After nearly five decades of performing in some of the best ensembles in the country including here in Winnipeg, a longtime chorister is hanging it up after one final performance this weekend.
John R. Smith, who sang with the Winnipeg Singers, Winnipeg Philharmonic Choir and Manitoba Opera chorus in the 1980’s, first began singing in church choirs as a boy before becoming a professional chorister with the Vancouver Bach Choir in 1969. Now, after over five decades of performing, he’ll be retiring from choral singing after one final performance of Handel’s Messiah with the Grand Philharmonic Choir in Kitchener, Ontario.
“I’ve been very fortunate in that regard,” Smith said when asked about the caliber of the various ensembles he’s performed with over the years.
In spite of his long career, Smith still remembers his first Messiah performance in Vancouver as being a challenging experience. "It's quite a stretch, as anybody who sings in a large choir can tell you,” he says. “If you're singing a major choral work, you have to be ready for it. There’s a certain athleticism to it.”
In addition to singing, Smith spent most of his career as a library worker, first at the University of British Columbia, and then in Kitchener and Winnipeg, where he was head cataloguer with the Winnipeg Public Library. Before his move, Smith spoke with his conductor in Kitchener, Howard Dyck, about who he should sing for in Winnipeg.
“He said, ‘Oh, definitely the Winnipeg Singers,’” Smith recounts with a laugh. “It was conducted by his brother-in-law. I thought, ‘Wow, this is a really small world!”
Listen to John R. Smith in conversation with Nolan Kehler on Morning Light:
Throughout his career, Messiah has been a key part of Smith’s repertoire. Smith has kept notes inside his score that he bought in 1979, and although he can’t provide an exact number, he estimates that he’s sung it over twenty times, most of which are with the Grand Philharmonic Choir. When asked about his most memorable Messiah performance, Smith gives the consummate professional answer: “The most memorable one is the one I’m about to do.”
Amidst performing his favourite choruses in the Grand Philharmonic Choir’s Messiah on December 14 – he spotlights “Glory to God” as a particular highlight – Smith doesn’t think that the emotions of the moment will overwhelm him. “It probably won’t hit me until the ending chorus is all over with,” he says.
“I deliberately chose this as my final concert with the choir because I thought, ‘Now that’s a good way to go out, saying amen to a long time of singing in big choirs.’ I’m looking forward to something different, but I will intensely enjoy the moment on Saturday night.”
Listen to John R. Smith's favourite chorus from Handel's 'Messiah' performed by the Boston Baroque.
Smith’s final performance takes place in Kitchener on December 14 with the Grand Philharmonic Choir. Meanwhile, audiences in Winnipeg can enjoy Handel’s Messiah from December 12 to 14 at Knox United Church on Edmonton Street. More information can be found at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s website.