Kathaumixw '96 ends on note of world harmony

July 11,1996

Amid the smiles and tears of the final moments of International Choral Kathaumixw 1995, 3,000 balloons floated gently to the outstretched arms of those below.

As the choirs paraded out of the Great Hall on the fifth and final day of the choral festival, the balloons symbolized the joy that had been shared by singers and listeners throughout the week.

Beyond sharing music, participants gave and received friendship. With friendship comes understanding, tolerance and a glimpse at the many worlds outside Powell River, British Columbia, Canada that create a global community.

As Powell River welcomed the visiting singers, each resident became an ambassador for Canada, and in turn, all guests played an ambassadorial role for their homeland.

In the past, friendships created during Kathaumixw have led to future reunions between individuals of differing cultures in faraway places, showing how Kathaumixw nurtures harmony in more ways than one.

Showcasing how well musical harmony can be achieved, the Gala Closing Concert offered performances by choirs in residence Lille Muko, Hong Kong Children's Choir and Chor Akademika Politechnilka Szczecinskiej of Poland; orchestra in residence Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra; guest ensemble Laudate Chamber Choir; guest soloists Leslie Fagan and Steven Price; the children's choirs, the adult choirs and the Choir of the World at Kathaumixw award winner Kiimingin Kiurut of Finland, conducted by Liisa Raisanen.

Creating a feeling that audience members were engulfed in music, Kathaumixw artistic director on James conducted the symphony orchestra and young singers in front of him as well as the adult choirs located at the far end of the Great Hall during the Kathaumixw anthem, The Spacious Firmament, Written by Tobin Stokes, formerly of Powell River and an alumnus of the Powell River Academy of Music.

Every voice in the hall was led by Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra conductor Arthur PoIson when Steven Price invited audience members to accompany him for the chorus of La Toreador. Similarly Polish conductor Jan Szyrocki gave the audience a brief lesson so they could join his choir.

During the final piece, Hymn to Freedom, Powell River's Don James conducted 1,150 singers surrounded the audience with the sound of 15 nations singing as one. With the closing of the seventh International Choral Kathaumixw, weary; yet elated, participants seemed to float from the scene as carefree as the balloons that had wafted down to them.

Snippets of overheard conversations revealed a yearning for the next Kathaumixw and wishes that 1998 would come quickly.