The Community Youth Choir entertained a full house Sunday at its first concert of the season.
As the choir grows, so does its audience numbers. The choir, now numbering 64, attracted more than 200 people to the Third Avenue United Church for a show entitled Friends, Buddies and Pals.
Accompanied by Gary Gansauge and Jaya Hoy, and directed by Lisa Hornung, the young voices rang out with enthusiasm and skill as they sang their way through a line up of songs of friendship and love.
In her remarks to the crowd, Hornung said, "This is truly a community program."
She thanked all the sponsors of the program, as well as the supporters, parents and grandparents who lend their time and talents to the program.
"You'll see on your program," she said, there's a very long list of individuals and businesses in our community that give money and gift cards, and produce to help us with the snack part of our program, and give us things to allow us to buy costumes and music ... so when you go to those businesses, please do let them know they are doing a really, really great thing in supporting youth in the arts."
She also thanked the choir and its volunteers.
"We are all 'friends, buddies and pals,'" she said. "We are human beings, and we have our little things that we're working out, and we rely on each other and we help each other to grow through those times and become better people."
The Community Youth Choir is a non-audition group where the requirements to join are a desire to sing, a willingness to work hard and a respectful attitude. As well as having the opportunity to sing in a small group, duet or solo, should they want to, there are also opportunities to help with conducting, sectional rehearsal, accompanying and staging.
The Community Youth Choir's next concert will be March 4, 2012 at Third Avenue United Church at 3 p.m . Creative Kids!, a fund raising concert, will feature the choir and a variety of home grown talent.
May 6, they will present their annual Spring Tuning concert.
In other upcoming musical events (which work out to a "one a month to the keep you warm bunch of concerts") Lisa Hornung and Gary Gansauge will present their traditional Candlelight Christmas Concert along with Jaya Hoy and the Meota Men's Chorus. Normally held the last Sunday before Christmas, this year it will take place on Thursday, Dec. 22, to allow for Hornung to perform in Montreal from Dec. 17 to 21.
In January, the second Music For the Soul concert will be held at Third Avenue United Church Sanctuary. Jan. 22, "The Trumpets Shall Sound!" with Terry Heckman of Saskatoon and Jack Tatchell of North Battleford on trumpet, and Jaya Hoy at the piano.
Feb. 12, the third Music for the Soul concert will feature Elizabethan and Baroque love songs with Hornung and Hoy.
April 22 at Third Avenue United Church Sanctuary will be Music for the Soul- 4 with James Legge on viola and Hoy on piano.
Watch for more details on these concerts in upcoming issues.
