NOVA VOCE: OTHER LIVES

Other Lives is a continuing series of posts about choir members.  In this edition, we are pleased to feature Robert (Bob) McCalla.

Section One: In the Choir

When we speak about being a stalwart member, there are a number of Nova Voce members that adjective applies to, but not anyone more than Bob McCalla.  He has been in the choir for 21 years, since its inception, putting him in an elite group of founding members. He has sung the baritone line since 2004. 

Bob tells us that he was singing with the Seton Cantata Choir, under the leadership of Nova Voce’s founding director Terry Hurrell when Terry approached him and asked if he would be interested in auditioning for a provincial men’s choir he was putting together. And as Bob says, “I said yes, and the rest is history.”

In addition to singing, Bob was Secretary of the Board for 12 years, an outstanding example of his commitment.

What could keep a person coming back year after year to sing in Nova Voce? When asked that question Bob gave us lots of reasons.  He said, “It has been an enjoyable experience. Camaraderie plays a large part. I have also enjoyed rehearsals and getting together with the guys.” He went on. “I loved singing for Terry. He was a stickler but got a lot out of us, probably more than we knew we had.”

As Secretary of the Board, Bob was involved in creating the administrative foundation for the choir. He played a large role in achieving charitable status through the Canada Revenue Agency and the registration of Nova Voce bylaws with Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stocks. “It was challenging but exciting times to be involved from the ground floor. Getting charitable status with CRA was a major accomplishment,” he said.

Bob has had no shortage of memorable times in Nova Voce. He’s coy when referring to a particularly amusing event that goes into the “I’m not going to reveal it box.”  We may have to dig a little more to find out what Bob is referring to.

“The trip to the Eastern Seaboard was something to remember fondly. It was a bonding experience, and we sang well,” he recollected. “There was a limited number of us – I think 20 – and we knew the music. We pretty much had it memorized and could follow Bryan (Bryan Crocker, our co-artistic director) in however he wanted the music to be performed.”

On that same trip, the choir went to Philadelphia where David Kalix (choir member) and Joannie, who were originally from the area insisted we had to have the famous

Philly Cheesesteak. “They took us to a ‘diner’ in a seedy part of the docks’ area where we all dutifully lined up for this Philadelphia delicacy. It was dripping with grease but quite tasty.”

Not all the memories are good.  Bob recalls the time we sang to fewer people in the choir than in the audience. Sigh…. True to form, however, Bob’s reminiscences, land on the positive side of things. He does have one regret;  that he did not go with the choir to Europa Cantat in Turin, Italy. He remarked, “For everything I hear it was the trip of a lifetime.”

He concludes, “But finally, I think my most memorable musical moment was during our very first concert in Wolfville in 2004. We opened with Ave Marie Stella. As the piece ended, with the last chord dying away, I heard a gasp from a woman in the audience. She was so moved by the piece. I knew then that Nova Voce was a choir I wanted to be a part of.”

Section Two: Outside of the Choir

Singing is clearly part of Bob’s life. Over the years, he has sung with Seton Cantata Choir, The Jubilate Singers, the Royal Nova Scotia Tattoo Choir and The South Shore Choir, in addition to Nova Voce .

Bob retired after 39 years as a professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Saint Mary’s University. He is 77 years young. With Peggy, whom he has been married for almost 55 years, Bob’s immediate family consists of two boys (married) and five grandchildren. Peggy and Bob moved to Mahone Bay in 2019.

We know about Bob’s singing talents. When asked about his other talents, he said maybe some people might call it a talent, rather more like a “pain in the ‘you-know-what’.  He is a stickler for details.

“I ask questions that may annoy people, but I want explanations for what I don’t understand. Sometimes, I want to test if the person making the presentation understands what they are saying or showing. It goes back to my university days when my job was to be critical not only with student work, but also with the peer review process of academic paper writing and publication. I did this when reviewing financial statements and budgets as a faculty representative on Saint Mary’s University Senate and the Board of Governors for six years before retirement. All the years I was a faculty rep, we did not record operating deficits.”

We always ask our featured member what they are looking forward to this year. As is often the case with others in the choir, travel is in the cards. “In May 2026 we are travelling to the United Kingdom on the Queen Mary II, and once in the UK we are off to Scotland for a couple of weeks; then, we fly home from Edinburgh,” said Bob.

Bob’s second point is not one we wanted to hear, though we understand. As he explains, “After the November concert, I am glad not to have to drive into Halifax from Mahone Bay every Sunday for Nova Voce rehearsals and performances. I will be leaving the choir then. In total, since our move to the south shore, I have recorded over 25000 kilometers of travel associated with Nova Voce. I think it is time to give that up.”

Another question that often gives our featured members cause to worry is … ‘If those who know you were to describe you in one or two sentences, what would they say?’  Bob replied that he would leave that up for others to say.

So we asked them. Clearly, from the responses, we know that Bob is well and truly a key member of the. choir. Some comments include…“He is a hard-working musician who is constantly honing his craft … and he has a great sense of humour.”  

Another of our stalwart baritones poked some fun. “Bob’s always there … unless he’s away. He’s always bang on the tone and timing … unless he’s not. He’s always willing to share his knowledge and his many, many, many years of choral  and life experience with you, unless …”

The truth is, of course, Bob is always there, always bang on musically and always willing to share.What we also know is that Bob will be missed as he closes out the Nova Voce chapter of his life. 

Finally, we asked Bob is if he has a motto he lives by. Sometimes, this question is a hard one to answer too, because our lives these days are not as straightforward as when our parents were our age.  However, Bob decided that this - Be responsible for your own actions – spoke to him best as a reflection of his long career in academia, his role with Peggy in raising their children, his commitment to Nova Voce for 21 years, and now, to whatever life will bring him.

Bon voyage, Bob.