And in small towns throughout Central Manitoba, telephones were ringing. An Arts Council staffer by the name of Bev Murray, and a music teacher by the name of Henry Peters were calling people to join forces to create a body which would promote choral music in the region. The Central Region Choral Committee was formed. Besides Bev and Henry, the inaugural members of that committee were Pat Adam from Treherne, Cindee Broeska from Carman, Craig Cassils from Gladstone, Peter DeRoche from Winkler, Margaret Loepp from Morris, Muriel Milgrom from Portage la Priarie, Dick Myers from Morden, and Loretta Sawatsky from Manitou.

The first Central Manitoba Youth Choir actually pre-dated the formation of the choral committee, as Henry, Bev, Craig and Peter had galvanized earlier in the year to initiate this project. The first conductor was Henry Engbrecht, and the accompanist was Cary Mead. The first School Choral Workshop was held in Winkler and Morden, with the Junior High Choir directed by Gerry Price, and the Senior High Choir directed by Ed Hildebrand, who this year is directing the 25th CMYC.

As the years went on, the committee changed faces many times, with committee members too numerous to mention joining or leaving the committee. People moved, people got married, people had babies, people brought their babies to the meetings – and in the blink of an eye, those babies grew up, participated in the workshops and choirs that their moms or dads had invested so much time in, graduated, and moved on.

The choral programs in the region grew and changed as well. In 1986, an Elementary School Choir component was added to the school choral workshop.

In 1987, a new initiative was added, with the first Central Region Church and Community Choir Workshop. Singers from throughout the region would meet for a one day workshop in February, forming an adult choir and a youth choir, and learning new songs with guest clinicians. After a banquet, the groups sang their newly learned songs for each other, and also listened to guest performances by local church or community choirs. This wonderful annual event carried on for nine years.

Also in 1987, the committee took on the formation of a regional adult chamber choir, directed by Henry Peters. This auditioned choir would meet in Carman and rehearse intensively over a period of a few weeks, and then present formidable concerts featuring works such as Handel’s Dixit Dominus, and Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, with Loren Hiebert and Verna Wiebe dashing off the four-hand accompaniment. Although this choir continued for only two years, it was a significant choral connection for the adult singers in the region.

In 1989, the committee decided to change its name to the Central Manitoba Choral Association, to more closely reflect its relationship with our parent organization, the Manitoba Choral Association, whose interest and support we have deeply appreciated over the years. In the same year, we were called to be part of a major review of funding for the arts in Manitoba. The monumental task of composing a paper to present to the panel coincided with the purchase of Al’s and my first computer, my first experience of losing and having to rewrite 10 pages of unsaved text, and no doubt Al’s first experience of witnessing my unleashed wrath in the face of technology.

As the work of the committee began to bear fruit, more and more students in the region began to take interest in CMCA events. In 1997 we expanded the school choral workshop to a two day event, in order to accommodate our increased numbers. This meant involving even more communities, volunteers, supper makers, billeters, and those countless other behind the scenes workers who continue make our events run as smoothly as they do. If the committee is the vision behind choral music in the region, then the local volunteers are certainly the hands, the feet and the backbone.

In the year 2000, CMCA responded to a growing province-wide interest in vocal jazz, by offering the first Central Region Vocal Jazz workshop. This one day event allows singers from established vocal groups to come and perform for each other, and receive on-stage feedback from a guest adjudicator, while inexperienced singers can come together to create a new group, learn some charts with a jazz expert and perform them at the end of the day. After supper, a local school jazz group opens the evening concert, and a featured guest group rounds out the entertainment. We are pleased to continue offering this exciting event every February.

The Central Manitoba Youth Choir has also evolved over the years. In the early years, the rehearsal camps rotated through various locations, including Winkler, Altona, Carberry, La Riviere, Holland, Boissevain, and even the Hotel Fort Garry. Over time, the choir happily settled in to the Circle Square Ranch near Austin as home base for rehearsals, where camp managers Lyle and Bev have graciously hosted us for many years now. Although we do not know exactly how many young people have sung their way through CMYC over the years, we do know that for many of them, the experience has been life changing. We have at least one pair of witnesses to that statement, as Justin Ried and Catherine Howatt, who sang together in CMYC later added the Wedding March to their repertoire. Their two sons could now be listed in the annals as pureblood CMYCers. Those are good genes!

In the year 2000, CMYC joined with Manitoba’s other two regional youth choirs, Westman and Eastman, in a gala Millenium Tri-Choir event held in Portage. This concert featured performances by each youth choir, followed by several rousing mass choir pieces. It was a truly momentous occasion.

Our committee has also been visited by sadness, with the passing of Mae MacNair last summer. Mae was a dedicated and tireless committee member for 10 years, and we fondly remember her attention to detail, her energy, and her love of music. Her legacy lives on in many ways.

There is no doubt as to the impact this committee has had on our region and on countless individuals, young and old. Over the years, when financial constraints are sometimes felt, deadlines sometimes loom, time and energy sometimes runs short, we ask ourselves “how” do we do this? But one question we never ask ourselves is “why” do we do this? The answer to that question is evident every day, in our schools, in our homes, and in our communities, as we see the richness that singing brings to our lives.

Choral music cannot be produced individually. It is only possible in a group. I believe that this interdependence, this shared discipline, this attention to detail, this appreciation of beauty and the resulting sense of profound joy represents values that are most fundamental and critical in our society.

On behalf of CMCA, I thank everyone who has shared in our journey.