Powell River Chorus - Canada
In 1955, the Ethel Eason Singers, directed by school teacher Virginia Farmer, and a few teachers and students led by Lyle Henderson joined their voices and named themselves the Powell River Choral Society. In 2016 the now named Powell River Chorus boasts over 80 members. The choir remains a non-auditioned community choir and regularly competes in local music festivals, presents two concerts annually, and performs at numerous hospitals, seniors’ centers and civic functions throughout Powell River. The choir has sung for royalty, at Expo ’86 as ‘core choir’ for the opening ceremonies and recorded 3 successive radio broadcasts over CBC's "Parade of Choirs." The repertoire is varied and the Chorus boasts one of the largest collections of choral music in BC.
Conductor Walter Martella is especially active in Powell River’s music scene. Walter is a versatile, experienced musician involved in genres of music ranging from classical and choral to jazz. Accompanist Maryna Gray holds a Masters Degree in piano pedagogy and accompanying from the Kharkiv State Institute of the Arts, Ukraine.