There are three things immediately apparent with Lisa Ward ñ energy, passion and modesty.She adores music and her influence on hundreds if not thousands in Central Alberta is undeniable. But you will not hear any of that from Ward. She shies away from notions she is special and accomplished.However, the truth is the 46-year-old artistic/choral director of D & L Ward Music, a company she operates with her husband Doug, is turning heads in a very big way since she left the teaching profession 18 months ago.For 22 years she was a choir instructor at Red Deer's Lindsay Thurber High School, bringing her seemingly boundless energy and passion to the young. Twice she brought jazz choir high school students to perform at New York City's renowned Carnegie Hall. Her work has earned numerous awards at both the provincial and national levels. Always, she has inspired both young and old to bring out the very best of themselves.ìI think what drives me is watching my singers come alive through music, and the challenge of singing music well and singing it with real passion,î said Ward, whose own passion for music began as a child watching her mother sing and play guitar.Ward's musical background is in voice and piano but directing a choir has been in her blood since her mother formed a choir in her native Saskatchewan.For more than two decades she passed on that passion as a teacher but in 2010 a calling came for a new direction.Ward was already a successful choir director outside of school but she and her husband decided to grow to a new level by establishing D & L Ward Music, based out of her acreage home eight kilometres east of Penhold. Over the past 18 months Lisa has expanded to four choir groups that serve all of Central Alberta.ìThe opportunity to focus on the aspects of music-making that seem most important to me and to build on choral communities in and around Central Alberta was one of the driving forces,î said Ward of her decision to leave the teaching profession to start D & L Ward Music. ìWorking with my choirs here and doing workshops, clinics and festivals throughout Canada was also appealing and allowed me to stretch into those roles and meet new challenges and opportunities.îSoliloquy is Ward's ìmotherî group. The adult choir group began eight years ago. It is open to anyone over the age of 21.The Soliloquy group led to the creation of three others ñ Ihana, for singers between 14 and 22, It's Time, a vocal jazz ensemble for singers 14 years old and over, and Selah, a 14-member ensemble whose members are drawn from Soliloquy.In total Ward has up to 65 singers who are committed to her choirs. They regularly perform at festivals, most recently with the Red Deer Symphony Orchestra. Ward's supreme joy while working and directing the singers is to watch and feel the passion flow, from themselves to the mesmerized audiences.ìWhen singers come together and work on music, be it a beautiful unison line or eight-part harmony, there is something so powerful that happens,î said Ward. ìIf everyone is there with a common purpose and desire to work together, produce excellence, and sing from their heart and soul, you can't help but be moved by the unity and energy of this type of community.îAnd the success earned by Ward and her four choirs is just the beginning. This year Ward created the Choral Singers Unite Society (CSUS), a non-profit organization showcasing the four dynamic choral groups and their singers from across Central Alberta.ìOur mandate is to network and make Central Alberta more aware and provide opportunities and for people to enjoy music,î said Ward, who feels constantly moved by the energy created by her singers and groups. ìWhen I am in rehearsals with my choirs, I feel inspired and the ëwork' seems effortless. You can have a beautiful solo voice but you can only be one voice, where in a choral setting there are many voices that come together.îFor more information on D & L Ward Music visit www.lisalward.com.
