Introduction
To cut a very long story short, we have been making beautiful music since 1984 under Music Director Bruce Pullan. As our program gradually expanded, Marisa Gaetanne joined the team and now conducts our youngest choirs. Here’s what our structure looks like.

Auditions
All singers enter our program by friendly auditions, mostly in June & September. These are described in more detail for various age groups below. Basically we do not expect singers to have choral experience or trained voices, especially in the younger choirs. We look for an accurate ear (matching pitches given by voice or piano); the ability to sing back a series of notes; some simple vocal exercises to find the current and potential range of the voice and the courage to sing something they know well—this could be ‘O Canada’ or something more complex—it will serve the same purpose! They may sing with or without piano (our conductors will play!) and at the end singers may be asked to restart on a different note, just to explore their sense of key. This whole process is very gentle and our conductors, as singers themselves, understand every nuance of what colds and nerves can do to precious voices! No need to plead or explain!

Our program is home to many children who sing their way through several age-levels of choirs and to others who audition from ‘outside’ and enter at any stage.

Audition Bookings & Information: Anita Lindsay (Administrator) 604-738-8593
All other information: Joyce Maguire (Manager) 604-733-4584

Performances
All Choirs share the Orpheum stage with the ‘parent’ Vancouver Bach Choir for our annual Christmas with the Bach Choir concert. Each age-level is heard on its own and all choirs sing joyfully together with organ, brass and the audience! Smaller concerts are given by various groupings of the younger choirs in the Spring and all children and youth sections join for Summer festivities on the UBC campus at each season’s end, usually in early June.

The Chorus itself is sometimes called upon during the year for interesting professional and corporate engagements. The Youth Choir (VBYC) seems to be firmly entrenched at the City of Vancouver’s Remembrance Day ceremonies. We are always open to performance opportunities for these and our other choirs. We make sure that performance schedules are reasonable, with as much notice as possible being given to families.

Repertoire
All our choirs revel in learning an eclectic repertoire and in acquiring vocal technique which will equip them to perform every genre appropriately.

Some details of our Choirs

Piccolos
We currently have three Piccolo choirs, with approximately 15 singers in each. Both groups have a mixture of grades K-2. Singers are auditioned in small groups so that their social skills can be evaluated as well as their musical potential. We are looking for children who can instinctively match pitch, echo small patterns of notes and show a good sense of rhythm. Each Piccolo choir has a student helper from one of our older groups. Piccolo singers need to show that they respond well to gentle suggestions from the helper that they stop squirming or try to focus more!
Conductor: Marisa Gaetanne
Rehearsal locations: Emily Carr School (25th/Oak) and Laura Secord (E. Broadway and Lakewood)
Rehearsal days/times: Thursdays 3:45 to 4:30pm, 5:30 to 6:15pm or Tuesdays 5:30 - 6:15 at Laura Secord
Please note: We will try to accommodate the family schedules of successful singers but some placements are governed by musical considerations.

Juniors
We currently have two Junior Choirs, with approximately 30 singers in each. Both groups have a mixture of grades 3&4. Singers are auditioned individually. We are looking for children who can instinctively match pitch, echo small patterns of notes and show a good sense of rhythm. We welcome singers new to our organization. Others will have moved up automatically from our Piccolo choirs.
Conductor: Marisa Gaetanne
Rehearsal locations: East Vancouver Juniors at Laura Secord School, Lakewood/East Broadway,
Rehearsal locations: Vancouver Centre Juniors at Emily Carr School, 25th/Oak.
Rehearsal days/times: East Vancouver Juniors on Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:30pm
Rehearsal days/times: Vancouver Centre Juniors on Thursdays 4:30 to 5:30pm
Please note: we will try to accommodate the family schedules of successful singers but some placements are governed by the need to balance numbers. Also, for the East Vancouver Juniors, priority will be given to families who also have singers in the concurrent Tuesday Chorale at the same location.

Chorales
Our two Chorales, currently approximately 40 singers in each from grades 5-8, are a mixture of some singers coming up automatically from the Juniors and others welcomed by individual auditions from ‘outside’ as described above.
Conductor: Bruce Pullan
Rehearsal location: Laura Secord School, Lakewood/East Broadway
Rehearsal days/times: Tuesday or Thursday 4:30 to 5:30pm
Please note: at registration families suggest their preference for either the Tuesday or Thursday Chorale and we try to accommodate these wishes while keeping the groups roughly balanced in numbers. Temporary switches are possible if there is a family or school problem. Also, due to the ample size of Secord’s Small Gym, we can welcome parents at rehearsals on a regular basis.

Chorus
The Chorus itself is the pinnacle of our younger choirs. There are approx. 40 singers from grades 6-10. Chorales re-audition to gain entrance into the Chorus and singers wishing to enter from ‘outside’ need to be confident musicians with music reading ability.
Conductor: Bruce Pullan
Rehearsal location: Laura Secord School, Lakewood/East Broadway
Rehearsal day/time: Tuesday 5:30 to 7pm
Please note: the Chorus accepts invitations to perform at corporate and civic events throughout the year and at special performances with the ‘parent’ Bach Choir—such as the Last Night of the Proms—and the VSO. Occasionally these engagements are in school time but we try to avoid this. Girls sing with the Chorus until they move into the Youth Choir in Grade 11, boys move up when their voices change. Secord rehearsals are open to parents and friends.

Vancouver Bach Youth Choir
VBYC is a large (approx. 65) mixed voice choir drawn from Secondary and Post-Secondary age singers. In addition to the traditional concerts which involve all choirs, VBYC performs a unique role at the City of Vancouver Remembrance Day Ceremonies each year.
Conductor: Bruce Pullan
Rehearsal location: Laura Secord School, Lakewood/East Broadway
Rehearsal day/time: Thursday 5:30 to 7pm
Secord rehearsals are open to parents and friends.

Sarabande
The newest addition to our family of choirs, Sarabande is a carefully balanced mixed chamber choir of around 30 voices. Its singers are drawn from our other current choirs and from ‘grads’ of our program, returning for the extreme musical challenges Sarabande offers and for the ‘cameraderie’ they miss!
Conductor: Bruce Pullan
Rehearsal location: Laura Secord School, Lakewood/East Broadway
Rehearsal day/time: Thursday 7 to 8pm


The Children’s & Youth Choirs are a Special Project of the Vancouver Bach Choir

Back to Top