An international choir and orchestra numbering more than 100 participants and comprised almost entirely of Church members performed three concerts July 10-12 in France.
This year marked the second edition of the OPUS 26 Choir and Orchestra. In 2008 the organization had 83 people, including 25 orchestra musicians. But 2009 saw the undertaking grow to include a 40-person orchestra and 101 total participants from 10 countries.
"It was a wonderful event this year, considering the number of nations participating in this project," said event organizer Gerard Cadet. "The choir also considerably improved compared to last year."
The project began when three French LDS musicians — Brother Cadet, Olivier Seube and Christophe Seube — hatched the idea of gathering all available musicians and singers from French-speaking Europe for a week of playing classical, Baroque and chamber music that would culminate in several live performances. To that end they founded OPUS 26 in 2007; it's open to Church members and also nonmembers willing to accept Church standards concerning the Word of Wisdom and general comportment.
"The target was to offer the Church members and their nonmember friends the opportunity to play their instruments in an orchestra or sing in a choir that allows access to musical works … which they can't afford in their local units," Brother Cadet said.
But the scope of participants grew far beyond French-speaking Europe such that this year's contingent hailed from countries such as Italy, Spain, England, Thailand and the United States. Experience levels ranged from a 17-year-old musical student to several teachers in conservatories, and seven non-Latter-day Saints took part.
"We had a great spirit of help, support, happiness and much work," Brother Cadet said. "It was a good feeling to all be working together — 10 nations and races, Church members as well as non-members, young adults coexisting with grown-ups and retired people with mutual respect, everyone with the desire to give their best possible efforts. It made for wonderful music and a wonderful experience."
The musicians and singers descended on a boarding school near Valence, France, on July 6. Because everyone travels to Valence at their own expense and participates on a strictly voluntary basis, costs for OPUS 26 are limited to food and lodging. In order to accelerate the learning curve, all choir members were supplied with their vocal score and a training CD several months earlier.
Once in Valence, a typical day of rehearsal included six hours of intense practice with voices and instruments separated by parts. For 90 minutes at the end of the day, the choir and orchestra joined for group rehearsal.
On Friday, July 10, selected orchestra members played an exclusively instrumental affair at the Catholic Church of Monteleger. The concerts on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon featured both choir and orchestra and took place in the Notre Dame Catholic Church of Valence. The former included works by Beethoven and Handel; the latter showcased the Vivaldi Mandolin Concerto. Although the two weekend shows were two totally different programs, both concerts ended with a stirring rendition of "God Be With You Till We Meet Again."
Regarding the conclusion of the Saturday concert, Brother Cadet said, "At last the choir sang 'God Be With You Till We Meet Again,' leaving the stage humming that moving hymn. We could see many tears in the eyes of the public, and the Spirit was very strong at that moment. Many contacts and conversations between the members of the choir and the public were done after that concert which touched many hearts."
Five of the seven nonmembers attended Sunday Church meetings, and three of those five played prelude and postlude hymns on their violins at the sacrament meeting. Luis A. Benito Ribagorda, a bishop in the Madrid Spain West Stake and instructor at the Madrid Royal Conservatory, accompanied the violinists on the piano.
Plans are already in the works for the third incarnation of OPUS 26 to take place July 12-18, 2010. The selected music will be Faure's "Requiem." Organizers welcome all interested participants but are especially interested in finding musicians who play brass instruments and more male voices for the choir.
