Ernst Sibtet pure voice, pure music, pure talent

Imagine the Trapp Family Singers performing right next door – and you didn’t bother to go. Missing The Ernst Sibtet at Evergreen Theatre September 19 in East Margaretsville would give you that same ‘kick-yourself’ feeling.

The oldest six of 10 children, the members of the Sibtet have spent the past nine years as members of The Ernst Family, one of Nova Scotia’s most accomplished family groups. Based in Lunenburg, they have sung publicly since 2000, when father Gregg Ernst, a world-record-holding strength athlete, decided to direct his drive for excellence into his homeschooled family’s music. Since then, they have toured the Maritimes, Ontario, and the northeastern United States.

After 70 concerts in 2007, mother Jennie decided she needed to cut back, so the main touring group was reconfigured to allow both the music and the younger children more space to develop. Thus Sibtet came to be, interpreting a wide range of sextet music with technical skill and youthful joie de vivre. This is a family that really enjoys working and performing together, and it shows.

A key element of their sound is diversity. The six voices run the gamut from high soprano to low bass, and their repertoire spans over six centuries, from medieval part-songs and Renaissance motets through to black spirituals, light jazz, and a honed pop/R&B style of their own. Tying all of this together is the group’s ability to get to the heart of the music, no matter which style is sung. While often compared to the Trapp Family Singers, their main musical influences are groups like the King’s Singers, Chanticleer, and the Cambridge Singers.

The September 19 concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17. For reservations go online at www.evergreentheatre.ca or email at evergreentheatre@gmail .com. You can phone 902-825-6834.