VCS announces second half of 2026-27 season
The Vancouver Cantata Singers are pleased to announce the second half of the 2026/27 season, launching a time of transition in the organization’s artistic leadership. Following the final concert conducted by Paula Kremer before assuming the role of Conductor Emerita, VCS welcomes guest conductors Hyejung Jun and Tzu-Han Ann Chen to the podium in February and May of 2027.
Jun and Chen close the season as finalists in the search for a new Artistic Director that commenced in February 2026. “We were very pleased to receive over 20 applications from four countries for the role,” says Nina Horvath, head of the Artistic Director Selection Committee. “After several interviews and in-person auditions, we are optimistic that a bright artistic future lies in wait for the ensemble. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming Ann and Hyejung as guests in the coming season and sharing with audiences the talent we have seen in them during the search process.”
Tickets for “Serenity and Joy” (February 20) and “Across the Baltic Sea” (May 8) are available at vancouvercantatasingers.com, with expanded subscription options available to include a complete season package.
“Serenity and Joy” February 20th, 2027 – Pacific Spirit United Church
Dr. Hyejung Jun will lead our February concert, “Serenity and Joy.” This concert will explore sacred devotion and folk traditions through a diverse choral journey. At the centre of the concert is Francis Poulenc’s profound “Mass in G Major.” Other works will range across a wide variety of choral traditions including contemporary Korean sacred music, Filipino folk melodies, lyrical love songs and festive Norwegian rhythms.
Hyejung Jun is an Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting at the University of British Columbia, where she conducts the 120-singer UBC Choral Union, teaches Choral Literature, Choral Conducting Techniques, and conducting lessons for graduate conducting students. Her performances have been recognized for their sensitivity and excellence. Before coming to the United States, she won the 2012 National Choral Conducting Competition in Seoul, South Korea. After moving to the United States, she was a finalist in the Graduate Conducting Competition of the American Choral Directors Association in 2017, and was also selected as the Conducting Fellow at the 2019 National Collegiate Choral Organization conference. In 2018, she was awarded the May Festival Conducting Fellowship with the internationally recognized May Festival Chorus in Cincinnati, Ohio, under the mentorship of Robert Porco, Director of Choruses for the May Festival Chorus. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and earned her Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting from Yonsei University in Korea and Emory University in the United States.
Across the Baltic Sea: Choral Music of Nordic-Baltic Countries, Saturday, May 8th, 2027, Pacific Spirit United Church
Our final concert of the 2026-27 season will be presented by conductor Tzu-Han Ann Chen. Across the Baltic Sea explores the rich choral traditions of Northern Europe, featuring composers from Finland, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, and Lithuania. The program traces a musical journey across cultures and landscapes, from the romantic voice of Sibelius and the modernism of Rautavaara to the contemplative worlds of Arvo Pärt and Vytautas Miškinis. United by a profound connection to history, spirituality, and landscapes, these works reveal the remarkable musical tapestry woven across the Baltic and Nordic regions.
A Taiwanese-Canadian musician, Tzu-Han Ann Chen is currently A.B.D., completing the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Music at the University of Southern California. She is a pianist, mezzo-soprano, and conductor.
As a conductor, Chen has been the Artistic Director of Essonance Chamber Choir, which received the runner-up Honourable Barbara A. Hagerman Award in 2014. She was also the conductor of USC Apollo Chorus and University Chorus. She is currently serving as the Music Director of Bay Shore Congregational Church, and visiting co-director of choirs of the Joint Music Program of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges.
Outside of ministry and academia, she serves as the artistic director of a Los Angeles-based vocal octet, Exilio, which predominantly highlights music by underperformed and rising composers for the public through performances and educational initiatives.
