EnChor is an auditioned SATB choir based in Vancouver directed by Morna Edmundson. The creation of the late Dr. Diane Loomer, C.M., in 2007, the choir draws on the strong musical background of experienced singers who have reached their 55th birthday. EnChor’s mission is to grow and challenge ourselves through quality choral repertoire while encouraging and supporting future generations of musicians.
In this edition of the EnChor! Newsletter, we feature:
A description of our Outreach Mandate
The story of an EnChor alto--music therapist extraordinaire
A Lifetime Achievement Award for EnChor singer Marnie Carter
If you enjoyed reading the newsletter, please forward it to friends who love music.
OUTREACH CONCERTS
EnChor's Mandate from the Beginning
EnChor was created in 2007 by Diane Loomer and right from the start the choir’s mission has been to share our joy of singing together and to touch the lives of others through the power of song. When the question was asked, “Where could EnChor contribute the most?”, the answer was easy. Care homes, retirement homes and hospices all seemed a perfect fit for a choir made up of people “of a certain age!” In the ensuing years, EnChor has performed at a number of facilities throughout the lower mainland. Our concerts, intermingled with rousing well known sing along songs are a highlight for both the performers and audience. EnChor’s commitment to touching the lives of others in assisted living through music continues even in this time of Covid. Although we cannot sing together in person as a choir, EnChor singers have taken on the challenge of producing a video of songs specifically aimed at our audiences in retirement homes, care facilities and elsewhere. We look forward to telling you more about this endeavor in our next newsletter.
MEET VALERIE WEEKS
Music Therapist Extraordinaire
Valerie, one of our amazing alto singers, has been with EnChor since 2011. Here she tells of training for, and working in, the important field of music therapy.
Human connection is a subject much on our minds in this time of Covid. We are all deeply aware of ways in which it is more absent, or requiring much effort or different means to sustain now. I think it is at the root of my dual career in music performance and music therapy. It is also, I believe, at the heart of EnChor, both as individuals and as a community. My career as a music therapist began here in Vancouver in 1992, when I arrived as a freshly minted music therapist about to begin a 6 month internship at St. Paul’s Hospital in palliative care. I had been performing on the harpsichord for about 15 years prior to that, living in London, Amsterdam and Toronto. As much as I enjoyed solo and chamber performance, I was increasingly aware of the isolation that such a life can impose; hours of solo practise daily, never ending self-promotion. I found myself craving a deeper connection with others through music than what concert life was offering me, and decided to explore music therapy. Dr. Colin Lee, an eminent music therapist, pianist and composer has called music therapy the “highest calling” in the field of music, and believes that it requires all our skills at the utmost level. I have found it to be just that, and it has given back a thousand fold.
Vancouver was familiar to me from prior visits to perform and teach for Early Music Vancouver, but it was also here that I was first introduced to someone as “our music therapist”. I remember the thrill, and also feeling a bit of a fraud at the time! I have had the great good fortune of many wonderful mentors: teachers Greta Kraus and Gustav Leonhardt, and Dr. Rosemary Fisher in music therapy. It was Dr. Fisher who insisted that it was not only possible but imperative that I continue to play while embarking on my new career. Without that encouragement I doubt that I would have taken such a big step.
As a music therapist I have had the joy of assisting people living with dementia connect with family, staff, and their prior selves, with music providing the catalyst and means. The rewards: smiles of recognition, realization and confirmation of capacity, moments of grace, love, fun and peace. Connecting generations in nursery rhyme songs, finding a community of values in singing favourite hymns, having an armchair dance party courtesy of Glenn Miller or Elvis, expressing selfhood or eternity in a song, sharing memories evoked by music that takes us down a back road.
My professional life has been largely at Providence Healthcare: St. Paul’s Hospital, Marion Hospice, and the veterans’ care home Brock Fahrni. I was also the music therapist for seven years at Elim Village, where EnChor has performed.
Editor’s Note:In 2018 Valerie was recognized by Providence Healthcare with the Individual Mission Award in Residential Care. Click HEREto get a glimpse into Valerie’s work as a music therapist.
Marnie Carter: A Lifetime Commitment to the Arts
Marnie, an EnChor alto, is a founding member of the choir. Congratulations to her on this well-deserved award!.
Marnie Carter, talented pianist, dedicated teacher and philanthropist, was awarded the Canadian Music Centre’s Barbara Pentland 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary contribution to Canadian Music on October 27 at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Music Centre in BC. The Pentland Awards, dedicated to British Columbia Legacy composer Barbara Pentland, recognize extraordinary contributions to Canadian music, excellence in compositions and exceptional performances of Canadian music in British Columbia. Previous recipients of this prestigious award include such celebrated composers and conductors as Maestro Bramwell Tovey, Owen Underhill and Jon Washburn.
Marnie studied piano in her hometown of Winnipeg, as well as in Toronto, Montreal, and London, England. She was married to the late Howard Carter, founder of the Carter Auto Group, and raised a family also involved in the arts while maintaining an active piano and accompanying career.
Marnie has made a lifetime commitment to Canadian music and is a passionate supporter of the performing arts, particularly music and dance. In addition to her many accomplishments, Marnie is a founder of the Deux Mille Foundation. This foundation was created in 2000 with a goal to provide funding to non-profit arts organizations in British Columbia through annual grants that support an array of arts and women’s programs.
Become a Friend of EnChor
If this newsletter has been forwarded to you by a friend but you would like to receive it directly, please consider becoming a "Friend of EnChor". You can enroll by clicking HERE. We promise not to overwhelm your mailbox with announcements. You'll receive the newsletter and information about upcoming concerts. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Please consider a tax-deductible gift to support EnChor’s current activities and our plans for the future.
