Screengrab Image Courtesy
Katie-Anne Nemeth
The Medicine Hat College Girls’ Choir performs at Choral Fest in Calgary. The choir will be part of the Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” show on Nov. 14 at the Canalta Centre.
cbrown@medicinehatnews.com@MHNBrown
It’s official, the Medicine Hat College Girls’ Choir are wunderkinds.
The group has been selected to perform during by the Moscow Ballet’s “Great Russian Nutcracker” on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Canalta Centre. It’s a rare opportunity, as most performances don’t include a live choir due to issues like expense, space and choir availability.
“It’s a pretty substantial performance for us,” noted choir director Katie-Anne Nemeth. “I think this will be the first time a lot of these girls will perform for a crowd this big. I know the ‘Nutcracker’ is something a lot of people get excited about this time of year, especially when you have a performance ensemble like the Moscow Ballet coming.”
The choir will perform at the end of Act One in the “Waltz of the Snow Forest.” When Tchaikovsky originally wrote the music he intended it for 12 sopranos and 12 altos. The MHC Girls’ Choir, almost perfectly fits the bill, with 13 of each.
Nemeth isn’t sure yet how the performance will be featured, explaining the logistics of it will be finalized when the ballet company sees the venue and gets a better idea of where the choir will sound a look the best.
The choir will also perform a mini concert during the intermission.
Though it’s added a little extra to the schedule this year, the “Nutcracker” performance isn’t stopping the choir from its regular performance at Medicine Hat’s Remembrance Day service, or from its winter choral concert in early December.
The Medicine Hat College Girls’ Choir isn’t the only local content in the “Nutcracker” show.
The News reported in September that Bree Clark will open the ballet by performing “Dying Swan” with ballerina Mariia Yevdokymova, through the same Wunderkind program.
A few dozen dancers will be part of the show through Moscow Ballet’s Dance With Us program:
In Act One
Party Children: Ava Starner, Austin Williams, Bronwyn Fraser, Shayla Smith, Natalea Barbeau, Cordelia Blewett, Isabella Myers, Emily McNally, Olivia Avinou, Nalisha Maeir, Meelah Guicheteau, Eden Dooley
Small Mice: Austin Williams, Bronwyn Fraser, Keegan Donaldson Cannon Hilgendorf, Shayla Smith, Eden Dooley, Sadie Lybbert, Janessa Wieschorster
Little Snowflakes: Mercedes Weiss, Isadora LaBlanc-Knowlton, Catalina LaBlanc-Knowlton, Ayla Tatro, Penelope Shillington, Brooklyn Hallet-Timchuck, Morgan Carvalho-Salmon, Piper Guicheteau, Kieran Breton, Cash Buckley
In Act Two
Snow Sprites: Haejong Lee, Jade Laverdiere, Serrena Maier, Lyla Ressler
Snow Maidens: Bella Ng, Abree Gregory, Rowan Carvalho-Salmon, Gabrielle Grimes, Jaymes Boksteyn, Sierra Milroy, Kirsten Bjornson, Svea Wagner, Jaidyn Sleeking, Kinleigh Haysom, Cassie Maier, Abbey Edwards
Spanish Variation: Ava Starner, Nalisha Maier, Kaylee Simpson, Megan Stark
Chinese Variation: Olivia Avinou, Emily McNally, Annie Noon, Felicity Davies-Kelly
Russian Variation: Liv Dietrich, Jordyn Scrove, Tianna Carney, Larissa Pugacev, Meelah Guicheteau, Isabella Myers
Tickets are available at ticketmaster.ca, by phone at 1-855-985-5000 or in person at the Canalta Centre box office.
