Preludes and Cream music coming to Orangeville church : Caledon Citizen : https://caledoncitizen.com

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Preludes and Cream music coming to Orangeville church

By Constance Scrafield
Another fine concert under the leadership of Nancy Sicsic, organist and music director at Westminster United Church, titled Preludes and Cream, is set for Oct. 22.
“I like the concerts to have a theme; it makes it simpler in many ways,” Sicsic admitted. “You can have a wide variety of music and still stick to a theme.”
Sicsic certainly has settled into the music community and the community in general since her arrival here about three years ago. She came to Orangeville from Toronto in answer to the advertisement for an organist/music director for Westminster Church.
It was time for a new road in her life and she is glad to have taken it.
“I work in Toronto, teaching at St. George Campus at U of T and I teach here too,” she said. “There are two concerts a year, plus other concerts; then, the choir and the services on Sunday and weddings; I feel as though I'm leading three different lives.”
She spoke for a moment about her recent pre-Orangeville history.
“I still feel very new to Orangeville, coming from Toronto, from Vancouver and originally, from the U.S,” she commented. “We left the States to go to Vancouver for work and the same thing to come to Toronto. We were 15 years in Vancouver.”
Still in all, as a musician, she is finding her fellows.
“It's very nice here and lots of opportunities for concerts,” she observed. “I'm really getting to know musicians and other people who live and work here. Many of them have other commitments but music is still a big part of their lives.”
“You have to be well-rounded with the concerts — appeal to a wide taste,” she added. “I found in the last concert in the spring, a lot of the rock musicians were classically trained: look at Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.”
“This concert has to be classical, jazz and popular music as well,” Sicsic observed.
She offered the irony of the freedom to take classical as your own
“Being an organist, you always talk about getting the prelude right, but Ryan Grist and his jazz trio will do a prelude,” she said. “All my performers have taken on the theme to have fun with it. With this theme there are preludes of all kinds.”
Sicsic is interested in young musicians, hearing them with their own voices.
“Xavier Leahy is coming,” she said. “I invited him because I heard him play one time. He was with his family, but playing on his own with his accordion and he was really interesting as a solo. He may be bringing some members of his family.”
Traditionally, preludes are often associated with the organ.
“I wasn't going to include the organ,” Sicsic commented, “but people asked me to.”
The extensive renovations to the sanctuary of Westminster were designed to attract people of all persuasions to hold their concerts there and, as Sicsic remarked, “These two concerts a year that we do, fall and spring, what's really important is to have culture in the community, not to just bring people in but good quality music.”
“The proceeds keep our organ music funds up,” she added. “The local musicians that play in the concerts — we pay them.”
She makes her living and turns her life over to music. She likes to be involved in music/arts committees and competitions: “It is very rewarding,” she averred.
For Sicsic, “The main importance is it's really relaxing and pleasant to come. The congregation asked how they could help — shall we provide snacks afterwards? They said.”
Smiling at the level of enthusiasm, she promised, “There will be nice snacks after the concert.”
Tickets are available at the United Church office, 247 Broadway; BookLore and New Wave Pool and Spa; by telephone at 519-941-0381.

Post date: 2017-10-11 16:34:16
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Post modified date: 2017-10-12 14:40:01
Post modified date GMT: 2017-10-12 18:40:01