I am now the new music director of the Cantabile Singers of Kamloops
I have been asked to take on the role of music director for the Cantabile Singers of Kamloops, as the now-outgoing director Chris Linton is moving away, and have crossed over to the “other” side of the conductor’s stand.
Cantabile was the first adult choir I ever sang with. At the time I joined I was a few months shy of my 16th birthday and the minimum age limit was 18. They needed basses, so an exception was made. I sang with them for nearly a decade before heading off to study music at university.
Though there have been many changes in the membership over the years, including a shift from the founding music director Evelyn Claudpierre to Chris Linton about 10 years ago, it was very comforting to see that the choir was still going strong upon my return to Kamloops. Coming back to sing with Cantabile was a delight. There were only a small handful of people I knew from “back in the day” before I left, but it didn’t matter. The choir still sang a fun mix of repertoire and everyone was dedicated to that mix of having fun but also putting in the effort to constantly be the best they could be. Just like when I left.
When Chris was offered a position out of town, she asked me to consider taking her place as music director upon her departure. Though I don’t generally strive to be on the “other” side of the conductor’s stand, this was an opportunity that I felt I needed to take. The choir has a lovely collection of humans in it, and having been singing with them for some time now I definitely know what the choir can do. I’m a good mix of nervous and excited, and am looking forward to what the future will bring.
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Ryan Noakes
Ryan Noakes was born in 1979 in Kamloops, British Columbia, where he grew up thinking life was a musical with his parents constantly playing and singing along with records. An accomplished singer, he has been a member of numerous choirs and vocal ensembles and performed in several musical theatre productions. Ryan received his BMus in composition from the University of Victoria in 2008. At UVic he was a two-time recipient of the Murray Adaskin Prize in Music Composition. Ryan also helped to establish two new vocal ensembles at the university. After graduating from UVic, he was instrumental in the creation of the Vancouver Island Chamber Choir; as a founding member, manager, and composer-in-residence. In 2010 Ryan relocated to Vancouver and received his MMus in composition from the University of British Columbia in 2012. He has recently returned to his home town of Kamloops.
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