The founding artistic director of the Guelph Chamber Choir will be retiring from his position at the end of the 2017-2018 choir season.
Gerald Neufeld, who has served as conductor to the Guelph Chamber Choir since 1980, is retiring at the end of March.
“The choir was founded in 1980 by a Board of Directors. A group of people in town formed a committee and then advertised for a conductor,” said Neufeld of his appointment to lead the choir nearly 40 years ago.
Neufeld has maintained his position as conductor, except for a two-year hiatus while he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conduction from 1983 to 1985.
Neufeld grew up in Alberta, where his love for choral music began as a young child enjoying annual “songfests” in his small Mennonite community.
“One of my earliest memories was of a touring choir through my hometown, I was mesmerized by the choral concert. I had a strong desire to be a part of a choir and conduct,” he said.
Neufeld first came to Guelph in 1978 when he was hired to teach at the University of Guelph’s music department. He went on to teach choral conducting in 1991 at the University of Western Ontario, until he retired from teaching last year.
“I consider myself to have been very fortunate to be living in Guelph. Largely because I can do the kind of performances that I’ve wanted to,” said Neufeld.
He explained the type of music that the Guelph community has supported includes period instrument orchestra, a movement common in Europe for the last 40 years, but relatively new in Canadian choirs.
“It’s rare that a community can do that - but we have for almost 20 years,” Neufeld said.
One of the few constants within the Guelph Chamber Choir has been the steadfast artistic director, who said his role includes planning all the concerts, creating the program, running the rehearsals, and conducting the concerts.
The Guelph Chamber Choir, which boasts about 40 members, is constantly bringing in new members each season. There are singers from many generations on the choir, with a few original members that joined in 1980, said Neufeld.
The founding conductor’s farewell season includes four concerts from November to March, the first is this Saturday, Nov. 4.
Saturday’s concert is called the Celebration 150 Concert in honour of Canada’s 150th Birthday.
The Guelph Chamber Choir will be welcoming four other choirs, with a total of 260 people singing on stage, in what Neufeld calls a “songfest.”
Singer/songwriter James Gordon will also be there performing some original music about Canada.
Tickets are still available to be purchased through the River Run Centre website.
Neufeld leaves big shoes to fill, but the search for a new artistic director has commenced.
To find out more, as well and to learn more about a forthcoming Christmas CD and how to get involved in the Guelph Chamber Choir, visit the Guelph Chamber Choir website.
