Hundreds of choirs will sing as one during the annual choral festival in Nanaimo.
Nanaimo Sings features eight concerts over two days capped off with a gala performance of a 400-voice mass choir finale, hosted by CBC personality Shelagh Rogers.
Sixteen choirs from the mid-Island area are participating in the event, said chairwoman Linda Dier.
“After the success of the inaugural Nanaimo Sings Festival in 2008, the community and the choirs let us know that they wanted to do it again,” she said.
Eight concerts will be presented at St. Paul’s Anglican Church and St. Andrew’s United Church on April 7 and 8 at 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. On the final day, April 9, at 7 p.m., the festival moves to the Port Theatre to showcase individual choirs and the mass performance.
Bruce Pullan, choral clinician and former music director of the Vancouver Bach Choir, conducts the final presentation in a trio of songs on a pan-American theme.
To help prepare the choirs for the final performance, organizers are hosting open rehearsals for singers who want extra practice.
On April 2, Pullan leads a day-long workshop for participating singers and choir directors.
Festival passes are $15 and include eight concerts. Gala tickets are $20. Both are available through the Port Theatre ticket centre at 250-754-8550 or visit www.porttheatre.com.
Restaurants and hotels in downtown Nanaimo and the Old City Quarter are offering deals to Nanaimo Sings festival participants and fans.
Hotels are offering reduced rates for out of town participants, while 21 restaurants are offering special promotions to people holding festival passes or gala tickets.
For more information on the festival, please visit www.nanaimosings.com.
