Calgary Women's Chorus

Singing with passion, performing with flair!

Fanfares and Lullabies

A very special Christmas collaboration!

Fanfares and Lullabies
Christmas with Foothills Brass and Calgary Women’s Chorus

Cody Obst, Artistic Director
Antonina Cox, Accompanist
and special guest percussionist, Jon McCaslin
Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 2:30 PM

McDougall United Church, Calgary
(8516 Athabasca St SE)
Doors open at 2:00 PM

Adults/Seniors $25
Students $10
Children 12 & Under FREE

Tickets available on Showpass (click below), by calling the Polaris Centre Box Office at (403) 255-9368, or from choir members.

https://www.showpass.com/fanfares-lullabies/

Here is a Christmas collaboration sure to raise the roof! Acclaimed brass quintet, Foothills Brass, joins forces with the angelic voices of the Calgary Women’s Chorus in "Fanfares and Lullabies.” Featuring festive and beloved Christmas carols and songs of the season, this concert includes musical fireworks alongside a collection of more intimate fireside pieces. Composers include Sergei Rachmaninoff, Eric Whitacre, Sir David Willcocks, and Canadian choral composers Howard Cable, Mark Sirett, and Larry Nickel, among others. Join Foothills Brass Quintet, the 50+ voices of Calgary Women’s Chorus, and percussionist Jon McCaslin this December 18th!

About the Choir

The Calgary Women's Chorus is a non-auditioned choir that was
established in 2011 and has grown every season since then! Now with over 50 members, the women in this choir love to sing and socialize together. They rehearse weekly for an hour and a half and prepare programs for both their fall and spring sessions that are performed throughout the city at Retirement Residences, Care Centres, the Knox Carol Festival, ChoralFest, and by request. Their end-of-the-year Spring Tea always draws a big audience and lots of smiles!

Listen

We are pleased to present our first virtual choir performance. "One Voice" is a powerful message of what we can achieve when we work together--an inspiring message of hope! Recorded during the month of April, 2021. We would love it if you shared this video.

Gallery

Below you will find photos from our various events and rehearsals throughout the season. What a fun time we all have together! Music definitely is good for the soul.

Some of the choir members after our performance and clinic at ChoralFest 2015.

Laughing with guest clinician, Robert Filion, at ChoralFest 2015.

Display for our "Maritimes & More" themed Spring Tea, May 31, 2015

Choir Members Pat and Joy help with the Tea preparations.

Our Team

Our wonderful and inspiring musical leaders!

Cody Obst,
Artistic Director & Conductor

Cody Obst, pianist, conductor, vocal coach, and organist has dedicated his life to sharing the joy of music with everyone he meets. His remarkable technical ability, depth of musical expression, and engaging stage presence are known to transport and delight listeners from all walks of life. An advocate of arts accessibility for all, Mr. Obst has given well over 2,000 public presentations as soloist, accompanist, and conductor from tiny churches in rural Saskatchewan to huge concert halls in Japan.

In addition to being the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Calgary Women's Chorus, Cody is Accompanist and Assistant Conductor of The Festival Chorus. He has worked with many different choirs including the Calgary Multicultural Choir, Calgary Bach Choir, Savridi Singers, Firebird Chamber Singers, Calgary Children’s Choir, Calgary Youth Choir, University of Calgary Chamber Choir, Calgary Choir for Peace, and the Centennial Singers (in addition to many church and school choirs.) Cody has participated in choral intensives with the Vancouver Chamber Choir and the University of Michigan, and attended invaluable clinics through World Choral Symposiums in both Copenhagen and Seoul, the Sacred Summer Music Conference in Norfolk (Virginia), Choir Alberta, and the Edmonton International Choral Festival. He has created and delivered special choral programs for both the Calgary Board of Education and Alberta First Nation Communities.

Cody Obst holds Bachelor of Music and Education degrees from Brandon University (where he received the Silver Medal for best student in the program) and a Masters Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Calgary. He has competed in local, provincial, and national piano competitions and has won the Manitoba provincial championship in Senior Piano, was a finalist in the Saskatchewan Concerto Competition, and has competed in two national piano competitions: the National Music Festival and the Canadian Registered Music Teachers National Piano Competition. He is a Prizewinner in the Snjolaug Sigurdson Piano Competition. Cody has participated in two International Festivals: the Académie Internationale "Barbara Krakauer" in France and three times in the Mountain View International Festival of Song in Calgary. Currently, Cody performs with pop vocalist, Michael Hope, and appears on a CD with him titled, “Hallelujah,” which was nominated for “Inspirational Album of the Year” by the Gospel Music Association of Canada. He frequently concertizes with opera singer, Krista de Silva. This season he will also present a Cafe Concert music series in Calgary. He regularly works with pianists, choirs, and singers of all ages through private teaching, public clinics, adjudications, and workshops.

Cody values all of the arts and believes that they are life-enriching in ways that aren't always recognized by today's society. He frequents concerts of many different musical genres and also loves the theatre, ballet, contemporary dance, and the visual arts. In the rare time he isn't making music, you can find him enjoying cooking, at the movies, reading, eating at a new restaurant, or curling. Feel free to stay in contact by adding him on Facebook or Instagram!

Antonina Cox,
Pianist & Assistant Director

Antonina received her early training at the Special Music School in Minsky, Belarus. She earned a Bachelor of Education and a Masters of Musicology from the Conservatory in St. Petersburg (Russia), studying piano with internationally-renowned pianist Vladimir Shakin.

Since 1992, Antonina has pursued her career in Canada as a piano accompanist, organist and teacher. She studied organ performance at the Mount Royal Organ Academy with Terrence Fullerton and Neil Cockbourn. Antonina received a Diploma of an Associate of the Royal Canadian College of Organists.

Antonina has accompanied many soloists and choirs, including the Mount Royal Children’s Choirs, Cantaré Children’s Choir, Calgary Choral Society, the Dutch Canadian Choir, Rachel Hop Studio, Bach Society Chorus, Revv 52. She has travelled with groups as a pianist and organist in Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Ireland, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Australia, Italy and the Vatican.

Antonina loves teaching young and older individuals, privately and in public schools. She currently teaches part-time at Akiva Akademy, accompanies the Calgary Girls’ School Choir, and the Calgary Women’s Choir.

Antonina devotes the rest of her time to her family and a puppy Kingsley.