Imagine a school with no bells. Students learn what they want, when they want and how they want. This is Bishop Carroll High School. Canada’s flagship self-directed learning school has been on the cutting edge of educational pedagogy for over 50 years. A truly inspiring place to teach and learn, Bishop Carroll serves close to 1200 students from around the city of Calgary. Known for its outstanding music program, Bishop Carroll provides musical opportunities for students of all levels, from those just beginning their music study, to those preparing to become professional musicians.

Our ensembles include

Bands: Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band

Choirs: Cardinal Singers, Treble Choir, Chamber Choir, Vocal Jazz (SATB) Ensemble, Sassy Jazz (Treble) Ensemble, Musical Theatre Program

Strings: Ensemble Eruditio (Beginning Strings); Ensemble Intermezzo, Cantabile Strings, Virtuosi Strings, Bishop Carroll Symphony Orchestra

Additionally, a variety of small ensembles, regular clinics and/or lessons, touring ensembles, and opportunities for students to develop their own personal areas of interest within the wider field of music, are offered. The framework of self-directed learning allows for truly personalized and individualized learning experiences for music students.

Our three amazing music directors, Mrs. Andrea Ciona, Ms. Christina Visy, and Mr. Jeff Waterbury, work collaboratively to create world class opportunities for their students.

50/50 Raffle: One night only! Buy tickets tonight, from our parent volunteers in the lobby both before the concert, and during intermission. Tickets are 1 for $5 OR 5 for $20.

Donate through ATB Cares: Stretch your dollar by donating through ATB cares. https://atb.benevity.org/community/cause/124-124297813RR0001

Music Gala: Friday, February 10, 2023. Get involved as a volunteer, donate items to the Silent Auction, or simply attend this incredible celebration of music and community! 

'Skip the Depot': Donate your empty bottles to our program. No drop off required; your recycling gets picked up from your house, with proceeds going to Bishop Carroll music.

https://app.skipthedepot.com/register?org=bcms

All of these initiatives are organized by the Bishop Carroll Music Society. https://bishopcarroll.cssd.ab.ca/music-society

Cantabile Strings

A Forest Snowfall, D. Bobrowitz/Ed. J.C. Law

This moving original work paints vivid images of a dark evergreen forest after a winter snowfall. A lyrical main theme in A minor is introduced by the first violins and then transitions to a contrasting staccato middle section before returning to the original melody.

Fantasia on a Spanish Carol: Fum, Fum, Fum, Arr. M. Story

Fum, Fum, Fum is a popular 16th- or 17th-century Christmas carol from Catalonia in northeast Spain. This well-crafted arrangement includes a series of entertaining variations that conclude with an energetic flourish.

BEGINNER Strings: Ensemble Eruditio

D Scale Round, Traditional 

In Western music, the diatonic scale is the foundation for building excellent technique and intonation.  The D major scale is the first scale that is learned by the orchestral strings.  Enjoy the lovely triadic harmonies as the Beginner Strings perform it in a 3-part round, underscored by lyrical piano accompaniment.

Jingle Bells, J. Pierpont

One of the most popular and beloved North American Christmas carols, Jingle Bells was originally published in 1857 with the title, “One Horse Open Sleigh.”  Although the history of the song is hotly debated, the townsfolk of Medford Massachusetts claim that it was inspired by the sleigh races that took place there in the 19th century.  

Ensemble Intermezzo

Winter Stars, K. Griesinger

This gorgeous original work was inspired by the tender poem of the same name by Sara Teasdale. Gentle phrases capture the wistful hope the poet felt as she contemplated the steadfast stars that burn steadily as long ago even as the world changed below:

I went out at night alone;

 The young blood flowing beyond the sea

Seemed to have drenched my spirit’s wings—

 I bore my sorrow heavily.

But when I lifted up my head

 From shadows shaken on the snow,

I saw Orion in the east

 Burn steadily as long ago.

From windows in my father’s house,

 Dreaming my dreams on winter nights,

I watched Orion as a girl

 Above another city’s lights.

Years go, dreams go, and youth goes too,

 The world’s heart breaks beneath its wars,

All things are changed, save in the east

 The faithful beauty of the stars.

Saint Nick’s Canon on the Housetop, arr. C. L. Gruselle

Yes, this piece does have it all! Combining Up on the Housetop; Jolly Old St. Nicholas, and Pachelbel's Canon, this clever arrangement has something for everyone. Composer Benjamin Hanby (the son of a minister involved with the Underground Railroad) wrote Up on the Housetop, the second oldest secular Christmas carol in 1864. (Jingle Bells was the first.) He was inspired by Clement C. Moore’s ‘Twas the NIght Before Christmas. Though of disputed origin, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas is said to have been first published in 1867.  Since then, it has been immortalized on vinyl by Ray Smith, Chet Atkins, The Chipmunks, Andy Williams, Anne Murray and Carole King.  The oldest work of the mashed up trio is Pachelbel’s Canon written by German baroque composer Johann Pachelbel sometime between 1680 and 1706.  It’s fallen in and out of favour over the centuries: its chord progressions have been used in a variety of pop songs and accompanied many a bride down the aisle.  We hope you enjoy our rendition this evening!

virtuosi Strings

Serenade for Strings, Op. 48, P. I. Tchaikovsky

Pietr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Serenade for Strings in 1880 from, in his own words, “an inner compulsion.  This is a piece from the heart, and so I venture to say it does not lack artistic worth.”  Its composition is said to lie somewhere between that of string quartet and symphony.  From the gripping harmonies and chords that form the introduction with its ever-slowing cadence to the equally sweeping and dancing Allegro that follows, this work takes its players and audience on a thrilling journey.  The Virtuosi Strings will undertake to learn the entire four movement work this school year.

Three Minute Nutcracker, P. I. Tchaikovsky, arr. Conley

Clever and light-hearted, here's the essence (nine themes) of the classic Nutcracker ballet - beloved at this time of year - honed down to three minutes (or less!) For added drama, there's an optional accelerando (molto, if need be) in the Trepak finale, to bring it in under the wire and lead you into the intermission with, “visions of sugarplums dancing in your head!”

Concert band

Zodiac, Larry Clark

(program notes written by the composer)

There is something mystical about the zodiac, and there is an uncanny relationship between it and music. Music is divided into twelve notes and organized in a cyclical arrangement. Just think about the ‘Circle of Fifths’ and how much it looks like a chart of the zodiac. In this piece, I have not tried to incorporate anything specific from the zodiac, excepts its mystical, mysterious nature. The piece begins with a haunting flute melody over mysterious open fifths in the lower voices. This harmonic movement is used throughout the rest of the piece. The piece moves into an aggressive allegro section where the main themes is presented and developed. This is followed by a second theme that adds Latin percussion instruments for variety and color before leading back to the main theme. A development section ensures that uses an augmented version of the main theme over a pedal point to build tension before leading to the coda of the pieces that finally resolves in a major key. 

-Larry Clark

Rippling Watercolors, Brian Balmages

(program notes written by the composer)

Many often underestimate the extensive colors, harmonies, and emotional range that are often achievable in younger ensembles. It is in this spirit that the musical lines of Rippling Watercolors were born. This was not meant to be a lyrical piece for younger ensembles; rather, it was written as a fully expressive lyrical work that happens to be playable by younger ensembles. I believe there is a significant difference. No phrases were truncated, no ranges were “limited,” and no rhythms were watered down for the sake of playability. This piece just happens to be attainable by younger groups, yet the music exists exactly as it would even if I had written this for a college group.

The title comes from a range of inspiration. I often get asked about my last name. As most can imagine, there are very few of us left in the world. At present, my wife and I are one of only two couples in the United States that can carry on our family name. My cousins Ben and Carrie on the west coast are the other couple, and they now have two beautiful girls. We all share a lot of beliefs – we encourage our children to be creative, spontaneous, and we enjoy watching where their imaginations take them. The idea for this piece came from a simple set of watercolors. When children get hold of these and use their imagination, the most amazing things can happen. Children can see things that adults never see. They open our minds while we help them grow and learn. With a little imagination, these watercolors can become a magnificent sunrise or sunset over the ocean, a gorgeous view from a mountaintop, or an image of a supernova in space. The smallest drop can change the pattern and create something entirely new, either with a brush or entirely within nature. It is my hope that Lily and Charlotte grow up with an infinite palette of watercolors, and that every drop creates a new, fantastic world.

-Brian Balmages

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas

I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas is a Christmas novelty song written by John Rox and performed by Gayla Peevey (10 years old at the time) in 1953. The song peaked at number 24 on Billboard Magazine's pop chart in December 1953.

A popular legend holds that this 1953 hit had been recorded as a fundraiser to bring the city zoo a hippo; but in a 2007 radio interview with Detroit-based WNIC radio station, Peevey clarified that the song was not originally recorded as a fundraiser. Instead, a local promoter picked up on the popularity of the song and Peevey's local roots, and launched a campaign to present her with an actual hippopotamus on Christmas.

The campaign succeeded, and she was presented with an actual hippopotamus, which she donated to the city zoo. The hippopotamus lived for nearly 50 years.

- Program Notes from Wikipedia

Symphonic band

Second Suite in F Major, Gustav Holst, movements 3 and 4 (5:45)

The Second Suite consists of four movements, all based on specific English folk songs.

Movement III: Song of the Blacksmith. Holst contrasts the slow second movement to the rather upbeat third movement which features the folk song A Blacksmith Courted Me. The brass section plays in a pointillistic style depicting a later Holst style. There are many time signature changes (4/4 to 3/4) making the movement increasingly difficult because the brass section has all of their accompaniment on the up-beats of each measure. The upper-woodwinds and horns join on the melody around the body of the piece, and are accompanied with the sound of a blacksmith tempering metal with an anvil called for in the score. The final D major chord has a glorious, heavenly sound, which opens the way to the final movement. This chord works so effectively perhaps because it is unexpected: the entire movement is in F major when the music suddenly moves to the major of the relative minor.

Movement IV: Fantasia on the Dargason. This movement is not based on any folk songs, but rather has two tunes from Playford's Dancing Master of 1651. The finale of the suite opens with an alto saxophone solo based on the folk tune Dargason, a 16th century English dance tune included in the first edition of The Dancing Master. The fantasia continues through several variations encompassing the full capabilities of the band. The final folk tune, Greensleeves, is cleverly woven into the fantasia by the use of hemiolas, with Dargason being in 6/8 and Greensleeves being in 3/4. At the climax of the movement, the two competing themes are placed in competing sections. As the movement dies down, a tuba and piccolo duet forms a call back to the beginning of the suite with the competition of low and high registers.

The name 'dargason' may perhaps come from an Irish legend that tells of a monster resembling a large bear (although much of the description of the creature has been lost over time). The dargason tormented the Irish country side. During the Irish uprising of the late 18th Century, the dargason is supposed to have attacked a British camp, killing many soldiers. This tale aside, 'dargason' is more likely derived from an Anglo-Saxon word for dwarf or fairy, and the tune has been considered English (or Welsh) since at least the 16th century. It is also known as 'Sedony' (or Sedany) or 'Welsh Sedony'.

Holst later rewrote and re-scored this movement for string orchestra, as the final movement of his St Paul's Suite (1912), which he wrote for his music students at St Paul's Girls' School.

- Program Notes by Imogen Holst

Choose Joy, Randall D. Standridge (3:45)

(program notes written by the composer)

In May 2021, I was approached by Joe Glass of Salyards Middle School about a new commission, but that the circumstances were somewhat unusual. It is with his permission and the permission of the family involved that I am sharing these details. He told me about Nicole Crandall, a recent graduate from the high school the Joe’s program feeds in his former student. Nicole had been battling Level 4 Glioblastoma, a very aggressive form of brain cancer. She was then 20 years old and had been moved into hospice care. To celebrate her, they have asked that I create a work in her honor. Illness is the thief of time.

In spite of this, Nicole and her family had created a motto that they used to navigate this difficult time. ‘Choose Joy’. I was very moved by this, as I feel too many people waste their time (and their lives) choosing hate, choosing anger, choosing misery. Do those emotions legitimately exit? Absolutely, but I can safely say for myself that there have been moments where I gave energy to them and fed them, instead of shutting them down.

Choose Joy, I like that.

For those of you that may have been touched by cancer (either yourself or a loved one), I am sure you can agree that we never know how much time we are given on this Earth, but life events such as these can put a lot of things in perspective.

About the Work

The piece uses elements of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy along with a five note motive representing the five family members of Nicole’s immediate family. A trio is heard near the beginning, representing Nicole and her siblings; the parts have been written for the instruments they played in band (Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone). The work alternates between a rhythmic and joyful intensity and a more nostalgic and bittersweet lyrical moment in the middle. There are moments of happiness, humor, worry, pain, and determination. I hope this work serves as a lifting tribute to all of those who choose joy in times of darkness.

-Randall D. Standridge

wind ensemble

Rondo (from Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo), Malcolm Arnold

This work was first written in 1963 for brass band under the title Little Suite for Brass. Paynter's arrangement for wind bands includes woodwinds and additional percussion but retains the breezy effervescence of the original work. All three movements are written in short, clear, five-part song forms. The A-B-A-C-A is instantly apparent to the listener while giving the composer's imaginative melodies a natural, almost folklike, settings. The Prelude begins bombastically in a fanfare style but reaches a middle climax and winds down to a quiet return of the opening measures, which fade to silence. The liltingly expressive Siciliano is both slower and more expressive than the other movements, thus allowing solo instruments and smaller choirs of sound to be heard. It also ends quietly. The rollicking five-part Rondo provides a romping finale in which the technical facility of the modern wind band is set forth in boastful brilliance.

- Program Note from Program Notes for Band

O Magnum Mysterium, Morten Lauridsen, arr. H. Robert Reynolds

To quote the composer, “For centuries, composers have been inspired by the beautiful O Magnum Mysterium text (“O Great Mystery”) depicting the birth of the newborn King amongst the lowly animals and shepherds. This affirmation of God's grace to the meek and the adoration of the Blessed Virgin are celebrated ... through a quiet song of profound inner joy.”

Morton Lauridsen (b. 1943), Professor of Composition at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, is noted for his many vocal works. O Magnum Mysterium has become one of the world’s most performed and recorded compositions since its premiere in 1994 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale. The symphonic wind band version was arranged by H. Robert Reynolds, Principal Conductor of the Wind Ensemble at the Thornton School of Music and former Director of Bands at the University of Michigan.

MASSED ENSEMBLES

Christmas Sing-a-long, arr. B. Cerulli

Caroling with Carroll! Join our music students in song, as we end our concert with this setting of four Christmas carols.

Joy to the World!

Joy to the world! The Lord is come

Let earth receive her King!

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven, and heaven and nature sing

O Come, All Ye Faithful

O Come All Ye Faithful

Joyful and triumphant

O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem

Come and behold Him

Born the King of Angels

O come, let us adore Him

O come, let us adore Him

O come, let us adore Him

Christ the Lord

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Hark the herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled”

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With angelic host proclaim:

“Christ is born in Bethlehem”

Hark! The herald angels sing

“Glory to the newborn King!”

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night

All is calm, all is bright

Round yon Virgin Mother and Child

Holy Infant so tender and mild

Sleep in heavenly peace

Christ the Saviour is Born!

THANK YOU TO the CLINICIANS & Guest artists who work with our students

BAND: mary sullivan, david sussman, cedric blary, dr. holly decaigny, nate waters, laurie matiation, richard scholz, nikki mccaslin, j.f. cotnoir, mike schuett, trish reid, john roggensack 

CHOIR: bronte allegro, kenna burima, kathleen morrison, john morgan, augustine yates 

STRINGS: heidi behrenbruch, sheila garrett, heather heron-mykyte, john lowry, david morrissey, trish reid, kristof sokulski, radek sokulski, stephanie soltice-johnson, magdi szebenyi