As the pandemic drags on, making music together on Tuesday nights seems like a distant memory. If you are missing the Peace River Community Choir, you're not alone. For many of us, choir was more than just a singing group. It was a social night out in which the stresses of the day melted away as our breathing synchronized and our voices blended in harmony. We'd like to start up again in January, but the restrictions of the pandemic will make rehearsals very different from before. Is there enough interest in doing so? We've put together a short survey to see if we have the numbers to make it worthwhile negotiating for a rehearsal venue. If we are able to get Good Shepherd School, it is very likely we would all need to:
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 For many of us, Christmas is a time for singing. We've been so fortunate over the years to be able to share the joy of making music together at our regular Tuesday rehearsals. By this point in our regular season, we would have already led the carol singing in Riverfront Park and be putting the finishing touches on an upcoming Christmas concert for the community. We would be looking forward to our annual Christmas potluck at my house with more singing around the piano along with our tradition of singing for the seniors at Sutherland Place.
So how, in a pandemic year with restrictions around social gatherings, do we keep music alive in our hearts and our bodies? After all, passive listening to music does not release the same endorphins as physically participating in the music-making process. One possibility is to meet with our families from a distance over a platform like Zoom and sing along (microphones muted) in synchronous time to a screen share of Christmas carols: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8sklmGqNNE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxrC06MPx84 It's not quite the same, but then again, nothing is this year. Drop your comments below or simply say hello and let us know how you are doing with the lead-up to Christmas. We will get through this and we WILL sing together again someday. Happy Holidays!  Today I was thinking about the times in our life when we sing. We sing to celebrate a birthday or special occasion. We sing to pass time in the car during a long drive. In days past, workers would sing as they worked to help keep a steady beat during a repetitive task. They would sing songs in the fields to boost each others' spirits or to share hidden messages. We sing praise songs in church; we sing sad songs to help chase away the blues. We sing lullabies to put babies to sleep and songs to make others dance. We sing to communicate our innermost feelings. We sing in private and we sing with others. How wonderful to have a Community Choir where we can all sing for the love of singing!
 Our choir sang three selections at the North Peace Performing Arts Festival on Tuesday, March 5. We performed very well and were given a superior (over 90%) rating.
 In August, two members of the Peace River Community Choir travelled to Austria to participate in the Classical Music Festival Summer Academy. One of the highlights was singing for the Sunday Mass at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. Can you spot Philippe Robert and Joan Blench in this photo?
 We received $720.75 in cash donations to the Soup Kitchen plus an undetermined amount of donations to the Food Bank which were added to the box in the entrance to St. James Anglican Church. What a great response from the community, both in donations prior to the concert, and in positive comments at the end of the evening. Christmas Concert December 10 A very successful concert with many generous donations. We received the following message from Major Grayling Crites of the Salvation Army:
"Please pass my thanks along to the choir for they performance at the Anglican Church in December which raised $569.60 in the kettle. It is much appreciate and needed with the increase of people coming for assistance especially at Christmas. Merry Christmas & God Bless You in the New Year." Our new Community Choir season begins this month. If you've sung with us before, we'd love to have you with us again. If you've never sung with a choir before, you'll find we are a fun (and forgiving!) group. Some of us have great solo voices; others take comfort in the ensemble. Some of us read music; others do not. What we all have in common, though, is that we love to sing and enjoy the sounds when our voices blend together. Our first three rehearsals are trials only -- no obligation to join -- so come and give it a try. We ask that you commit one way or another by October 3 so we can budget for the year. Your $150 fee covers the cost of music, honorariums for our director and accompanist, entry fees for festival, use of the school courtyard and any other operating expenses. Bursaries or payment plans are available for those experiencing financial difficulty. Singing is good for the body and the soul. We want everyone to be able to experience the joy of making music as a group. We hope to see you on September 19!  |
