Many of Saskatchewan鈥檚 most talented young vocalists were in Estevan on Feb. 9, thanks to a performance by the Saskatchewan Youth Choir.
And for the first time, one of those gifted young singers was from the Estevan area.
The choir brought their Choral Kaleidoscope tour to the Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) and St. Paul鈥檚 United Church. The 27 young singers showcased their talents by singing a wide repertoire of music,
Torquay鈥檚 Levi Stepp, who is a Grade 12 student at ECS, was among the singers, and called the youth choir 鈥渢he best experience鈥� of his life.
鈥淚 have learned so much as a person but as a singer doing this experience with them,鈥� Stepp told Lifestyles. 鈥淏eing able to sing with people at your own level, or even higher, you learn so much from them. It鈥檚 been an amazing, life-changing experience.鈥�
With the youth choir, they listen to each other, which allows them to have a strong balance, and sing like they have one voice, he said.
The youth choir had a busy day for their appearance in Estevan. Prior to the concert at St. Paul鈥檚, the choir sang at ECS. The youth choir started, and then the ECS choir sang. The two choirs then joined together for selections.听
Since Stepp is also involved with the ECS choir, he was singing with both.
The Youth Choir also gave their ECS counterparts some advice on how they can improve their singing.
Performing in Estevan was a great time, he said. So many people he knows were at St. Paul鈥檚 to see him and cheer for him, and he was thrilled to be a part of a choir that worked so hard to come together in a relatively short period of time.听
Stepp has also made a lot of friends through the choir, and is looking forward to staying in contact with them now that the youth choir has wrapped up its season.
鈥淵ou make friends who have the same interests as you,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are all choir nerds, and we all love doing it, so we will always have that in common with each other.鈥�
A Grade 12 student at Estevan Comprehensive School, Stepp is looking forward to taking what he learned with the youth choir and using it in his post-secondary studies. He hopes to go to school in Toronto, and have a career in musical theatre.
Sheryl Neher, the executive director for the Saskatchewan Choral Federation, said Stepp came to their attention through Marcia McLean, the current director of the youth choir who served as one of the adjudicators at last year鈥檚 Estevan and District Music Festival.
Stepp was interested in participating, and Neher said they were happy to have him.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping that with us coming here today (Feb. 9), and working at the school, and the kids interacting and getting to meet some other (singers), and with Levi鈥檚 excitement for the involvement, that maybe we鈥檒l have one or two more kids come on board with us,鈥� said Meher.
It鈥檚 also always nice to have a few kids from the one region, because they can travel together for rehearsals and performances.
Thirteen different communities from across the province are represented in the choir. Neher said the choir wants to have singers from other communities besides Saskatoon and Regina.
Discussions for the youth choir started in 2012, and the first choir assembled in the fall of 2014. Each year the choir runs in the fall and winter. The choir changes directors every two years; McLean is in her first year at the helm.
The singers range in age from 15-21, and they do have some members who are in university.
鈥淎 number of the singers that we have in the choir don鈥檛 have choirs in their schools and in their local communities, and so they don鈥檛 have an opportunity to sing in a choir,鈥� said Neher.
Out of the 27 signers in the choir, about 10 don鈥檛 have choirs in their local communities.
鈥淚t gives them an opportunity to come and sing with like-minded people. They鈥檙e also singing music that鈥檚 a little higher calibre,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a little more difficult than what some of the local schools might be doing.鈥�
As they鈥檙e learning and developing, they鈥檙e also gaining leadership skills through different activities that they do in the choir, which they can take back to their schools and communities.
Rehearsals are held during three weekends each year. Neher said they鈥檙e very intense sessions. And they have a number of concerts at various locations in the province.
Meher pointed out that McLean has done a great job of selecting a repertoire of music that showcases the talents of the youths and the beauty of the music, as a couple of times each concert, Meher will be moved to tears.
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