Photo credit: Pat Collins
Pride, versatility and musical excellence...
These terms best describe Newman Sound Men's Choir of St. John's, Newfoundland. Named after a beautiful and rugged region in Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newman Sound was formed in 2005 by Kellie Walsh, David Chafe and Douglas Dunsmore. This is a true community choir of more than forty experienced singers representing the professions of music, teaching, engineering, law, civil service, marketing, information technology and journalism.
Nearly one-half of the choir's singers are students from across many disciplines of study. In just five years, Newman Sound has realized an ever-growing loyal audience, a high local and national reputation and a very bright future having established an exciting and eclectic repertoire across the genres of classical, pop and folk including some outstanding arrangements and original compositions by several of the singers within the choir.
Newman Sound has performs many times each year and has been broadcast provincially and nationally on CBC radio and locally on Rogers Television in St. John's. In July 2007, Newman Sound made its debut performance in Festival 500 Sharing the Voices, for which they commissioned and performed the world premiere of Stephen Hatfield's A Game of Cards. In the 2006 national CBC Choral Competition, the choir earned the Galaxie Rising Star award for Most Promising New Choir in Canada and lived up to that promise by making it to the finals of the 2008 CBC Choral Competition.
The choir is also very active in the community with its support of charity events and its own annual and very popular Love Songs for Seniors for which the group performs free concerts at various seniors' homes throughout St. John's. Each Father's Day weekend, Newman Sound invites young male singers from high schools throughout St. John's to sing with them in concert. In May 2010, Newman Sound recorded its first CD, a collection of traditional music from Newfoundland and Labrador, including specially-commissioned works by Stephen Hatfield and Kathleen Allan.
