The following article was written by Doug Warne, a Tenor with the Calgary Festival Chorus and the Calgary Bach Choir as part of his Alberta Choir Odyssey – a personal journey of discovering and writing about Alberta Choirs. This unique odyssey is his vision to contribute, in a broader way, to choral singing in Alberta.
March 2025
Whether or not you are religious, or believe in a deity, or have any particular feelings of faith at all, I am sure that you will be touched by The Master’s Singers. In today’s world of controversy and turbulence, The Master’s Singers (TMS) truly calm the troubled waters with their sense of community, fellowship, and dedication to the message of faith they express so clearly in song. As you know, I try to sum up a choir into one word and for this choir it is UPLIFTING! To hear them perform is truly uplifting for anyone, religious or secular alike.
TMS was founded in September 2000 by Muriel Wiebe who was committed to growing a male chorus in Alberta that would be dedicated to singing music in a ministry that honours God. The name, “The Master's Singers”, represents men singing for their Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Attendance at their first rehearsal consisted of 12 men, a director and a pianist. They had no idea how fruitful the next 25 years of ministry would be, as they are now over twice that size and have become a well-known, non-auditioned men’s choir in Calgary’s liturgical community.
A major accomplishment of TMS included a near sellout concert at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary. They are no stranger to the recording studio either, having issued a total of five CDs, one of which was a Covenant Award Nominee for "Choir Album of the Year". They also perform at frequent concerts and Sunday services in churches of various denominations.
This is a unique group of men with varied backgrounds in music. They love to sing, rehearse once a week, and believe that sacred music sung by men is very important in today's society. They also value the building and maintenance of friendships within the choir. Most months one Sunday is set aside for the choir to join in the morning worship at a local church in or around Calgary. They assist the morning worship by performing a number of songs. They also sing at various special events throughout Calgary.
Their goal is to touch the hearts and souls of both Christians and non-Christians, in hopes of drawing them closer to Jesus. Their members hail from many denominations and churches in Calgary and nearby communities. They are sincere in their ongoing commitment to reach out with their music to people in as many greater Calgary communities as possible and to create a sense of hope and gratitude for all who attend their performances.
I think that this sincerity was captured wonderfully by one of the chorister’s comments: “The liturgical side can be a touchy and difficult one to communicate without offending or getting people's hackles up, or eliciting a defensive or dismissive response. I understand the religious, or sacred aspects of our music and group can be foreign to many in our secular world. Part of what we are called to do as Christians is to humbly, respectfully, and gently communicate to others. We're not trying to convert anyone, but instead are simply trying to spread some love and spirit into our small corner of a world desperate for understanding and love.”
Regarding the music that TMS sings, another chorister’s response was this: “The music selected by the Music Committee represents traditional church music, and occasionally classical music such as Beethoven and other classical composers. This challenges us and provides new music to our audience.” That is certainly true, but the essential core of TMS is sacred Christian music. Now I don’t want to be too categorical about this, but I suspect that some of my readers do not have a strong liturgical leaning. Regardless, I found personally that listening to gospel music the way TMS presents it brings a sense of calmness and serenity that can carry over to our day-to-day lives no matter what beliefs we hold. As another chorister said: “When others see TMS presentations as a testimony of our love and praise for Jesus, I trust that the Spirit will do the work to touch the hearts of the young, old, believers or seekers alike.”
Here again, their performances are simply UPLIFTING.
The first 20 years of the TMS music ministry exceeded all expectations through the musical direction of their founder, Muriel Wiebe. Muriel led multiple choirs in Calgary during her career and contributed to TMS in more ways than most "musical directors" are typically asked to do. As one chorister stated: "Muriel spent hundreds of hours searching for music, setting-up concerts, and even preparing various CDs. She knew what she wanted, and was good at it. I really enjoyed her enthusiastic spirit working with her. Even serious focused work was fun. An amazing, talented woman."
Their current director is Humberto Vargas who is truly a “renaissance man”. An engineer by profession, he also has an extensive resume in orchestral and choral works, and is fluent in a number of languages. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Bassoon from the National School of Music at UNAM in Mexico and playing in various orchestras in Mexico, he obtained a Master's degree in Symphony Conducting from l’Université de Montréal. Based in Calgary since 2013, he has been the Musical Director, or guest conductor, of various orchestras and choirs over the years. In addition to all that, he holds also a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering with specialty in TV Broadcasting, and has pursued Live Sound and Audio Recording professional studies. His leadership has continued Muriel’s legacy so smoothly that TMS is now realizing its full potential.
The feeling of friendship and joy for all is the basis of TMS’s mission to bear witness through their performances. Another key thing is that they do not restrict their performances to Christian churches or audiences, but rather make a strong point of spreading their message to a broader community. Their musical presentations are offered as an alternative, or complement, to worship services at many local churches, regardless of denomination. They also present Christmas and Spring concerts and make a point of singing at various retirement residences and care centres. One chorister’s response noted that “There are three main avenues for generating interest/recruiting in our Choir: personal word-of-mouth appeal by our members and/or families, online address information, and the interest through attendees at our presentations.”
In addition, the TMS administrative board is initiating an effort to spread the word to an even wider community. As one chorister said “The Board is doing great work promoting us to various churches through face-to-face contact with ministers, pastors, and musical leaders.” Another chorister remarked: "We often talked of the importance of building relationships within TMS. Some came to practice, just to sing, some came to find peace from a troubled environment. I love the light banter, and revitalization of my heart and soul. Sometimes I felt practice was more important than concert performance!”
TMS concert experience
The concert I attended was called a "Music Gala" and all proceeds were donated to the Calgary Food Bank. As part of a series of galas organized by the Lutheran Church, The Master's Singers were invited to perform due to their outstanding reputation. There was a wide array of talents at this gala, from piano and organ, to cello, a brass quartet, and choral. All of the performers were excellent, a clear testimony of their magnificent talents. The Master's Singers sang three songs in each of two sets during the programme, and both sets were marvellous. Their phrasing and diction were very accomplished, and the audience responded accordingly. The warmth and vitality of the evening were remarkable and everyone came away with a strong, positive feeling in their hearts.
The Master’s Singers are unique to Alberta in that they are composed of men who are pious and fun-loving gentlemen. Ever since the choir’s inception in 2000, their goal has always been to bring hope and joy to Albertans through their voices raised in song. I found that all of them were kind, sincere, and joyful – in short, great friends to be cherished. Their sincere efforts to bring a calming and serene message to the community is something to be honoured. Therefore, I heartily recommend that you check their performance dates on their website, The Master's Singers | Calgary - Home (themasterssingers.org), and experience this choir firsthand. I guarantee that when you see them perform, you too will be UPLIFTED!