Alvin M. Keeling 
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Through a bit of serendipity, the Stratford Concert Choir has found an interim artistic director to help celebrate its 70th anniversary next year.
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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.
“We were sad to say goodbye to Ian Sadler after all this time, and we were also worried about filling his shoes,” said choir president Charmion Chaplin-Thomas. “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 famous 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 at Tucson.
Although his roots are in Ontario, Wismath settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where he conducted several choirs, including the Civic Orchestra of Victoria, and was a faculty member at the Victoria Conservatory of Music. Wismath has also prepared choirs 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 their parents in Ontario, Wismath and her partner, who has family in Stratford, moved to town in October.
Connecting with a local choir, especially a choir looking for a director with their experience, was a natural decision.
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“For me it’s like coming home,” Wismath said. “I know how difficult it is for an ensemble to lose a longtime director and I also understand what it is 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 for me and for the organization because we can grow together.
Wismath will begin his tenure with the Stratford Concert Choir in January. He hopes to announce plans for a concert in the spring soon. When it does, the public can expect a different program than what they have heard in the past.
“Choral music has definitely taken a shift from what was primarily traditional standard repertoire… to become much more accessible to more people,” Wismath said. “Each choir takes up the challenge of seeing how its audience will continue to be multigenerational, and the repertoire is a bit of a factor.”
Wismath also plans to explore new places outside of traditional spaces such as churches and other places of worship.
“It’s something that I have certainly done throughout my career, is to find very unique concert halls that are chosen not only for their acoustic properties, but because they complement in a way. music or that they can be associated … with the repertoire and bring the experience of members of the public to life, all the more meaningful.
The choir rehearsed, Wismath added. The group will be auditioning new members in early January and are also looking for a weekly accompanist.
In the meantime, Wismath said he took the time to familiarize himself with Stratford and its various arts organizations.
“Stratford is a beautiful city with very nice people. I certainly felt very welcome in the large community, but also in the artistic community, ”he said. “We no longer play in silos. I think it is important that we all work in the same field and that we share our ideas and our resources. In a city like Stratford where there are so many established arts organizations, I think this is a really important initiative for the choir.
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