CHOR LEONI – ERICK LICHTE CONDUCTOR | Tina Chang, piano | Vivian Chen, harp | Karen Lee-Morlang, piano | Saina Khaledi, santour | Cameron Wilson, violin | Keith Sinclair, guitar
Shimmering harmonies, immersive lighting, cherished carols, and more are wrapped together in one of Vancouver’s most popular holiday experiences: Christmas with Chor Leoni. Traditional songs in bright new arrangements, world premieres, and familiar musical guests come together this December to evoke all the mystery, wonder, and sparkling joy of the season. Join us as we celebrate the holidays and revel in the spirit of the season through song.
Tickets from $20-$75
35 and Under Ticket Pricing Available.
Gather friends and family and let the voices of Chor Leoni soothe and delight this winter season at one of Vancouver’s favourite holiday traditions.
Described as a "scintillating player" (Opera Wire) whose "...pianism was a wonder," (Opera Canada), pianist and coach Tina Chang is currently on the music staff at Vancouver Opera, and recently at Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland. Based in Vancouver, she has been involved with various arts organizations, including Arts Club Theatre, Chor Leoni, Sound the Alarm Music Theatre, City Opera, and Against the Grain Theatre. She holds her own private studio, and has held adjunct positions at University of British Columbia and Dalhousie University. Find out more about Tina at www.TinaChangPiano.ca.
Award-winning performer, educator and producer Karen Lee-Morlang has been lauded as “funny, brainy and creative.” After specializing in art song, opera and chamber music for two degrees from UBC, Karen taught as a Sessional Lecturer there. Karen has championed “art music for the masses” with dedicated passion, co-producing recital-lecture series for the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver Opera and Vancouver Public Library. Karen has also been featured at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, MusicFest Vancouver, World Peace Forum, Women's Worlds Conference, Vancouver Folk Festival and has been broadcast on CBC Radio. Karen enjoys working with local choirs such as Chor Leoni, Vivaldi Chamber Choir, EnChor, Vancouver Welsh Men’s Choir, and BC Girls Choir. Karen especially relishes her work as Music Director at St. Francis-in-the-Wood in West Vancouver and Artistic Director at Health Arts Society of BC.
Vivian Chen, born in Taiwan, discovered the harp on a family trip to Vancouver; now her home. Captivated by its elegance, she pursued music passionately, graduating top of her class from UBC School of Music and completing her Master of Music in Harp Performance with full scholarship. A student of Heidi Krutzen, Vivian has studied with renowned harpists and performed internationally, including at the World Harp Congress in Hong Kong and Taiwan’s National Theater. She was principal harpist of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, and has performed with Vancouver Opera and various ensembles. Her concerto debut featured Debussy’s Danse sacrée et Danse Profane, and she premiered works by Tan Dun and Derek Healey. Beyond classical repertoire, Vivian explores composition, conducting, and anime harp covers. She also enjoys needle felting and reading novels.
Saina Khaledi, an Iranian-Canadian musician, achieved significant recognition by emerging victorious in the Iranian Santour Festival in 2003. Holding a diploma from Iran’s most prestigious music school, the Tehran Music Conservatoire, Khaledi dedicated herself to her musical education and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Tehran Music University in 2007. Subsequently, she relocated to Canada in 2009. Since her arrival, Khaledi has performed extensively across various countries, including Iran, Austria, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, and Canada. Her performances have showcased her versatility as a composer, soloist, and collaborator with esteemed groups such as Music On Main, Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra (VICO), Vashaan Ensemble, Vancouver Bach Choir, BC Chinese Music Ensemble (BCCME), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), Vancouver Opera Orchestra, Canadian Music Centre (CMC), Allegra Chamber Orchestra, Richmond Choir, VanChoir, Medusa Society, Artemis Society, National Orchestra of Iran Conservatoire, Mellal Orchestra, and Hamnavazan Ensemble. Additionally, she has actively participated in various music productions and recordings. Currently, Khaledi holds teaching positions at Capilano University, and offers private lessons.
Violinist Cameron Wilson has been a fixture on the Vancouver music scene for the past three decades. He is recognized as one of the most versatile violinists, able to play a wide variety of different musical genres. He currently performs with Joe Trio as well as the gypsy jazz quartet, Van Django, The Wahs, Hard Rubber Orchestra, Mariachi del Soul, and the Marc Atkinson Quartet.
Keith Sinclair has been making music for over 20 years. He is primarily a guitar player and vocalist and has performed as a solo artist and as a sideman with a wide range of local and international artists. His time singing with Chor Leoni has nurtured his love of arranging and his music is now sung by choirs around the world.
Marie-Claire Saindon is a Franco-Ontarian choral composer with a penchant for vivid imagery and a great affinity for setting text. Her experience while studying music at McGill University and Université de Montréal ranges from accompanying dancers, to scoring films, to fiddling in a team of folk musicians on a historical steam train. Based in Montreal as composer-in-residence for Chœur Adleisia, she runs creative choral/vocal composition workshops, scores films, and teaches fiddle. Recipient of multiple composition prizes, her choral works are published with Boosey & Hawkes, Hal Leonard, Cypress Choral Music, and her film scores can be found on documentaries hosted by CBC Gem and Radio-Canada.
Ken Cormier is a pianist equally at home in the classical, pop, and jazz genres. Upon completion of his classical studies at the UBC School of Music, his professional career began with 3 seasons as repetiteur with Vancouver Opera. He then moved into the world of professional music theatre, first with the Livent Company, and more recently with Vancouver’s Arts Club, in whose productions he continues to work regularly as keyboardist, arranger, and musical director. Ken has been with Chor Leoni since 1998. He makes his home in Burnaby with his wife Lisa and their two wonderful children.
Howard Helvey (b. 1968) resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is active as a composer, arranger and pianist, and serves as organist and choirmaster of historic Calvary Episcopal Church. He is also co-founder (2013) and conductor of the Cincinnati Fusion Ensemble, a professional chamber choir. Additionally, in 2016 he became Editor of the historic music publishing imprint, H.W. Gray. Nationally and internationally Mr. Helvey is in frequent demand as a composer, conductor, and speaker. Known particularly for his choral music, Mr. Helvey maintains an extremely active writing schedule, and his hundreds of compositions and arrangements are published by Beckenhorst Press, Hinshaw Music, Oxford University Press, Boosey & Hawkes, H.W. Gray, Alliance Music, Lawson-Gould, E.C. Schirmer, MorningStar Music, Paraclete Press, and Roger Dean, among other companies.
Dan Forrest (b. 1978) is widely recognized as one of the leading American choral composers of our time. He has been described as having “an undoubted gift for writing beautiful music….that is truly magical” (NY Concert Review), with works hailed as “magnificent, very cleverly constructed sound sculpture” (Classical Voice), and “superb writing…full of spine-tingling moments” (Salt Lake Tribune). His music has sold millions of copies, has received numerous awards and distinctions, and has become well established in the repertoire of choirs around the world via commissions, festivals, recordings, radio/TV broadcasts, and premieres in prominent international venues. Dan’s work ranges from small choral works to instrumental solo works, wind ensemble works, and extended multi-movement works for chorus and orchestra. His Requiem for the Living (2013) and Jubilate Deo (2016) have become standard choral/orchestral repertoire for ensembles around the world, with LUX (2018), the breath of life (2020), and CREATION (2023) also receiving critical acclaim. Dan holds a D.M.A in Composition (University of Kansas, 2007) and a master’s degree in piano performance. He served for several years as a professor and department head (music theory and composition) in higher education, and is a past Chair of the American Choral Directors Association Composition Initiatives Committee. He currently serves as Vice President of Publications and Editor at Beckenhorst Press, Composer in Residence at Furman University, and Artist in Residence at Mitchell Road Presbyterian Church (Greenville, SC). Details about Dan and his work can be found at www.danforrest.com.
©Chor Leoni 2025