Our Choir

VICTORIA CHORAL SOCIETY

The Victoria Choral Society, directed by Brian Wismath, is an auditioned, mixed-voice symphonic choir dedicated to presenting the finest choral music from baroque to contemporary. Founded in 1934, the Victoria Choral Society has played a leading role in Victoria’s cultural life, and has performed with every Victoria Symphony conductor since the Symphony’s inception.

The choir was created after 300 singers, representing most of the church choirs of the day in Victoria, assembled in 1934 to sing Handel’s Messiah. They agreed to continue singing together to promote choral music – and so the Victoria Choral Union was born. In 1952, the choir name changed and officially became The Victoria Choral Society. This vibrant ensemble has flourished under the leadership of several well-known music directors including Giuseppe Pietraroia, Michael Gormley, Brian Jackson, Bruce More, and currently Brian Wismath.

Recent performances with the Victoria Symphony include Handel’s Messiah, Wagner’s Lohengrin (Third Act), Verdi’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem, and Brahms’ Requiem. In 2015, the VCS men’s chorus performed the world premiere of The Piper, a moving work by local composer Tobin Stokes, and part of the Victoria Symphony’s Lest We Forget series.

The Victoria Choral Society is a member of the British Columbia Choral Federation, Choral Canada, and Chorus America. The choir is proud to collaborate with many community partners including Ballet Victoria, Pacific Opera Victoria, Victoria Chamber Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, and Vox Humana Chamber Choir.

HIGHLIGHTS

RECENT PERFORMANCES

Each year, the Victoria Choral Society produces its own concerts with orchestra and soloists, most recently J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Brahms’ Schicksalslied, Matthew Coleridge’s Requiem, Jonathan Dove’s The Passing of the Year, Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, Leonard Enns’ This Thirsty Land, and Ten Thousand Rivers of Oil, John Estacio’s The Houses Stand Not Far Apart, Ola Gjeilo’s Luminous Night of the Soul, Sacred Heart (Ubi Caritas III), and Sunrise Mass, G.F. Handel’s Joshua, Larysa Kuzmenko’s Golden Harvest, Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang, W.A. Mozart’s Requiem, Laudate Dominum, and Ave Verum Corpus, Knut Nystedt’s Immortal Bach, Rheinberger’s Mass in C Major, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

ARTISTIC TEAM

Photo by Jon-Mark Photography

Brian Wismath, M.Mus.

Music Director

Brian Wismath is Music Director of Victoria Choral Society and an instructor at Victoria Conservatory of Music. He has served as Artistic Director of Vox Humana Chamber Choir, Music Director of Civic Orchestra of Victoria, Linden Singers of Victoria, Stratford Concert Choir, Tucson Masterworks Chorale, University of Victoria Chamber Singers, and Vancouver Peace Choir. With a rich musical background, he is in demand as a clinician and has been guest conductor of Victoria Symphony and Ballet Victoria. He has prepared choruses for renowned conductors Robert Cooper, Laurence Cummings, Steven Devine, Robert Franz, Christian Kluxen, Jeanne Lamon, Tania Miller, Michelle Mourre, Giuseppe Pietraroia, Ivars Taurins, and Timothy Vernon.

A passionate advocate for the performance of new music, Mr. Wismath has commissioned and premiered numerous works by composers from around the world. Significant recent performances include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion and The National Anthem, and Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang. He is recognized for creating meaningful concert experiences, featuring unique venues chosen to enrich repertoire choices that inspire audience members and musicians.

Mr. Wismath began his education in choral music as a chorister in the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir. After completing a Bachelor of Music at Queen’s University, he received a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from the University of Arizona. In 2017, he was awarded the Herbert Drost Award by the British Columbia Choral Federation.

Wendy Stofer, M.Mus.

Pianist

Wendy Stofer has been the pianist for the Victoria Choral Society since 1992. She received a BMus degree in piano performance from the University of Washington and a MMus degree in collaborative piano performance from the University of Michigan. While pursuing doctoral studies with Martin Katz at the University of Michigan, Wendy was appointed to the music faculty of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she subsequently taught for five years. Since returning to Victoria in 1991, she has been much in demand as accompanist and chamber musician, performing at the Old Schoolhouse Concert series, the Hornby Festival, and as one of the official pianists for the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest in Vancouver. Wendy is the collaborative pianist for winds and brass at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and regularly performs with pianist Jane Edler-Davis in the piano duo KlaVIERhands.

Wendy is the 2008 recipient of the British Columbia Choral Federation’s Joyce O. Maguire Award for Outstanding Long Term Service as a Choral Accompanist.