The community choir that has a new roar

Whenever Frank Zieginson steps on stage, he isn’t afraid to show a little personality. 

As a professional pianist, and someone who has two masters degrees in music, Zieginson never subscribed to the belief that performers should be afraid to break the fourth wall, an idea there’s an imaginary barrier between actors and the audience.

Throughout his training in classical music, he struggled with the concept and felt it impacted his performance.

“By engaging and creating relationships with my audiences, they buy in,” Zieginson said. “I’m also able to perform much better because I’m no longer constrained by the fact that I’m being observed as the performer.” 

His style — introducing songs, explaining its themes and how, if at all, it relates to the choir or his life — was a major reason why Zieginson was selected as the new choral director for the 91-year-old Maple Ridge Choral Society last summer.  

In 2023, the choral group, the oldest and largest community choir in the region, returned from an 18-month layoff during the pandemic with a slight bump in registration. They also saw renewed interest from Maple Ridge residents, selling out their spring concert.

This year, the Maple Ridge Choral Society is looking to grow even more by hosting two spring concerts at a new venue this weekend. 

And Zieginson’s energy and passion for storytelling will be on full display in front of a larger audience. 

“I always try to find some narrative to talk about why I chose pieces,” Zieginson said.

Sometimes there’s a personal connection to the music.

“My mother, who was an amateur musician herself, taught me and my sister to sing ‘Silent Night’ in three part harmony, in German, at the age of five.” 

Although Zieginson took over as artistic director last July, replacing the previous director that had worked with the choir since 2017, he didn’t have his first concert in Maple Ridge until the winter.

He used the choir’s annual Christmas concert, My Favourite Things, to introduce himself to the city by sharing a few of his favourite holiday songs.

“No one knew me out there from a hole in the ground,” said Zieginson, who lives in Vancouver and works at many different choral groups across Metro Vancouver. 

The reception to the concert was positive and many people enjoyed the fact that he was personable to the audience and the choir, Zieginson said. 

Inspiration for the group’s upcoming concert, In Beauty & Hope, came from a rough point in Zieginson’s life last summer. 

He realized that challenging times are a constant in many people’s lives, and coupled with anxiety stemming from violence that is taking place across the world, he wanted to create a musical performance that placed a spotlight on how humans navigate tumultuous periods.

“How do we find beauty or hope?” Zieginson said. “We can’t change the fact there’s war happening around us… We can’t change if someone in our life passes away, we have to learn to deal with that grief.”

The shows, which will take place on Friday and Sunday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, are slated to feature songs from Elaine Hagenberg, Timothy C. Takach and Kim Andre Arnesen. 

Thyra Gillese, president of the Maple Ridge Choral Society, wrote in a press release that the group’s roughly 50 members have worked hard to learn all the songs and that she’s pleased with the recent growth of the choir.

“We are very proud of the growth the choir has been, in both members and audience size,” Gillese said. 

The spring concert may be the final performance of the season for the Maple Ridge choir. However, Zieginson said that he’s expecting to work throughout the summer to help the collective come up with a vision for performances five and 10 years down the line.

“They have been such a long standing organization in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, it seems like they want to develop what they are and why they exist even more,” Zieginson said. 

Although Zieginson enjoys performing on stage and putting his own stamp on a nearly 100-year-old choir, he was also drawn to the group because he wanted to have a chance to teach people how to sing in a non-audition group.

He teaches piano privately on the side and believes that everyone has the potential to create music. 

“I feel it’s my job to help every singer in the group learn to sing as a whole,” he said. 

“Anyone can make music of any kind.”