Achill Choral Society releasing free virtual spring concert

April 22, 2021 · 0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The Achill Choral Society is warmly inviting all of you to attend their virtual spring concert titled, “Journeys”, an uplifting performance, celebrating the beauty of our earth.

The show goes online at 7 p.m. on April 28 and will run until May 12, with tickets available for free at achill.ca.

The concert features the choir’s favourite selections from recent spring concerts and their Canada 150 performance of Missa Gaia, with guest soloists, accompanists and Nancy Sicsic on piano. A special virtual piece made with the Eglinton St. George’s Choir will be included as well.

Achill Choral Society director Shawn Grenke said the concert will be focused on Mother Earth and the human spirit, featuring the classical sounds of Mozart, Maritime Celtic music, pieces from The Sound of Music, and much more.

“A lot of the theme of the music is to inspire, words of beauty, and that type of thing,” Grenke said. “It’s going to be an uplifting concert.”

The musical performances may also provide some positivity to those who watch it, while the stay-at-home orders remain in place throughout Ontario.

“Hopefully we can put a smile on people’s faces because we’re still in this horrible mess of COVID which is very difficult for a lot of people,” Grenke noted. “There’s a lot of loneliness that’s set in and isolation and that and we’re just hoping that the concert will uplift people spirits.”

The concert is one hour and 10 minutes long, with eight songs performed during that time.

One of the new and exciting pieces is called “Voices of Earth” and Grenke joined Achill up with his church choir from Toronto for a virtual recording.

“You get to see all 70 people sing from their computers at home. It’s really quite neat,” he said.

Achill’s winter concert was watched over 1,500 times and Grenke told the Citizen he is hoping to hit the 1,000 views mark on their spring show.

Achill’s spring concert is free to attend and can be enjoyed by patrons anytime from the comfort of their own home. Free tickets can be obtained at achill.ca.

Achill is made up of 75 members and has been performing in the Caledon and Orangeville areas for 39 years.