"Throwback", The 2018 Spring Choir Concert took place in the Maples Commons on May 31, 2018. The follwoing performances were recorded live during the show.

Chamber Choir

San’Bonani/Nda Wana/Namhla Kudibene
arr. Michael Barrett
This medley of three South African songs combines a traditional Zulu greeting song, a song recalling a children’s game, and a war song from the Xhosa culture.  The Chamber Choir has always enjoyed singing songs from South Africa, and we welcome the Tiny Choir to join us for the 2nd part of the medley.


Grade 9 Choir

Ambe
Andrew Balfour
Ambe is based on an original song in Ojibway that was gifted by traditional drummer Cory Campbell to Andrew Balfour, a Winnipeg composer of  Cree descent.  The steady beat throughout represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth, and the soprano melody conveys the totem of the eagle, representing love, wisdom and strength.  Translation:  Come in, two-legged beings, come in all people.  There is good life here.  Come in!

Coming Home
Jay Althouse
This touching piece speaks to the nostalgia one feels upon returning home after an absence: “I have travelled sea and mountain, distant pathways I did roam. Now it’s time my friend, for journey’s end. I am coming home.”

Seasons of Love
arranged by  Roger Emerson
Solos: Isabella Pepito,  Herlinda Dalayoan, Kyla Sumicion, Javen Cabrera                
Bass: Dean Vlahos
A throwback to the 1994 musical “Rent” and Stevie Wonder’s pop rendition, “Seasons of Love” answers the questions: “How do you measure a year? How do you measure life?”   Listen to the song for the answer! 
     
Chamber Choir

Lady in the Water
text Thomas Hood
arr. Eric William Barnum


Elijah Rock
traditional Spiritual
arranged Moses Hogan
Renowned African-American pianist, conductor, and arranger Moses Hogan is best known for his settings of spirituals. “Elijah Rock” is a testament to the arranger’s musicality as the work exudes energy in its textual expression.


Grade 10 Choir

Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen
arr. Roger Emerson
"This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled," Cohen has said. "But there are moments when we can ... reconcile and embrace the whole mess, and that's what I mean by 'Hallelujah.'" (The Atlantic, 2012)

Hallelujah, Amen
George Friderich Handel
The Grade 10’s are throwing it way back to 1745! G. F. Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus tells the story of the biblical character. “Hallelujah, Amen” is the jubilant close of the work.
       


Chamber Choir

WannaBe
The Spice Girls
arranged by Brad Stephenson                      
The iconic girl power anthem of the 1990’s, “Wannabe,” was the Spice Girls’ debut single. The song has become so well-known that a 2014 study from the University of Amsterdam has even suggested it is the catchiest pop song since the 1940’s


Never Gonna Give You Up
Rick Astley
arranged by Philip Lapatha
solo: Bernie Pastorin
Originally released in 1987 and voted #28 on VH1’s 50 Most Awesomely Bad Songs... Ever in 2004, Rick Astley’s signature tune has since become the basis for the popular internet phrase “rickrolled.”
   


THOSE GUYS

Made up of nine performers who represent a cross-section of the Winnipeg music and theatre community, Those Guys have built a reputation for dynamic, feed-good performances.  Their repertoire, which ranges from throwback Motown to current chart toppers, features complex, often original musical arrangements, performed without a single instrument other than the human voice.  Maples is thrilled to have Those Guys perform tonight.

Those Guys will announce their own songs. 



Senior Choir

O Fortuna
Carl Orff
O Fortuna is a medieval Germanic Latin poem written early in the 13th century, and part of the larger work known as the Carmina Burana.  When you hear this piece, you may be reminded of a movie, a TV commercial, or a dramatic time in your life.  Orff’s setting of the poem has influenced many other works, and has been performed by countless classical music ensembles and artists.


Only In Sleep
Eriks Esenvalds
solo: Bea Jaime
Perhaps one of the most powerful ways we are “thrown back” into memory and transported to another time is through sleep.  In this stunning poem by Sara Teasdale,  we hear about a dream.  The dreamer meets childhood friends from the past, and they have not changed at all.


Purple Rain
Prince
arranged by Jonathan Sparks
solo: Daniel Bautista
How many of you remember this throwback? Prince and the Revolution released “Purple Rain” in 1984 and it shot to the top of the charts.  The influence of this amazing artist cannot be understated. 
           

             
Mass Choir

This is Me
arranged by Mac Huff
solo: Joyce  Quirimit
From the 2017 film, The Greatest Showman, “This is Me” is a Golden Globe award-winning song. Its empowering lyrics describe the importance of being comfortable in one’s own skin. Tonight each and every one of our choral students will join together and sing, “I’m not scared to be seen. I make no apologies. This is Me.”