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Parksville community choir celebrating Canadian music

Local singers get chance at solos in April 9 performance
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Courtesy of the Parksville and District Community Choir The Parksville and District Community Choir are preparing for their April 9 performance, which will celebrate music by and about Canada in honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary.

The Parksville and District Community Choir are celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary in their own way — with performances of music by Canadians and about Canada from coast to coast to coast.

The choir’s upcoming performance, titled This is My Home ,takes place at Knox United Church on April 9.

Pieces will include Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, Ian Tysons Four Strong Winds, Make and Break Harbour by Gibson and Buckley, and Stan Rogers’ Northwest Passage, the latter being a particular favourite of the choir’s music director and conductor, Ann Barber.

“It’s kind of a fun mix, this concert,” she said. “We want to celebrate Canada 150 along with the rest of the country, so we have a program of music that is either by Canadian composers, arranged by Canadian composers, or about places in Canada.

“We have songs from the West Coast, the East Coast, the Prairies, Quebec and about the north, too.”

Barber has also arranged Wood River by Connie Kaldor for the choir to sing.

Soloists at the event are also members of the choir, giving locals a chance to show their chops. “I thought for this (performance), to celebrate our Canadian music, we will have our local Canadian singers too,” said Barber.

One of the soloists, Albert Davies, just celebrated his 90th birthday, she said.

“And he’s still a fabulous singer.”

The choir will also perform sacred music by Franz Liszt, called Missa Choralis. It’s a seldom performed piece, said Barber, which, to her knowledge, has not been performed in the area before.

“It’s a setting of a latin mass,” said Barber. “And Franz Liszt was a romantic composer… so the different thing about this is that it is more romantic in style than our usual Mozart and Bach and Haydn classical styles. There are some beautiful harmonies in here.”

John Nelson will be accompanying “Missa Choralis” on Organ, with Margaret Nelson on piano for the other pieces.

With more male singers having recently joined the choir, the group has a stronger foundation, but is always looking for more singers.

New recruits needn’t have much experience, and there is no audition to join, said Barber.

The April 9 performance starts at 2:30 p.m. at Knox United Church.

Tickets are $18 at Mulberry Bush Bookstores and at the door.