Frontenac Women's Chorus “Rocks” On

May 29, 2013

Hard-core rock n' rollers might have been surprised by the kind of “rock” that comprised the Frontenac Women's Chorus' repertoire at their May 25concert at Trinity United Church in Verona. But lovers of the rocky Frontenac landscape would have been pleased, as were the listeners who came out to enjoy the fresh and rock-solid offerings of this impressive three-part ladies choir.

Led by their fearless leader, Betty Wagner, the group performed a number of landscape-inspired tunes from a wide range of popular, folk and classical music. I was unfortunately only present for the first half of the concert but got to enjoy the group’s top-notch rendition of Ian Tyson's popular Canadian folk classic “Four Strong Winds”. The song’s opening verse was sung in multiple harmonies, in long and languid lines that quickly swelled into a moving lament that came together in unison and broke out yet again into luscious harmonies. The last chorus, which was sung without piano accompaniment, was especially memorable.

Local composer Jennifer Bennett was present for the choir’s interesting rendition of her piece titled “Psalm: For the Wind and the Shield Country”, which she wrote in 1995 with poetry by Steven Hayden. For this piece the choir moved from the stage and took up staggered positions, fully filling the aisles of the sanctuary and enveloping the audience with their voices. The effect allowed for a rare listening experience for individual members of the audience who were able to hear first and foremost the part from the voices closest to them. The forever favorite classic American folk song “Shenandoah” was next and was spine-tinglingly good, with an oh so memorable opening line that seemed to float in the air forever.

The always recognizable Fields of Gold was also moving, especially in the final key change nearing the end of the piece. The group took a calculated risk with Wagner's own rendition of the “Geographical Fugue” by Ernst Tosh, reworded by Wagner with Frontenac County place names and renamed by her as “The Frontenac Fugue”. Wagner's aim in rewriting the piece was to “celebrate all of the lovely names in the area”, which also happen to be some of her favorite sounding place names. The concert wrapped up a succession of three concerts over the years that have had the theme “animal-vegetable-mineral”. The “Rock On, Frontenac” concert was the final mineral element and also the last concert in the series.