paul’s United Church in Estevan at 7 p.m., and the show on the second day at Concordia Lutheran Church in Crosby, N.D., at 4 p.m.
For the first time, Shauna Meek of Estevan will be a co-director of the international chorus. She will share the duties with Harlan Johnson of Crosby. Each conductor will lead the performers through half of the songs.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to do it or not,” she said in an interview with Lifestyles. “I was a little hesitant, because I wanted to, but (part of me) did not. Finally I just said ‘You know what, I’m just going to give it a shot and see what happens.’ It’s been really good, a lot of fun, with lots of great people.”
This will also mark the first time that a Canadian will be a co-director, as the previous maestros have hailed from North Dakota. But it’s not like there has been a long line of directors in the chorus’ history, either.
The only other directors, besides Johnson and Meek, have been Ed Retzer, who retired from conducting after last year’s show, but will continue to sing in the chorus, and Harold Woolfrey, who started the Northwest Chorus back in the 1970s.
Meek said that she and Johnson have different styles, but they’re good friends, and she looks forward to working with him.
She joined the chorus for the first time in 1998, when, ironically, she was teaching music in Crosby. She has taken a few hiatuses from the choir for family reasons, but always came back.
“I just love to sing, and I was directing a choir at the time at the high school there,” said Meek. “I just thought it would be fun to be on the other side, and so I wanted to be part of the singing part instead of always directing.”
When she started teaching band in Estevan a few years ago, she wasn’t actively singing, so she returned to the chorus as an outlet for her choral skills. And now she’s looking forward to being on the director’s side of the ledger for the chorus, although she will still sing in some selections.
Meek sees some similarities between directing adults and conducting children, and it’s not just because she has a lot of fun with both.
“They’re just really great people, which makes it fun, too,” said Meek. “They really want to be there and they really want to sing.”
Meek hopes to see a good turnout for the international chorus’ performances this weekend. The performers sound great, and each of the sections have been practicing hard in advance.
“People will hear a lot of upbeat and new things, and lots of instrumental things,” said Meek. “It will be a good time.”
A children’s chorus from Spruce Ridge School will perform at St. Paul’s, which is special for Meek, since Spruce Ridge is one of the schools where she teaches. A chorus from Crosby will join the choruses on stage for the concert in North Dakota.
