Three local choirs have plans for pre-Christmas treats

November 25, 2015 · 0 Comments

With Christmas now less than a month away, three choirs based in the Headwaters area are hard at work preparing to treat audiences to some of the best seasonal music.
First in line is the Achill Choral Society, based in the Hockley Valley. Now in its 33rd year and still under the baton of its founding director, A. Dale Wood, the choir will present a program dubbed Rejoice at Bolton’s Christ Church, 22 Nancy St., this Saturday (Nov. 28). The same program, featuring British composer John Rutter’s challenging Magnificat, will be repeated Sunday at St. James’ Roman Catholic Church in Colgan, 2118 Adjala-Tecumseth Townline, and Dec. 6, at St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Orangeville. All three concerts will start at 7:30 p.m.
The following weekend will see two performances of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah by the Alliston-based New Tecumseth Singers and Orangeville’s Dufferin Concert Singers. The first will be Saturday evening (Dec. 12) at Westminster United Church, Orangeville, and the second at Banting Memorial High School, Alliston, Sunday afternoon.
Both performances will see the choristers accompanied by The Waterloo Chamber Players Orchestra, under the direction of John Wervers. Scheduled soloists are soprano Hannah Shelton Campbell, tenor Blair Spry, mezzo-soprano Cara Cameron and bass Lorne Derraugh.
Scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., the Orangeville performance will include special prelude music at 7 by the Bells of Westminster directed by Shirley Jemmett. Tickets are available at the church office, 247 Broadway, and at BookLore and Korsten’s Jewellers Inc., as well as from members of the choirs. Similarly, the Alliston performance will be at 3 p.m., but special prelude music at 2:30 will be provided by the Banting Glee Club, directed by Laura-Beth Smith and Matthew Heeley.
Dec. 19, will see another performance of Messiah, this one by the Headwaters’ Concert Choir, conducted by Robert Hennig. It will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Claude Presbyterian Church, on Highway 10, south of Olde Base Line Rd.
That performance will feature as soloists sopranos Shelagh Tyreman and Laura Curtis, mezzo-soprano Nancy Claridge, tenor Adam Malcolm and bass Jeffrey Carl. Tickets available from ticketscene.ca or choir members.