CHOR LEONI – ERICK LICHTE CONDUCTOR | Fusion Handbell Choir | Tina Chang, piano | Vivian Chen, harp | Karen Lee-Morlang, piano | Katie Rife, Percussion | Cameron Wilson, violin | Keith Sinclair, guitar
Gather your loved ones for one of Vancouver’s most beloved holiday traditions. Immerse yourself in the spirit of the season with traditional carols and the warm glow of candlelight filling the stunning setting of St. Andrew’s-Wesley United. Enjoy sparkling new arrangements and appearances from favourite guest musicians. Christmas With Chor Leoni is the perfectly packaged gift your December deserves.
Tickets from $20-$78.75
35 and Under Ticket Pricing Available.
Let the voices of Chor Leoni and the beauty of St. Andrew’s-Wesley United bring you tidings of great comfort and joy this December.
Fusion Handbell Choir is a dynamic and innovative ensemble dedicated to the art of handbell ringing. Founded in January 2025 (formerly known as Resilience Ringers), Fusion Handbell Choir brings together talented musicians from diverse backgrounds.
Vancouver-based percussionist Katie Rife is a multifaceted artist who delights in exploring the shimmering and captivating sounds of the many instruments she plays. She is an enthusiastic performer of new music, with appearances in concerts presented by Music on Main, Vancouver New Music, Redshift Music Society, the Canadian Music Centre, Little Chamber Music, and the Blueridge Chamber Festival, and has worked closely with composers to premiere dozens of new works. Equally admiring of orchestral music, Katie is the principal percussionist with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, and has performed in numerous concerts with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and Allegra Chamber Orchestra.
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 at UBC School of Music. Karen has a passionate advocate for creating live music events, co-producing recital-lecture series for the Vancouver Opera, UBC Learning Exchange and Vancouver Public Library. She has 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. Locally, Karen enjoys collaborating regularly with ensembles such as Chor Leoni, Vivaldi Chamber Choir, Summerchor, Vancouver Welsh Mens Choir, St. Thomas More Collegiate, Vancouver Mens Chorus. Currently Music Director at St. Francis-in-the-Wood in West Vancouver, Karen leads the church choir and the Coast Mountain Mens Chorus. Karen also loves to produce professional performances for seniors living in long-term health care and retirement communities, and now has produced and performed over 1500 concerts for elders in the last 20 years!
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.
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.
Harpist, pianist, and singer Lily Breshears, draws inspiration from the likes of Claude Debussy, Olivier Messiaen, and Rihanna. The result is "exceedingly strange but beautiful, like something you'd find in a futuristic speakeasy." (Portland Mercury). While Sheers’ sound nears art pop, the Willamette Week writes, “it’s a real treat to hear a band that’s almost a genre unto themselves.”
Laura Jēkabsone is a composer, arranger, professional singer, music teacher, conductor and artistic director of the vocal group Latvian Voices. She got my Bachelor's degree in Music Education at Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and gained experience internationally in many vocal workshops and composition competitions. Her music has been performed by the a cappella group Latvian Voices, Latvian National Symphonic Orchestra, Liepāja Symphonic Orchestra, State Choir LATVIJA, Riga Cathedral Choir School girls' choir Tiara, a cappella groups The Real Group (Sweden), Sjaella, Amarcord (Germany), The Oxford Choir (UK), Mägi Ensemble (USA), Incantare Coro Femenino (Argentina), Raffles Chorale (Singapore), Landarbaso Abesbatza (Spain), etc.
Commended by the Vancouver Sun for his "sophisticated work of such immediate, glittery appeal" and called "a rising star in the constellation of Canadian composers" by Oregon Arts Watch, Nicholas Ryan Kelly writes choral and classical vocal music with a sense of cinematic drama. Internationally, his choral compositions have been performed on 6 continents by groups like the True Concord Voices, the Singapore Youth Choir, and countless community and university groups. At home, his music has been featured by most of Canada's top choirs--including the Elora Singers, Elmer Iseler Singers, Pro Coro Canada, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Elektra Women's Choir, Chor Leoni, Da Capo Chamber Choir, Halifax Camerata Singers, musica intima, the National Youth Choir of Canada, and many others.
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.
Ēriks Ešenvalds is amongst the most sought-after composers working today. Widely performed and recorded, his works span choral, orchestral, stage, and film. Ēriks is a popular speaker, which he often combines with leading masterclasses and conducting. Ēriks studied at the Latvian Academy of Music where he now teaches. He was a member of the Latvian State Choir and Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College Cambridge. His music has been performed at many notable venues around the world including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Concertgebouw, the Berliner Philharmonie, Elbphilharmonie, Gewandhaus, Musikverein, NCPA Beijing, Tokyo Opera City, and Sydney Opera House.
Shawn Kirchner is a composer, arranger, and songwriter based in Los Angeles whose choral works are performed throughout the world. His long creative relationship with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Artistic Director Grant Gershon culminated in his tenure as the ensemble’s Swan Family Composer in Residence from 2012-2015. Equally active as a performer, Kirchner has sung twenty seasons as a tenor with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in concerts featuring the world’s leading conductors, composers, and soloists. As a pianist, Kirchner appears throughout the country in performances of his music with collaborating choirs and is celebrated for his wide stylistic range, improvisation, and musicianship.
John Rutter is one of England's best-known composers of the late 20th century, as well as a widely respected choral conductor, music scholar, and editor. While his choral works, both small and large -- including the Gloria (1974), Magnificat (1990), Requiem (1985), Psalmfest (1993), and Mass of the Children (2003) -- are the most familiar, he has written instrumental works, including a piano concerto; two children's operas; and music for television. Rutter also composed specially for such groups as the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble and the King's Singers.
David Maddux is a New York-based arranger and composer whose varied and storied career includes serving in such roles as resident music director of Seattle Civic Light Opera, A-list Nashville session singer, and consultant to Disney Entertainment. He has arranged and orchestrated revues and materials for Harvey Fierstein, Rosemary Clooney, Lily Tomlin, Lesley Gore, Nell Carter, and countless others. His a cappella jazz vocal recording, An Evening In December, was nominated for a GRAMMY award.
©Chor Leoni 2026