Stratford Concert Choir welcomes new interim artistic director

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Thanks to a little bit of serendipity, the Stratford Concert Choir has found an interim artistic director to help celebrate its 70th anniversary next year.

The organization announced this week that conductor, performer and music teacher Brian Wismath will take over in January. He will replace longtime artistic director Ian Sadler, who is stepping down after 32 seasons.

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Stratford Concert Choir welcomes new interim artistic director Back to video

“We were sad to say goodbye to Ian Sadler after all that time, and we were also worried about filling his shoes,” choir president Charmion Chaplin-Thomas said. “We could hardly believe our luck when Brian Wismath showed up.”

Wismath is originally from Toronto, where his love of music was first nurtured by the renowned Mendelssohn Youth Choir. He went on to study music at Queen’s University and then earned a master’s degree in choral conducting at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Although his roots are in Ontario, Wismath established himself in Victoria, B.C., where he directed multiple choirs, including the Civic Orchestra of Victoria, and was a faculty member of the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Wismath has also prepared choruses for acclaimed conductors Robert Cooper, Laurence Cummings, Steven Devine, Robert Franz, Christian Kluxen, Jeanne Lamon, Tania Miller, Michelle Mourre, Giuseppe Pietraroia, Ivars Taurins and Timothy Vernon.

After deciding they wanted to be closer to relatives Ontario, Wismath and his partner, who has family in Stratford, moved to town in October.

Connecting with a local choir, especially one looking for a director with his experience, was a natural decision.

“For me, this sort of feels like coming home,” Wismath said. “I know how difficult it is for an ensemble to lose a long-term director and I also understand what it’s like for an ensemble that wants to build bridges within its community, that wants to pivot in a slightly different direction. I think it’s a great place to be both for me and the organization because we can grow together.”

Wismath will begin his tenure with the Stratford Concert Choir in January. He’s hoping to announce plans soon for a concert in the spring. When he does, audiences can expect a different program than what they’ve heard in the past.

“Choral music has definitely taken a bit of a turn from what has been mostly traditional standard repertoire … to pivoting towards being much more accessible to a larger demographic,” Wismath said. “Every choir deals with the challenge of looking at how their audience base is going to continue to be multigenerational, and repertoire is a bit factor in that.”

Wismath is also planning to explore new venues outside of traditional spaces such as churches and other places of worship.

“That’s something I’ve certainly done throughout my career is find very unique concert venues that are chosen not just for their acoustical properties, but because they somehow complement the music or they can be paired … with repertoire and make the experience of the audience members that much more significant.”

The choir has been rehearsing, Wismath added. The group will be auditioning new members in early January and is also looking for a weekly accompanist.

In the meantime, Wismath said he’s been taking some time to get to know Stratford and its various arts organizations.

“Stratford is a beautiful town with very kind people. I’ve certainly felt quite welcomed in the greater community but also the arts community,” he said. “No longer do we play in silos. I think it’s important we all work in the same area and share each other’s ideas and resources. In a town like Stratford where there are so many established arts organizations, I think this is really important move for the choir.”

cmontanini@postmedia.com