English
UNISON 2026 Theme
Music Healing Spirit
The Theme
The words music, healing, and spirit resonate with our mission and values, and with our members’ lives
in British Columbia and across Canada. These simple words can be interpreted in many ways. Some
definitions include:
Music: vocal or instrumental sounds or both, combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form,
harmony, and expression of emotion
Healing: the process by which a person is made sound or becomes healthy
Spirit: the non-physical part of a person which is the seat of emotion and character
Your Challenge
We invite Artistic and Musical Directors to use the Festival theme words as inspiration, and as a guide
when selecting choral pieces to present at Unison 2026. Our expectation is that your choices will in
some way map directly to the Festival theme.
Music can elicit strong emotions from listeners. Whether it’s a Puccini aria expressing the loss of a
loved one or an Elton John song commenting on modern life, beautiful and unique combinations of
sounds always elicit a response: comfort, joy, sadness, fellowship, and any number of other things.
Does music heal the spirit? “Music Healing Spirit” is an open invitation to explore the impact and
emotions of music; positive evolution; and possibly spiritual questions. Each participating Festival
chorus is encouraged to highlight one or more aspects of the theme that are most meaningful to their
group.
Additional Notes
At Unison 2026, we will honour the Indigenous peoples in this part of Canada and recognize how our
First Nations musical tributes link us to those who have walked before.
We all can express common experiences and connections through song. And we invite all participants to
be a bit vulnerable: Your pieces may be joyful or sad, but the sharing will unite us in purpose and
strengthen our fellowship. Whether we come away from the festival enriched, healed, or just happy, the
experience will be positive.
Have fun with the theme – and make it yours.