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. Now named Powell River Chorus, the choir boasts over 80 members. It 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 Dr. Moira Hopfe-Ostensen holds both Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Alberta in Piano Performance and Literature. She has earned Certification of Advanced Studies and an Associate Degree from the Royal College of Music (Piano Pedagogy), a Licentiate Degree from the Royal Academy of Music (Piano Performance), London, England, and a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree (Piano Performance & Pedagogy) at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Moira most recently held the position as Chair of the Keyboard Department at SWBTS where she was Professor in Piano Performance and Pedagogy to bachelor, master and doctoral students. Concurrently, Dr. Moira was the Director of the Southwestern Music Academy and Assistant Director of the Southwestern Center of the Arts in Fort Worth, Texas. Other study and teaching locations include Arizona State University, the University of Western Ontario, the University of British Columbia, the Banff School of Fine Arts, and the Johanneson Summer School of the Arts, Victoria.