Cyrilika Slavic Chamber Choir is excited to offer it eclectic mix of ethnic and spiritual music at their debut concert on May 8 | Photo by Goran Samardziski

Cyrilika Slavic Chamber Choir is a unique new addition to Vancouver’s music scene where both amateur choir music and Slavic heritage are minority subcultures at present. The very word Cyrilika conveys the choir’s ethos: the name is based on the Serbian word “cirilica”, the alphabet shared by many Eastern European nations, but is modified with an addition of the ‘y’ and ‘k’ to pay homage to the choir’s Canadian home base.

Formed in 2012, Cyrilika’s mission is to celebrate and share Slavic cultural and musical heritage within the Canadian multicultural landscape. For their inaugural concert on May 8, the choir hopes to entice local audiences with an ambitious repertoire consisting of Slavic songs, Christian Orthodox church music, as well as Renaissance madrigals and African-American spirituals.

Cultivating excellence

Cyrilika is a mixed amateur choir consisting of 20 singers from Serbian, Macedonian and Bulgarian backgrounds. Co-founder Goran Nikolic sang for 15 years in the internationally acclaimed Branko Krsmanovic choir in Belgrade, Serbia.

He now sings bass in Cyrilika, and says that his love of choir music and the traditional European choir repertoire and training methods inspired him to co-found Cyrilika along with Ivana Vrakela and artistic director Emilija Lale.

“Our working method is very similar to that in Serbia. The approach is very professional, and unlike many amateur choirs in Canada where the emphasis is more on the social and recreational aspects, we insist on perfecting the music,” says Nikolic.

Novak Apic, Cyrilika board member and second tenor, also appreciates the emphasis on high musical standards which requires that all members audition to be admitted to the choir.

“Rehearsals can be intense at times, but it is all a necessary part of the creative process,” says Apic who sang for a decade in the Braca Baruh choir in Belgrade, as well as a couple of Vancouver choirs prior to joining Cyrilika.

Shared cultural ties

Though the social element is not the sole focus of this choir, it is still a treasured aspect of the experience.

“Singing in an amateur choir requires a strong social component in addition to the love of music, and I have never quite enjoyed that element as much as I do here in Cyrilika,” says Apic.

Part of the ease of social interaction in Cyrilika arises from the similar cultural backgrounds of its members.

“To be able to sing in one’s own language, and to exchange energy on the stage with people with like-minded cultural sensibilities is a great symbol of success for me,” says Emilija Lale, Cyrilika’s Macedonian-born artistic and music director.

Though here in Vancouver she is a sought-after piano and musical theory teacher, Lale taught choir conducting and was an award winning choir director back in Macedonia. Getting to work with Cyrilika was therefore a homecoming of sorts for her and marked a return to choral music, her first and greatest musical love.

Lale explains that the choir culture in Canada is much less developed than in Europe, where there are numerous choir competitions as well as generous financial support from most national ministries of culture. Choirs like Cyrilika, a registered non-profit organization, have to self-finance and fundraise in order to survive.

Richly diverse repertoire

At the May 8 debut concert, Lale is excited to share an eclectic mix of ethnic and spiritual music – something that Slavic choirs are known for. Slavic ethnic music can be divided into rural and urban traditions, and both were distinct inspiration for many choral composers. On the other hand, Christian Orthodox church music has its origin in Byzantine church verses, and was developed for the Orthodox Church service, or liturgy.

Cyrilika’s commitment to not only celebrating Slavic musical heritage, but also honouring multiculturalism, is evident in the inclusion of African-American spiritual music in their repertoire.

“African-American music has an emotional and spiritual resonance which bears a striking kinship to the Slavic mentality. The audience will have an opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of musical and emotional moments at our concert,” says Lale.

Nikolic and Apic also believe that the spiritual and folkloric elements in Cyrilika’s musical offering will be appealing to Vancouver audiences who are always hungry for non-mainstream culture.

“We want this choir to really take root here and become a fixture on the Vancouver musical scene,” Apic says.

Cyrilika’s debut concert will take place at 8 p.m. on May 8 at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St.

Admission is by donation, and is on a first-come-first-served basis. For more info on Cyrilika, including information on how to join, visit
www.cyrilika.com
www.facebook.com/cyrilika.slavicchamberchoir.