Encore! Women’s Choir is presenting their spring concert on Saturday, May 11 at the Duncan Reformed Church.
“Music has a unique ability to bridge divides and bring people together,” said choir director Michelle Weckesser. “Our upcoming concert’s title, Sisi Ni Moja, roughly translates as ‘We Are One’ in Swahili. I have always thought that what we do in choirs is a wonderful metaphor for how we can live our lives generally. We come together as diverse voices and make a beautiful sound that we cannot do on our own. We Are One is not just a concert theme; it’s a reflection of our shared journey, embracing differences to create something truly beautiful.”
Pianist Naomi Barclay will accompany the choir, along with Barb Cleary and John Jantzen on double bass and percussion.
The programme will feature songs from Canadian composers, including ‘Slap the Back of Joy!’ from resident composer Deborah Sumner. Newfoundland is celebrated in Marie-Claire Saindon’s ‘Terre-Neuve’, while ‘Tomorrow is a Chance to Start Over and ‘The Valley’ are about journeys.
Old classics and spirituals include arrangements of ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken’, ‘Down in the River to Pray’, ‘The Gift to Be Simple’, ‘Harmony’s Never Too Late’, and ‘Bye and Bye’.
Classical pieces are represented with ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’, ‘Lift Thine Eyes’, and new work ‘Adiemus’, which organizers say you may know from a viral Delta Airlines commercial.
“Finally, ’90s favourites The Spice Girls’ ‘Wannabe’ has been given a madrigal treatment by Nathan Howe, and we will rock this polyphonic pop piece for you,” said a press release for the show.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the concert starting at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be served at intermission.
Tickets are available from Volume One Bookstore in Duncan, from choir members and at the door. For adults they are $20 in advance and $10 for children 12 and under. Don’t wait to get them, the choir’s Christmas show sold out. For more information check out www.encorewomenschoir.com