Who would have thought that 48 years after its founding, Malaspina Choir would still be performing challenging, diverse repertoire from classical to contemporary? Yet today our 60-member mixed-voice community choir presents choral masterpieces from Bach to Britten as well as the A’s through to the V’s with maybe a W or two.
Our role in Nanaimo’s civic and ceremonial life began with the opening of the Malaspina University College (now VIU) in 1976, followed by a performance for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1983. We gave Nanaimo its official song for its 125th birthday (2006) and helped open the 2009 BC Seniors Games. To encourage younger musicians, we invited three local school choirs and band plus two VIU student ensembles to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday last spring and were awarded a Canada Heritage grant for this initiative.
Our November, 2017 concert, Musica Magnifica, reflected our rich programming. Participants included the choir, accompanist Sharon Wishart, the Nanaimo Chamber Orchestra, the Victoria Brass and organist Peter Orme. December was our 10th annual Sing-along Messiah at St. Andrew’s Church. More than 250 audience members joined us, along with professional soloists and talented soloists from Malaspina choir, accompanied by the Cowichan Consort. Our final 2017-18 offering will be Verdi’s Requiem on May 4th at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Nanaimo and May 5th in Duncan at the Christian Reformed Church with our musical partners, the Cowichan Consort.
Our Musical Director Lionel Tanod brings a wealth of experience to the choir as past director of the Island Bel Canto singers, and currently the Harbour City Singers. He was also a founding member of Nanaimo Sings! Lionel was music director at Ottawa’s Ashbury College for 20 years, with his choirs and bands performing in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.
Sharon Wishart, our accompanist, also teaches voice and piano in Nanaimo. She was the official accompanist for the B.C. Festival of the Arts for 10 years. She accompanies Opera Nanaimo’s concert series, “Opera Gems”, and continues to accompany other singers and instrumentalists in local performances. The B.C. Choral Federation recognized her achievements by awarding her the Joyce O. Maguire Award in 2013.
Directors: Lionel Tanod
Accompanist: Sharon Wishart
Contact us
Visit our website
