Thanks to a grant from the British Columbia Arts Council, the Via Choralis Performance Society commissioned Nicholas Fairbank to compose a major work for multiple choirs. Based on his experiences during an Arctic residency in Svalbard in the fall of 2012 (click here to read the blog), the performance involved the collaboration of five Victoria choral groups. Entitled Isbjorn!, the Norwegian word for “polar bear,” the work is inspired by the wide open spaces of the High Arctic and the near-silence that one can encounter there. The two performances took place in Victoria and Sidney, BC. A simpler version for SSA, SATB and solo quartet will be released in the fall of 2014. (revised 2.viii.14)