Countermeasure performs arrangements of pop favourites, classic jazz standards, and their own original songs, including “Takin’ It Home,” which was featured on CBC’s Schitt’s Creek.
In advance of Countermeasure’s May 24th concert (sharing the bill with fellow a cappella group Estonian Voices), Burns, who is of Estonian heritage, shared the connections, cultural moments, and personal revelations that brought her to singing.
From an early age, Elora was surrounded by music. Her parents played instruments and introduced her to folk and jazz. A pivotal moment came when, at four years old, she was watching Sesame Street. “My parents saw me going around with my head cocked over sideways and my arms swinging around, and it took them a few days to figure out that I was imitating [violinist] Itzhak Perlman,” she recalled. This led to years of violin study, choral singing, and also French horn playing. Later on, her love of choral music was solidified by joining a community choir called Kokopelli (now called Korora). It provided not just a musical outlet but also a deeply supportive community. After moving to Toronto, she sought to recreate that sense of belonging and found it in Countermeasure: “It just felt like home. Suddenly, I knew ‘Oh, these are my people. I love every single one of them. I trust every single one of them, and we make amazing music together.’”
Co-founded and led by artistic director Aaron Jensen, Countermeasure is known for pushing the boundaries of vocal performance. Their arrangements blend jazz and pop, featuring graceful dynamics, tight complex harmonies, and a creative deconstruction of tone and instrumentation.
Speaking with Burns about the latter point, it was shown how Countermeasure are adept at taking compositions and isolating the sounds of instruments, emulating those sounds with their voices and a selection of digital effects—together with their indispensable sound technician, Chris Poole. Poole helps shape their live sound with precision. As Burns emphasizes, “Sometimes a venue will say, ‘We have a sound tech,’ and we say, ‘No, no, no—we have a show file and a mixer, and Chris is part of the show!’”
“There are people in the group who basically don’t read music, and there are people in the group who hate learning by rote and really want to see that sheet music right in front of them in order to learn it… But together we create something extraordinary.”
(Elora Burns)
Within the band (and they consider themselves a band) there is variation in how a song’s arrangement is approached. Burns explains, “There are people in the group who basically don’t read music, and there are people in the group who hate learning by rote and really want to see that sheet music right in front of them in order to learn it… But together we create something extraordinary.” Each singer has their own musical personality that is reflected in their shows, and certain roles depending on the song, such as soloing, creating a rhythm section (including through beatboxing), and shaping the aforementioned instrument sounds.
The group is also big on collaboration and has performed with artists from Dame Evelyn Glennie to Ron Sexsmith (with whom they covered the Spider-Man theme song) and Barenaked Ladies. For Elora Burns, one collaboration highlight was recording with theremin virtuoso Pamelia Stickney for the haunting track “Aubade,” with vigorous vocal energy and super low-frequency theremin that left Elora breathless during the first studio listening session. This is the concluding track on their 2020 album Guest Sessions.
Countermeasure’s upcoming album, Guest Sessions Volume II, features new songs and more pairings with talented instrumentalists that demonstrate the band’s ability to defy genre and redefine what a cappella music can be.
On a personal level for Burns, singing at Estonian Music Week will be a connection to not only one of her greatest passions, but her Estonian heritage and Estonia’s deeply-rooted singing tradition, best exemplified by Laulupidu, Estonia’s massive Song Festival. The power of this festival is something Elora has experienced firsthand, having attended in 2014. “I just couldn’t pull myself away,” she recalled. “I was crying. Just the power of seeing that mass choir sing… it was incredible.”
Countermeasure’s Estonian Music Week performance will incorporate elements from their upcoming album while maintaining fan-favourite pieces from their repertoire. While the full ninety-minute set they have been preparing for their Japan tour and shows in B.C. may be condensed, audiences can expect a sophisticated showcase of vocal textures, rhythm, and the signature puntastic humour and wordplay that Aaron Jensen brings to their concerts. This will be a celebration of vocal music that you won’t want to miss.
Go get your tickets or festival passes now, so you can make the most of better pricing prior to April 2nd!
Countermeasure and Estonian Voices’ concert is presented in partnership with Sing! the Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival. Estonian Music Week is a project by VEMU Estonian Museum Canada and Tartu College. EMW would like to thank major funder Estonian Foundation of Canada for their longstanding support of the festival.
