The 16th Moravian Music Festival was held in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, June 28-July 3, 1987. Richard Schantz was choral conductor; Jeffrey Reynolds was band director, with members of the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and friends. Public events included …
- Sunday, June 28, opening lovefeast at Edmonton Moravian Church
- Monday, June 29, concert of brass music with Jean Reynolds, soprano, Moravian Music Festival brass ensemble, Jeffrey Reynolds, conductor, at Convocation Hall, University of Alberta
- Wednesday, July 1, Festival chorus and soloists, with the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and Friends, Richard Schantz, conductor, at All Saints Cathedral, featuring the Church Year in Moravian Music
- Thursday, July 2, concert by the Festival band, Jeffrey Reynolds, conductor, at Convocation Hall, University of Alberta
- Friday, July 3, Festival chorus, soloists, with the Alberta Baroque Ensemble and Friends, Richard Schantz, conductor, at All Saints Cathedral
Festival personnel included conductors Richard Schantz and Jeffrey Reynolds, Festival organist Monica Schantz, soprano Jean Reynolds, alto J. Paula O’Driscoll, bass James Monro, and the Alberta Baroque Ensemble.
In 1987, I attended the Festival in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Notwithstanding the challenge of trying to go to sleep in broad daylight, it was a beautiful and meaningful experience. I had a 15-year reunion with the Unionville Altos and reconnected with many friends. An unexpected moment was when Director Dick Schantz told me that one of the soloists was ill and unable to sing in the evening concert and that they were going to eliminate his solo but would like to proceed with the quartet. He asked me to fill in on the quartet. My five minutes of fame! This magical moment was pictured on the front cover of the Moravian Magazine!
– Bishop Sam Gray
Workshops included …
- Sharon Beckstead, Senior Choir Director in a Small Church
- Lee Brodeur, Junior Choir Director in a Small Church
- Rev. Wilfred Dreger, Canadian Moravians in Ministry and Missions
- Rev. Otto Dreydoppel, Jr., Modern Trends in Moravian Liturgy
- William Franklin, Liturgical Oral Reading
- Rev. Mark Van Herr, Modern Trends in Moravian Music
- Carol Alchin Otto, Organist in a Small Church
The Festival was chaired by Rev. R. E. Voelker, and a committee of M. Blair Couch, Sharon Dimond, Ken Hicks, Peter Leonard, Irene Noske, Brenda M. S. Prochnau, Colin Rees, and Janice Vitt, along with a larger subcommittee, did a fantastic organizational job to make this a very special Festival!
