In Sacred & Profane, Vancouver Chamber Choir concert spans iron's destructive potential to guiding lights, March 8 and 15
Lineup juxtaposes three classic choral works with three pieces written by modern-day composers
Artistic director Kari Turunen leads the Vancouver Chamber Choir in a rehearsal of Benjamin Britten’s Sacred & Profane. Photo courtesy of Vancouver Chamber Choir
Vancouver Chamber Choir presents Sacred & Profane at 7:30 pm on March 8 at Christ Church Cathedral, and March 15 at Matsqui Centennial Auditorium in Abbotsford
UNDER THE BATON of artistic director Kari Turunen, the Vancouver Chamber Choir has made a point to present choral classics alongside engaging new works, with the goal of fostering an appreciation for the art form. The choir’s upcoming concert, Sacred & Profane, puts this balance in the limelight.
In its largest iteration of 24 singers, the choir will perform three classics—Veljo Tormis’ Raua needmine (Curse Upon Iron), Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir, and Benjamin Britten’s Sacred and Profane—alongside three new works: Andrew Balfour’s Trapped in Stone, Alex Freeman’s Northern April, and Ramona Luengen’s O süßes Licht.
Characterized by the epic beat of the shaman drum, Raua needmine (Curse Upon Iron) derives its inspiration from traditional folklore. Written by Estonian composer Tormis in 1972, it tells the story of how iron is found, and warns of its destructive potential when crafted into weapons. After performing Curse Upon Iron during a tour through Finland and Estonia last summer, the Vancouver Chamber Choir now presents the work to local audiences.
Martin’s deeply personal Mass for Double Choir, meanwhile, has its own unique story. The work was unperformed for nearly 40 years after he wrote it in the mid-1920s and kept it private. When conductor Franz Brunnert requested a copy of Mass for Double Choir in 1963 for “study purposes”, he went against Martin’s wishes and performed the piece in Hamburg, finally bringing it to the public’s ears.
Ramona Luengen.
On the flipside of eras, a team-up with local composer Luengen sees the Vancouver Chamber Choir perform her haunting O süßes Licht. The German text heard in the work was written by early-20th-century Jewish philosopher Edith Stein, and tells of a pure guiding light that illuminates a darkness within. Luengen served as artistic director of Phoenix Chamber Choir for 17 years, and taught music at both UBC and SFU for over a decade.
Also of note on the lineup is a modern work by Cree composer Balfour, the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s composer-in-residence for the 2023-24 season. When Stir spoke to the Toronto-based artist last fall, he remarked that his focus is on creating a safe space within the choral community for Indigenous stories to be told.
Two performances of Sacred & Profane are in store for audiences: a Vancouver show on March 8 at the Christ Church Cathedral, and another on March 15 presented by the Valley Concert Society at the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium in Abbotsford.
Be sure to arrive early to catch a 7 pm pre-concert talk with Turunen. 
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