A Coquitlam couple will give a Solid Gold farewell to the Maple Leaf Singers at its 50th anniversary concerts next weekend.
Wilson Fowlie, the music director for the Burnaby-based ensemble for the past 18 years, and his wife Heather, the group’s emcee, will bow out at the close of this season.
Fowlie said the departure will allow him to spend more time on his creative and software projects, and with his family. “It takes a lot of time to be director,” the father-of-two told The Tri-City News last Friday.
“There’ve been a lot of late nights… and we’ve had a lot of good times. And we’ve brought entertainment to a lot of people” including at special events (such as Canada Day celebrations), and at seniors and care homes.
Fowlie’s entrance into the Maple Leaf Singers began in 1991, after he and Heather moved from Ontario to B.C. two years earlier.
She saw an advertisement, calling for new vocalists and, at her audition, Fowlie was asked to join too by Marie Gillis, a New Westminster resident who founded the group with her husband, George.
After all, Fowlie had a bachelor of fine arts degree — with a major in music — from York University. “We quite enjoyed it going every week,” he said. “It was like our date night.”
In 2001, after a decade as a singer, Fowlie officially took over the podium from the Gillises. He admits he learned on the fly: making mistakes, managing people and expectations, trying to put a program together that would engage audiences.
Still, Fowlie said he’s pleased to go out on a high note. The Solid Gold performance by the 47-member choir will showcase fan favourites over the past five decades such as songs made popular by The Hollies, The Beatles, Elton John and Billy Joel.
Fowlie is also pleased he’s handing the torch to a capable musician: the Gillis’ son Rob, the Singers’ current assistant music director who started playing percussion with the chorus at the age of eight.
“The Maple Leaf Singers are an important part of the arts community,” Gillis said in a news release. “We love to sing and have brought the joy of music to tens of thousands over the last 50 years. I’m honoured to help perpetuate this beautiful legacy.”
• Tickets for the Maple Leaf Singers’ 50th anniversary show, Solid Gold, are $25/$15. The concerts run May 26 at 7:30 p.m. and May 27 at 2 p.m. at the Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave., New Westminster). Call 778-245-4445 or visit mapleleafsingers.com.
