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Annapolis Valley Honour Choir

Record #: MCK0088
Last Modified: 21 Sep 2023
Last Full Update: 21 Sep 2023

Location

Located In Kings County
Where To Find Us
St James Anglican Church
18 Prospect Rd
Kentville, NS B4N 4H7
Areas Served Annapolis County ; Kings County (NS) ; West Hants

Contact

Website avhc.ca/
E-Mail coordinator@avhc.ca
Phone 902-488-7464
Contact Heather Fraser, Conductor
Facebook

Description & Services

Information  
The Annapolis Valley Honour Choir (AVHC) is an instructional music program that emphasizes musical and vocal training through choral music experiences. It exists to enrich the artistic lives of its members, their families, and the community they serve.  
 
Founded in 1988 as the Kings County Honour Choir, with the amalgamation of the Annapolis County, Kings County, and West Hants District School Boards in April of 1997, the choir expanded to include the full catchment area of the board and the current name was created. Further expanding into 2 ensembles in the fall of 2013, there are currently 120 talented choristers from Grades 5-12 in these growing ensembles, representing over 18 communities from across the Annapolis Valley. 
 
Singers receive a well-rounded choral education that includes the development of vocal production techniques, musicianship, diction, intonation, score reading and sight singing. The choir also provides a powerful means for young choral musicians to express themselves musically. Repertoire may include a wide range of classical music, folksongs from around the world, spirituals, foreign language pieces, and pieces expressly written for young voices. We also highlight Canadian composers when possible. 
 
This program also nurtures confidence and self-esteem in the choristers and promotes their healthy emotional and social development. The choir involves singers in activities that provide opportunities for leadership development, community involvement and volunteerism. 
 
The choirs present three full-length concerts each year, in the winter and a spring. As well as an annual Coffee House, Sweets for the Sweet dessert night, and other fundraisers. During the year the choir performs at many churches and for community events throughout the region and for special events such as the Remembrance Day Service at Acadia University. Most recently it has helped raise money for a variety of community projects such as the Wolfville and Kentville Food Banks, West King High School AV room, and Port Williams Park. 
 
The choir also takes part in the Annapolis Valley Music Festival and other festivals in Nova Scotia. They have won their classes at both the local and provincial level in the last four years, and have been sent to represent Nova Scotia at the National Music Festival. The Junior Choir placed second place in 2014 (it’s first year in existence) and the Senior Choir has been a finalist for the last 3 years. 
 
In May 2014, the Senior Choir was selected from choirs across the country to perform at Podium - Choral Canada’s biennial National Conference, hosted in Halifax.  
 
In order to incorporate a worldly musical education and life experiences for the singers, the AVHC considers travel to be an extremely important part of the vision and mandate of the organization. The choirs now travel every two years both within Canada and abroad. In the spring of 2015, the Junior choir will be completing a SEVEC Exchange with Coastal Sound Children’s Choir, travelling to Vancouver BC in April, with the CSCC visiting NS in May. July 2013 saw the senior choir tour Budapest, Vienna and Venice. Subsequent trips have included Britain (1993) Germany and Austria (1998), Barcelona (2003) and Paris and Prague (2008). 
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Events Calendar link to upcoming events on ValleyEvents.ca