BC Youth Choir Concert

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Sunday, May 28th, 2023
3:00 PM

This year, the BC Youth Choir will be performing in Nanaimo for the first time in 10 years! They will be performing a wide range of music, from early music with organ and strings, to Indigenous and northern European music.

There will also be performances from the Nanaimo Youth Choir and Sinclair Singers.

Ticket link: https://bcyc2023.eventbrite.ca/?aff=hl

About the BC Youth Choir:

The BC Youth Choir is an auditioned provincial honour choir comprised of singers aged 16-25 from across the province. The choir meets and performs annually during May in conjunction with the BC Choral Federation’s Chorfest event. It’s a fun-filled weekend of rehearsing and performing incredible music at a high level!

The BCYC is unique amongst Canadian provincial youth choirs as it is run by youth, for youth.

The choir is directed each year by a renowned and inspirational choral conductor. Past conductors include:

Jon Washburn

Frances Roberts

Peter Taylor

Kevin Zakresky

Debra Cairns

Heather Johnson

Adam Con

Graeme Langager

Kathleen Allan

Allison Girvan

Carrie Tennant

Jim Sparks

BCYC 2023 Conductor: Kari Turunen

Kari Turunen is the Artistic Director of the professional Vancouver Chamber Choir since 2019. Before moving to Vancouver, he was a versatile actor on the Finnish choral and vocal music scene. After leaving a college-level teaching position in 2011, he has been a full-time conductor, clinician, adjudicator and lecturer, working not only in Finland, but also around Europe and Asia.

During his career in Finland, Dr. Turunen led, among others, these prominent choirs: Akademiska Damkören Lyran, Akademiska Sångföreningen, Kampin Laulu chamber choir, Chorus Cantorum Finlandiae, Spira Ensemble and the professional early music ensembles Ensemble Petraloysio and I Dodici, with which he continues to work sporadically. As a singer, he was a founding member of Lumen Valo and sang over 250 concerts in Finland and Europe and recorded nine critically acclaimed CDs with the group. He has toured extensively with his ensembles and won numerous prizes with his choirs, both in national and international competitions.

In addition to artistic activities, Kari Turunen has been active in organizing festivals. He was the Artistic Director of the annual Aurore Renaissance Festival in Helsinki 2015–2020 and the Finnish-Swedish Song Celebration in 2022 and will be AD of the Tampere Vocal Music Festival in 2023. He also acted as chair of the Finnish Choral Directors’ Association (FCDA) 1997–2018. He was the Choral Conductor of the Year 2008 in Finland and is the recipient of over 20 grants from The Finnish and Finnish-Swedish Cultural Foundations.

Kari Turunen was educated at the University of Helsinki and the Sibelius Academy where he studied choral conducting (MA). He holds a doctorate in early music performance practice from the University of the Arts, Helsinki. He now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada).