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In The News...Choir scales Andean heights in Ecuadorby Jeanne Chaussee (Guadalajara Reporter, September 1-7, 2007 Forty singers of the Los Cantantes del Lago community choir and 15 of their partners from Lakeside flew far south of the border in August to participate in "Mes de Cultura" festivities in Quito, Ecuador. To warm up, the group sang briefly in three churches, pr-arranged by director Timothy Welch, just for the joy of the wonderful acoustics under the high vaulted ceilings of the churches. Los Cantantes participated in two concerts on August 5 as the special guests of Fundación Teatro Nacional Sucre. The first was an open air concert in Plaza del Teatro in the heart of old colonial Quito, where the stage setup "would rival that of a world-class rock band." Television crews took footage that appeared that evening on Ecuadorian television. That evening Cantantes sang in the huge neo-Gothic Basilica del Voto Nacional as guests of the Third Festival Internacional de Canto Coral.
Photo by Bob Kelly One highlight of the trip was an invitation to sing in the Iglesia La Compania de Jesus), a glorious old gold-encrusted venue, as part of the celebration of Ecuador's Independence Day.
Photo by Bob Kelly Another highlight was a stop at Sistema Nacional de Musica por Los Ninos Especiales, a school where music is used to help mentally and physically challenged youngsters enjoy and participate more fully in life and work. The students sang and danced for Los Cantantes and Los Cantantes reciprocated in song. Los Cantantes are investigating the possibility of bringing the young performers to Lakeside for concerts and workshops. The trips wasn't all about singing. The Lakeside contingent visited markets, the Equator, museums, restaurants and a "stunning performance" of the Ballet Folklorico Nacional's Jacchigua representation of Andean culture. Los Cantantes del Lago's next concert is on October 30, when they will participate in Guadalajara's Festival de Octubre with a performance at the Ex-Convento del Carmen in Guadalajara. Rehearsals for the annual Lakeside Christmas concert will begin soon. According to Welch, the trip was more than a success, "These people grew musically during the course of the trip and by the end of it were performing like a professional world class choir. It was wonderful. They will never be the same." Those interested in joining Los Cantantes del Lago or who would like more information about the choir should visit their website at www.loscantantesdellago.com Choir members want to extend special thanks to director Tim Welch and choir president Georgina Russell for their hard work in arranging this nearly seamless ten-day trip for 55 people. Quito... Here We ComeGuadalajara Reporter, July 14-20, 2007 Los Cantantes del Lago, the professionally directed community choir at Lakeside, is off on its Quito Tour 2007 on August 3. Forty of the singers and 10 of the non-singers will be going along on the trip. Their big send-off concert will be Wednesday, July 25, 7 p.m. at Club Oxigen Fitness Center in the Hotel Danza del Sol. Since the choir will be performing in secular as well as sacred places in Quito, Ecuador, the program is very diversified, with songs from Gilbert and Sullivan, Amazing Grace, Telemann, Mendelssohn, American Folk Songs, a German lullaby, a Swahili marching song, spirituals and much more. The choir is directed by Timothy G. Ruff Welch, with Eleanor Stromberg accompanying on the piano.... Los Cantantes add pizzazz to city concertGuadalajara Reporter, March 24-30, 2007 Los Cantantes del Lago, directed by Timothy Welch, made a rare appearance at the Teatro Degollado Wednesday, March 21, performing in the free concert "Hagamos una Sinfonia por Mexico." The concert starred the Orquesta Infantil Juvenil Guadalajara, composed of musicians aged 10 to 22 from 18 Mexican states. The group, formed in January 2006, is already sufficiently accomplished to represent Mexico at the 55th European Music Festival for Youngsters in Neerpelt, Belgium, April 27-30. Los Cantantes del Lago were part of an all-star lineup of invited performers, which included guest British director, Martin Andre directing the orchestra in Suite No. 1 from Bizet's opera "Carmen" and the CEDART dance troupe. The Lakeside choir's participation varied the concert program with "Chariot's on Its Way", "Go Down, Moses", "Behold the Lord High Executioner" and "Elijah Rock". "Hagamos una Sinfonia por Mexico," a rare free event at the Degollado, played to a full house, which applauded enthusiastically in support of the Orquesta's upcoming bid in the Belgium competition. Los Cantantes del Lago bring Christmas homeby Jeanne Chaussee, Lakeside Arts, Guadalajara Reporter, December 9-15, 2006 The Lakeside community choir, Los Cantantes del Lago, directed by Timothy G. Ruff Welch, presented a wonderfully varied and ambitious concert at Auditorio de Riberas del Lago. The theme of the program, "Christmas Is...." was apt, with the 42 voices blending well in musical holiday fare from several countries sung in English, Spanish, Latin and German. Though the acoustics, particularly those perceived in the first several rows of the auditorium, sometimes distorted the harmonies (giving off a blurred rather than blending feel), the choir was clearly at the top of their game with crisp, well-rehearsed and knowledgeable skill. Soloist soprano Millicent Brandow, though she would have benefited from a lapel microphone, was at her best with Pietro Yon's "Gesu Bambino" with perfectly pitched notes in seamless concert with the choir. Though contralto Kimball Wheeler is an experienced performer with some astonishingly deep resonant notes, her interpretation of the revered "Silent Night" might have been better understood had she stuck to the song's familiar melody. Many in the audience were left confused about exactly where she was going, which wasn't with the choir. Her interpretation at times resembled a sort of classical jazz work, but without the resolution. The choir's interpretation of three spiritual works were especially good; and their body language and facial enthusiasm enhanced what was already a great performance. The choir had great backup from keyboardist Sergio Hernández, cellist Fernando Mesa Jiménez, Hector Gómez Espinoza, flutist Cuahtémoc García Verdugo and violinist Nicole Orendain Koch. A very pleasing addition to the vocals was a program by about 45 members of the 96-member Orquesta Infantil Juvenil Guadalajara, under the direction of Marlon Enrique Jimenez. They gave a solid accounting of themselves, particularly in various songs from the Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite" and with the chorus is full force in a stirring "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah". The audience kept tradition, standing for the hallowed work and kept right on standing for an ovation or the entire program. Good work, Cantantes. Proceeds from the concert will benefit various children's music programs.
(with the kind permission of Alessandro Salimbeni, as it appeared in the August 2006 issue of the Lake Chapala Review) Behind the Music
He is neither Robert Preston nor Prof. Harold Hill, though he was born a few years before "The Music Man," which became a hit in 1962. An organist, choir director, soloist, and music teacher, Tim Welch has certainly become a hit himself in the music community since he arrived in Mexico almost seven years ago. Tim leads a busy and challenging life, commuting from Guadalajara to Ajijic five days a week to direct Los Cantantes del Lago; to play the organ and conduct a 44-voice choir at St. Andrew's Anglican Church; to teach voice to 18 students with many more on a waiting list; to play in an octet and to participate in a horn trio. "I'm driven," Tim laughs, "and relish every musical challenge." His only regret is a backlog of music in Guadalajara, someday to be filed if a dinner engagement isn't looming, usually the case. Tim and a group of his fellow soloists, "Quinteto Guadalajara," will also soon be representing Mexico at an international music fest in Quito, Ecuador: Perhaps after the fest, Maestro Welch will have some time for filing--but one doubts it. How did a farm boy with Norwegian roots from Wisconsin end up near the shores of Lake Chapala with such a thriving musical menu? His talents arose early with piano lessons at age five and then the responsibility of choir director and organist at age twelve... that's right, twelve... when most boys his age were playing marbles, spinning yo-yos, barking shins on trees, and wallowing in the dirt. Dirt. Tim's favorite remembrance of farm life was the earth, its smell, feel and essence. He finds the same pleasure in the earth of Mexico. At age 14 Tim experienced an epiphany during a visit to Helsinki with his grandmother and their visit to Temppeliaukio Church, a structure that had recently been carved out of rock and still vivid in Tim's memory bank. Entering the empty church, he was suddenly surrounded by the organ sounds of Bach's "Wachet Auf" (Sleepers Awake!). He knew then that he wanted a musical life, but a lengthy detour ensued. Tim had been raised among skillful entrepreneurs, and after attending Luther College and the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, he wanted to make some money. Working with sopranos wasn't part of the plan. Now living in Chicago, Tim launched a career in the business world: first in management and sales with a copy-shop chain; then his own copy-shop; and finally as a print broker and co-partner in the publishing firm of ETNA Communications. The money grew with each endeavor as the musical career took a temporary hiatus. ...Until a certain lady found Tim busy in a copy-shop. Tim (a tenor) auditioned for a well-known choir, was accepted and eventually became choirmaster at Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Chicago, which led to similar positions at the prestigious Immanuel Lutheran, also in Chicago. Suddenly Tim had the best of both worlds: brokering and publishing on one end and conducting, performing and touring on the other. But the time came for an escape, a life change. Tim, favoring Latin America, narrowed the field to Mexico and to Guadalajara because the city's name (derived from Moorish Wad-al-hidjara, "River of Stone") rang with musicality. A second epiphany befell Tim on September 1, 1999, when he decided to begin a new life on some new earth, that of Mexico. He arrived for good a year later: After a month of Spanish lessons and several months of investigating his environs, Tim concluded, "These people know how to live." Tim soon became heavily involved in Guadalajara's musical scene, meeting many musicians and performing, including stints at St. Mark's Anglican Church. Then the call came from Ajijic to accompany Handel's "Messiah," leading to his current positions at St. Andrew's. Tim Welch becomes a Mexican citizen in October as Jalisco and Mexico embrace "Mr. Music Man."
Los Cantantes del Lago Delights with "Mostly Musicals"Article courtesy of El Ojo del Lago, June 2005 If you like the music from many of our favorite old and new musicals, such as “West Side Story,” “Evita,” & “Cats,” and other tunes songs such as “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Ol Man River,” and “A Lovely Way to spend an Evening,” the program presented by the LC del L was made with you in mind. Director Timothy G. Ruff Welch, with guest musicians Douglas Livingston on keyboards, and Les Sasvari, percussion, plus the 31-voice chorus put on a show that was in a word, superb. Kudos, too, to David Irving for his rendition of “Ol Man River,” a big hit with the audience. The event was held at the Riviera Alta clubhouse, with St. Andrew’s Anglican Church handling the bar. The organizing committee of Frank Edwards, Tina Jones, George Fee, Jane Hainsworth, Nancy Kendrick, and Ron Russell are to be complimented for a job well-done in aid of many Lakeside charities. Choral's 'Musicals' performance is a pleaser(Courtesy of the Guadalajara Reporter, April 2005 by Jeanne Chausee) Los Cantantes del Lago, a community chorus that is the inheritor of the Christmas Cantata Choir, which sang here for many years under the baton of the now deceased Bonnie Wolff, presented an energetic and much appreciated concert at the Riviera Alta Clubhouse April 12 and 13. The program, christened, "Mostly Musicals" was a crowd pleaser with tunes from several of the best Broadway hits on the list. It's hard to miss with songs such as "You'll Never Walk Alone" from "Carousel," "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from "Evita," "Memories" from "Cats" and a dazzling medley from "West Side Story." And that was just the first half. What really put the choral group over the top for this reporter was the attention to diction. One of the biggest problems with choral music for those who love the lyrics as much as the music is that those words often disappear or muddy up into the harmonics. That was seldom a problem during this concert, indicating the hundreds of hours of rehearsal and the keen ear of director Tim Welch. There were also some unusual and well-executed harmonies from well-trained tenor and bass sections. Speaking of bass sections... basso David Irving did a moving and musically commendable job as the soloist in the much loved "Ol' Man River" from "Showboat." The choir was well accompanied by Douglas Livingston on the keyboard and Les Sasvari on drums. Los Cantantes want to thank homeowners at Riviera Alta for donating the clubhouse for the performance, the Saint Andrew's Company of Gentlemen, who handled the bar, Frank Edwards and Tina Jones who sold tickets, George Fee for program graphics, Jane Hainsworth for spearheading publicity and Ron Russell, in charge of lights and sound. It was a terrific concert in a great setting and enjoyed by all. It's great that Los Cantantes isn't just for Christmas anymore.
Lakeside.... Singing (Courtesy of the Guadalajara Reporter, November 26, 2005 by Jeanne Chausee)
Los Cantantes del Lago choir, under the direction of Timothy G.
Ruff Welch, will present a concert of seasonal music Tuesday, December 13, 4
p.m. and Wednesday, December 14 at 7 p.m. at Auditorio de la Ribera del Lago in
La Floresta. They will be joined by the 46 children of the choir from the Marcos
Castellanos Primary School in Ajijic, under the direction of Ceclia Garduño
Ochoa. Los Cantantes donated money from their spring concert to this choir so that the children could buy new performing outfits. The choirs will sing together and separately, in English and in Spanish, interpreting a range of popular and classical Christmas music. Professional musicians will accompany the choirs....
AN EVENING OF MUSIC FOR MUSIC LOVERS Courtesy of El Ojo del Lago, December 2002 I
have rarely been so moved by a show as the evening last month when I attended
the concert benefit for the Niños Incapacitados. Presenting Peter Schaefer on
piano and the Los Cantantes del Lago choir, the concert warmed a packed and
appreciative auditorium audience, eliciting a standing ovation thank-you at the
final curtain.
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Mr. Music Man
