District Illuminate Choral Ensembles

About the Program
The West Vancouver Schools’ Illuminate Choral Ensembles (formerly WVS Honour Choir Program) offer an opportunity to challenge and extend the learning of West Vancouver Schools’ finest young singers in Grades 8-12.  The course will be offered in three sections depending on age, voice type/vocal range, and experience. Enrollment in their school choir for the year in which they are registered is a co-requisite for the Illuminate Choral Ensembles. Students, upon successful audition, will be placed by the program director into one of 3 choirs:

1. The Illuminate Choral Ensemble (grades 8-12)
2. The Lighthouse Ensemble (an invitational, touring ensemble)

All choir courses are held on Tuesday evenings at West Vancouver Secondary School (South Campus Cafeteria Building, Room 64).
The Illuminate Choral Ensemble will meet from 5:15-6:45 pm.
The invitational, touring Lighthouse Ensemble will meet from 7:00-9:00 pm.

 

Prerequisites
Successful applicants to the Illuminate Choral Ensembles must meet the prerequisites for the courses before applying.

Prerequisites are as follows:

• experience singing in a choir or equivalent vocal training (either school or community)
• knowledge of basic music theory (e.g., note names, basic note values, basic dynamics, and articulation markings)
• availability for concerts and extra rehearsals outside of regular class time (schedule provided at the start of each term)
• Enrollment in their school choir for the year in which they are registered is a corequisite for the Illuminate Choral Ensembles.

Prerequisites for the Lighthouse Ensemble (new for 2024-2025) include the prerequisites for the Illuminate Ensembles in addition to the following:

• Preference will be given to students who have already participated in the Treble or Mixed Illuminate Choirs
• Minimum of 2 years singing in a school based/community based choral ensemble
• Demonstration of music literacy and sight singing (solfege or numbers) required in the audition process
• A written essay on the personal qualities that the candidate has that would make him/her/them a valued member of an invitational ensemble
• An understanding that travel is part of the mandate of this ensemble, both for competition and performance and may include additional costs related to these opportunities

Audition Process

The auditions will cover a variety of vocal exercises to assess concepts such as vocal range, pitch accuracy, and tone quality. There will also be a basic theory quiz (dynamics, basic note values, basic articulations).

The Lighthouse Ensemble candidates will also need to write a more complex theory quiz (demonstrating knowledge of major and minor key signatures) and completing a 4-8 bar sight-singing exercise using solfege or numbers in a major key.

Auditions will be held at WVSS – date and time will be communicated to students via email.

Students should apply at the link provided on the District website and they will be notified by email of the student’s specific live audition time at WVSS.

The cost for this program is $300 per year ($30 monthly).

*Program fees are subject to Board approval.

Travel

Integral to any performing arts program is the opportunity to perform in a variety of milieu.  All of the Illuminate ensembles will be performing in festivals, participating in workshops, and have opportunities to travel and perform.  Cost for these trips will vary but will be in addition to the course fees.

Contact WVS Illuminate Ensembles Director Mrs. Suzanne Fulton, for more information at sfulton@wvschools.ca

 

For more information:

Mrs. Suzanne Fulton
WVS Teacher
WVS District Honour Choir Director
sfulton@wvschools.ca

Music Unites Us

This project was created with District Honour Choir families in support of Canada’s Music Monday on May 4, 2020.