The Edmonton Swiss Men's Choir doesn't just
sing, it occasionally plays as well. From the fall of
1996, when Walter Meyer, Harald Witzler and Jim Ogilvy
formed the ESMC resident alphorn trio, it didn't take long
for the group to become a bit of a fixture at choir
engagements.
 When
the ESMC toured Switzerland in July 1995 Walter became
enamoured of both the music and the instrument. And what
better background could a person have for playing a wind
instrument – Walter is a fine cellist!
During that season Jim and Harald expressed an interest, with
the result that the choir purchased two fine instruments to
flank Walter's. The rather surprising thing is that these
were not made in Switzerland – they are products of
Rocky Mountain Alphorns of Calgary, Alberta, our sister
city to the south. Rocky Mountain owner Bill Hopson, a
virtuoso horn player in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra,
is also an outstanding alphornist for whom playing was not
enough – he decided to manufacture the horns as well.
His horns are fine examples of the instrument-maker's art:
a pleasure to play and to hear, and beautiful to behold.
Although alphorns are more awkward to transport than, say, a
piccolo, they have moved around a bit with the trio. In the
summer of 1997 they made it as far as
Pittsburgh to the triennial Sängerfest of the North
American Swiss Singing Alliance. In fact, there were seven
horns from various North American cities there, making
glorious music that echoed off the hills and highlighted a
beacon ceremony. In June 1999 the alphorns rang out in the
streets of Salt Lake City, Utah, where the 23rd Sängerfest
of the United Swiss Singing Societies of the Pacific Coast
took place June 17-20, 1999. Closer to home, the trio
has performed in a number of spots around Edmonton and
appears regularly with the choir.
As with other endeavours, personnel undergoes change. Jim is off to
Ottawa for a stint with the federal government, so the trio has temporarily
become a duo. However, the search is on for a new member from within the
choir, and the prospects look promising.
Alphorn Workshop at SWISS FESTIVAL
2000
Alphorns held a special place along with the traditional choral celebration
and competition at SWISS FESTIVAL 2000 when Edmonton hosted the triennial
international Sängerfest of the North American Swiss Singing Alliance.
On Thursday, June 29, 2000 the haunting voices of over a dozen alphorns were
heard calling across Edmonton's North Saskatchewan River valley. An
alphorn workshop started off the festival on June 29, 2000 and explored the
history, construction and playing technique of this special instrument. We
are delighted that William Hopson, whose virtuosity is recognized across North
America and in Switzerland, was leading the workshop.
|
