Forget the men.
Sure, Nova Voce might bill itself as a provincial “Mens” choir, but the group’s secret weapon, its ace-in-the-hole, and the reason for much of its success comes down to the remarkable talents of a quiet and unassuming woman.
It’s sometimes hard to actually see Lynn Pelton behind the imposing hulk of a grand piano on stage at a Nova Voce concert – but you can certainly hear her: the alluring intros that grab your attention before a single note has been sung, the captivating keyboard solos, and the subtle but steady tempos are all the work of the choir’s long-time and trusted accompanist.
Piano accompaniment is arguably the most essential ingredient in choral music. If conductors do for choirs what salt does for popcorn, then expert accompanists are the melted butter – they make the whole meal gel.
Lynn has been accompanying choirs since the age of 13, supporting several of her school choirs and also playing the organ in her local church. A former music educator, she has since accompanied choirs across Halifax and worked with some of the country’s top choral composers and clinicians – so she knows the craft as well as anyone.
“You have to be a good listener, and good sight-reader,” she says. “And you have to be attuned to the conductor – his gestures for interpretation, and the nuances he gives you.”
Although conductors initially set the tempo of a song, “it falls to me in many ways to keep it going,” she says. “It’s a partnership. It wouldn’t work if the conductor and the accompanist weren’t communicating.”
The dedication of any good accompanist begins at home. Despite her sight-reading skills, Lynn spends a couple of hours each week preparing for rehearsals, learning not only the piano parts of every song but also the four (and sometimes eight) vocal parts. She has to be ready to not only play in rehearsal, but also to methodically teach the singers their notes and rhythms.
Unlike piano performance, Lynn says choral accompaniment is more like “multitasking,” with a myriad of constantly moving parts to monitor, master and support.
But no matter how prepared she is, the unexpected still occurs. Lynn recalls her earring falling off in the midst of one concert and rolling under the piano, prompting a fit of giggles between Lynn and her page-turner. At other times, sheets of music have drifted from the piano onto the floor in front of live audiences, and books have dropped onto her hands in mid-song. She has played portable keyboards that shift across the floor, and was once required to duct-tape a squeaky pedal before a performance.
She also remembers losing track of time once during the intermission at a concert in Truro. Lynn emerged from a backstage washroom only to find herself alone in the green room. The choir had returned to the stage, where everyone – the conductor, the singers and the audience – were pondering the fate of the missing accompanist.
“Everyone was there waiting for me,” she says. “I came out and everybody started applauding. That was embarrassing!”
So how does Lynn feel being the sole female performer in a male chorus, and spending her Sunday afternoons in rehearsals with a bunch of loud and unruly men?
“It’s fun, I enjoy it,” she says. “The whole sound of a male chorus – it’s wonderful to be part of that.”
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