The Walleye Magazine

Sharing Their Christmas Spirit

Fort William Male Choir to Kick Off the Festive Season

By Pat Forrest

For some, it might be the first snowfall, or maybe when the twinkle lights start going up. But for many in and around Thunder Bay, the perfect start to Christmas is when the members of the Fort William Male Choir take to the stage to share their Prelude to Christmas concert.

Set for December 9 and 10 at Hilldale Church, this year’s concert is focused exclusively on winter and Christmas. “Every year, we love to mix things up, focusing on different themes, showing a variety of videos, and making set and costume changes. This year, people will be treated to songs of the season—some classical, some secular, and some humourous,” says choir president Gerard Tremblay.

The choir has been entertaining their many fans from all over the world for almost a century. It was a humble beginning. Eight members of the choir of St. Paul’s Anglican Church decided in 1927 to form a male voice octet and this group was the nucleus of what later came to be the Fort William Male Choir. Dues at the time were five cents per practice, and the men chipped in another 35 cents each week for refreshments. The group made its first outof-town trip to perform in Kakabeka Falls, where an audience of approximately a dozen enjoyed a one-hour concert.

Membership grew over the years, but things really took off in 1946, when Norman Klevin took over. Known as a perfectionist, Klevin led the choir to new levels. They began making LP recordings starting in 1955, joined the Associated Male Choruses of America, attended Big Sing events (and even hosted one here in Thunder Bay) and won the title of Canada’s

Centenary Choir in 1967. They undertook three world tours from 1967 to 1973, when they performed for Pope Paul VI and a crowd of 15,000.

Kendall House assumed the role as full conductor in 1978, having initially joined the choir as a bass in 1954 and taking over as assistant conductor in 1966. House introduced a more contemporary repertoire with music from Broadway shows such as Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, and Man of La Mancha, along with classical and spiritual selections. Prelude to Christmas was launched and became the vehicle to kick off the festive season.

Tremblay says that this year there will again be special guests. As they have for years, both shows will end with the everpopular “Feliz Navidad.” The choir is currently led by director Darlene Chepil Reid with accompanist Carol Wehrstedt.

The Friday evening concert starts at 7:30 pm with the Saturday matinee getting underway at 1:30 pm. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for youth under 16. Call 7673612 or email tickets@fwmc. ca for tickets.

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