The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The Flin Flon Community Choir has long been a big-city talent in a small town. That will change this winter when members fly to the Big Apple to be part of the Distinguished Concerts International New York City (DCINY) Concert Series. 'It's going to be an amazing, amazing experience,' said choir director Crystal Kolt. Since The Reminder first reported on the New York concert late last year, the choir has been busy fundraising to cover the immense price tag of the trip. It will cost somewhere around $80,000 for the 66 choristers to join several other choirs from around the world at the performance of Handel's Messiah. Kolt wore a bright smile (when doesn't she?) as she recently accepted a $5,000 donation from the RBC Foundation. Michael Yarowy, local RBC branch manager, did the honours of presenting the cheque. The choir has applied for another grant and conducted private fundraising as well. 'And we'll be doing a lot more of that,' Kolt said. Among the costs to be covered is a performance fee of US$640 per chorister, helping to cover rehearsals and other expenses. The performance will take place at the famed Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall on Dec. 1. 'High level' Dr. Jonathan Griffith, artistic director and principal conductor for DCINY, has praised the Flin Flon Community Choir's 'exceedingly high level of musicianship.' 'It is quite an honour just to be invited to perform in New York,' he said last year. 'These wonderful musicians not only represent a high quality of music and education, but they also become ambassadors for the entire community. This is an event of extreme pride for everybody and deserving of the community's recognition and support.' While 66 choristers will represent the Flin Flon Community Choir, not all of them live in the local area. Among them will be several choristers from other communities who, through past work, have been associated with the choir. Kolt noted the trip will have a strong educational component, as part of the goal is to raise the level of choral music within the participating choirs. Indicative of the high demands of DCINY, choristers will spend upwards of 10 hours a day in rehearsals over a five-day residency. Incredibly, this won't be the choir's first performance in New York. In June 2002, 23 members lived the dream of anyone who has ever squinted under the intense bright of a spotlight, singing at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall. A choir member had spotted an ad in a teacher's journal looking for choristers for an evening that would showcase predominantly Canadian talent. They got the gig and soon stepped onto the same stage that has been graced by the likes of Barbara Streisand and The Three Tenors. Their rendition of Celtic Mass for the Sea even earned a standing ovation. Just this past weekend, 40 members of the choir performed at a concert in Winnipeg with the Winnipeg Philharmonic and the Winnipeg Symphony. The choir also performed with Winnipeg's Philharmonic and Symphony last year.
