The long-awaited return of Trinity Western University’s Christmas concert is here.
Christmas at the Chan features TWU’s choral ensembles plus a full orchestra, all under the direction of award-winning conductor Dr. Joel Tranquilla.
Back for the first time after two years, Christmas at the Chan is happening on December 4.
Christmas at the Chan, presented by Trinity Western University
Date & Time: Sunday, December 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Location: Chan Centre for the Performing Arts – 6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver, BC
Tickets: Purchase tickets at the Chan Centre box office.
Four choirs, one memorable Christmas concert
Since 2004, Christmas at the Chan has been a beloved tradition for many throughout the Lower Mainland.
This year’s captivating choral and orchestral event showcases choirs from Trinity Western University’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture, including TWU’s Chamber Choir, Chamber Singers, and Klemata Chorale (formerly Masterworks Chorus), all led by Director of Choral Activities Dr. Joel Tranquilla. Singers from the Langley Fine Arts School Chamber Choir, led by Choral Director Jonny Michel, will be joining Trinity Western’s choirs as special guests.
Evoking “the sense of awe and wonder at the Incarnation,” the music speaks to the moment when “the invisible is seen, the intangible is touched.”
Mystery and anticipation are the themes of this long-awaited event.
Evoking “the sense of awe and wonder at the Incarnation,” the music speaks to the moment when “the invisible is seen, the intangible is touched.” Aptly, the title of the program is “Inexpressible Mystery,” taken from a 4th-century poem set to music by Tawnie Olson. Toronto composer Stephanie Martin’s five-movement Christmas cantata, Winter Nights, is the center of the program. Martin’s moving work will be woven together with timely selections from Canadian and international contemporary female composers. In tune with the spirit of the season, program highlights include many traditional Christmas favourites.
Concert listeners will be immersed within the rich sounds of this festive production, which features close to 100 singers and a full orchestra performing within the exceptional acoustics of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.
Students and alumni in TWU’s Music program have the joy and delight of sharing their talent and hard work in this year-end event.
Students and alumni in TWU’s Music program have the joy and delight of sharing their talent and hard work in this year-end event. Throughout the concert, TWU students appear in a variety of vocal groups, arrangements, and musical styles, providing singers with the rich learning experience of concert hall performance. SAMC students and graduates in Art + Design and in Media + Communications have contributed their talent as well, by designing the concert program’s cover, layout, and program notes.
Trinity Western University is grateful for the generous support of the Chan Endowment Fund of the University of British Columbia in bringing to life this musical gift to the wider community.
About Joel Tranquilla, Director of Choral Activities
Dr. Joel Tranquilla is a conductor and music educator noted for his versatile musicianship and creative programming. As the Director of Choral Activities at Trinity Western University, he leads the choirs and teaches various other courses within the School of the Arts, Media + Culture. Joel is also the Artistic Director of the Valley Festival Singers in Abbotsford and the Associate Conductor of the Juno-nominated Canadian Chamber Choir. In high demand as an adjudicator and clinician, Joel has been the Guest Conductor of the New Brunswick Youth Choir and the Manitoba Provincial Honour Choir, as well as the Assistant Conductor of the National Youth Choir of Canada. He holds degrees from Michigan State University, the University of Michigan, and Mount Allison University as well as ARCT diplomas from the Royal Conservatory of Music in both piano and voice performance.
About Trinity Western University’s SAMC Choirs
The choirs of Trinity Western University have gained a strong reputation through their regular stand-alone performances and collaborations with professional ensembles such as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Sea to Sky Symphony, the Canadian Chamber Choir, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir. In recent years, the TWU Chamber Choir has toured to China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan. A newly commissioned oratorio by Dr. David Squires will be premiered by the choirs this coming spring, and members of the program will also travel with Dr. Tranquilla to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall. Students come from programs and departments all across the Langley campus, and graduates of the choral program have gone on to work as conductors, studio musicians, educators, worship leaders, composers, music scholars, and performers.
About Langley Fine Arts School Chamber Choir
The Langley Fine Arts School Chamber Choir, under the direction of Jonny Michel, is an auditioned group of singers from grades 9 to 12. One of eight choirs in the music program, the LFAS Chamber Choir has earned numerous awards including the FCMF national festival Paul Bourret award, and more recently, third place in the national CBC Classroom Music Competition. Last year, the LFAS Chamber Choir was a top-five finisher in the Canada’s Top High School Choirs competition.
About Jonny Michel, Choral Director
Jonny Michel is a lyric tenor and choral director from Langley, B.C. As a classical tenor with a special interest in oratorio and concert works, Jonny has been featured as a soloist with the UBC Orchestra, UBC University Singers, and with UBC Opera at Bard on the Beach. He has been featured as a soloist with the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra, the Arioso Quartet, Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir, the Gloria Dei Chorale, Belle Voci, Chilliwack Evensong Chamber Singers, United Voices Choir and Kwantlen University Chorus. From 2015 to 2018 Jonny enjoyed singing in the tenor section with Phoenix Chamber Choir in Vancouver, and in the fall of 2021, he made his debut with musica intima. Jonny is a vocal instructor within TWU’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture.
About TWU’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture
Learn to impact the soundtrack of the world at TWU’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture. For more information about the SAMC Music program, visit twu.ca/samc.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.