From the Director In the spring of 1999, I was approached by two women - Laurie Young and Karen Skinner - who wanted to know if I was interested in forming and directing an all female vocal group. I had recently returned to Newfoundland, having lived for a number of years outside the province, and I realised how much I was missing having a choir to conduct in my home city of St. John's. So, a plot was hatched, auditions were held and "Les Ms." was created in October of 1999. The focus of musical style during this early stage of Les Ms.' development was predominantly vocal jazz and contemporary music. As the group became proficient in these areas, we delved into myriad styles and genres, from Sacred to traditional Newfoundland to Spirituals and Gospel and, more recently, newer choral works by composers such as Stephen Hatfield. The first few years we were together, I would rehearse the choir from the piano and then hand over the accompaniment when it came time for a performance. I found this to be challenging and often, while the accompanist was skilled, I felt that the music needed to be lifted off the page more to support the singing style of the piece we were performing.

After a few years of hiring an accompanist, and upon much reflection, I boldly announced to the choir one night that I would be the accompanist for performances and that we would be undertaking an innovative approach to presenting our music to audiences. One of the basic tenets for me, as a choral director, is the importance of communicating the music to the audience. It was a huge step to take away the 'wall' of me as conductor and have the women in the choir connect directly with the people listening to them and watching them perform. From their response, I would say our audience understands and appreciates our alternative approach to choral performance. I celebrate the creative spirit demonstrated by the women of Les Ms. and I share in their passion for bringing choral music to life with such personal flair.

This web site is a welcome addition to the growth of Les Ms. as a well-respected and valued member of the thriving choral community here in St. John's, Newfoundland. I hope we have many visitors to this site who will follow our performance schedules, charity work, repertoire choices and all the other tidbits of information that lie within.

Sincerely, Valerie Long