St. Albert choirs salute folk music

St. Albert Singers can’t get enough of performing and once again, they are putting a lot of gusto into saluting the world of folk music, folk dance and folk stories.

While the folk genre may not exactly be mainstream, One World, One Voice, One Song coming to the Arden Theatre swings from corner to corner of the globe, reinvigorating the best of the tried and true — rural songs and stories that define and give cultures their individual patina.

Sprinkled throughout is a wide spectrum of tunes from lullabies and bar ditties to animal humour and spirituals that at their core unify all people.

“We are all put in this world together and we are here to help one another,” says musical director Criselda Mierau.

When the curtain comes up, Edmonton-based Timothy Anderson will lead the pack, acting and narrating stories throughout the two-hour show.

“You’ve heard of triple threats? Well, Tim is a quintuple threat. He’s an actor, singer, dancer, writer and composer. Although he’s not composing for us, all these skills will add an extra element. He’ll be telling folk tales and he’ll act out parts that embody characters.”

Both the 56-person mixed adult St. Albert Singers and the Women’s Vocal Ensemble of 35 voices are joint fun-loving showboats that have developed a reputation for adding that special zing to their acts.

The choirs’ musical plane touches down with the Irish tunes The Water is Wide, Danny Boy and The Last Rose of Summer, Scotland’s Loch Lomond and England’s The Drunken Sailor.

Just to add a touch of spectacle, the women’s choir sings Jasmine Flower in Mandarin while choreographer Rachel Chee-Choo’s four dancers perform a fan dance. “It’s very novel. It’ll be a standout,” says Mierau.