Choral singers and choral music lovers have a concert treat in store.
The legendary Swingles are coming to Vancouver, thanks to the efforts of the B.C. Choral Federation, the provincewide advocacy group whose membership includes Burnaby and New Westminster choral groups.
The Swingles will be onstage Thursday, March 21 at 8 p.m. at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver.
The seven-member a cappella group has been pushing the boundaries of vocal music for more than half a century. The roster of singers has changed over the years, but the seven young singers that make up today’s London-based group are still recognized as masters of their craft.
“This group has always been way ahead of its time, bringing a cappella music to larger and more diverse audiences,” said the B.C. Choral Federation’s executive director, Willi Zwozdesky, in a press release. “Members have come and gone over the years, but the Swingles remain as vital as ever.”
The group began in 1963, when American-born Ward Swingle assembled a group of Parisian session singers to sing Bach’s keyboard music. The resulting album, Jazz Sebastian Bach, launched the Swingle Singers to fame. Since then, they have won five Grammy awards, made more than 50 recordings and had their music featured in numerous film and TV soundtracks – including Sex and the City, Grey’s Anatomy and Glee.
Their latest project is Folklore, a diverse collection of folk music from around the world, featuring collaborations with traditional artists. It was that program that B.C. Choral Federation’s vice-president Paul Cummings happened to hear when he attended a series of Swingles concerts during last year’s Europa Cantat European Choir Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.
“These vocal pioneers perform the widest variety of music I’ve ever heard … from Bach to Basie, classical to swing, 50-year-old arrangements to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. There is truly something for everyone,” Cummings said. “My students and I loved every aspect of the Swingles’ performance in Estonia last summer. Now we’re die-hard fans who will be first in line for their show in Vancouver.
Tickets for the show range from $30 to $68, and they’re available through chancentre.com/events/the-swingles/
