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The Woodstock Choralaires are returning to Tillsonburg. Although the group is centered in Woodstock, you will find it has been infiltrated by singers from Tillsonburg who are bringing the group home twice this year.
This one-hour concert, aptly named An Afternoon with the Woodstock Choralaires, will thrill you with exquisite choral arrangements highlighting a selection of songs by Canadian Composers. No, they are not going to put you to sleep with old classical songs. They will surprise you with a variety of Canadian songs - everything from French and English folk songs, Newfoundland sea-shanties, and Inuit folk poetry set to music, to contemporary songs by well-known composers such as Leonard Cohen, Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Young, and Stompin’ Tom Connors.
Formed way back in 1966, The Choralaires grew quickly and today have more than 60 members, including their accompanist and only their fourth director in those 51 years, Geoffrey Warder.
Geoffrey has an impressive list of accomplishments including composing music for choirs, television programs, advertisements and multimedia productions. He teaches audio production a Fanshawe College in London and Humber College in Toronto and has been a church organist and choir director for 15 years.
Over the five decades they have travelled overseas nine times and sung in a variety of venues including some magnificent old cathedrals. What a thrill it would have been to sing there and to hear them.
The concert will be at St. John’s Anglican Church, 46 Ridout St. W., on Sunday April 2, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $12, and proceeds will support the repair and maintenance of the church organ at St. John’s. You can get your tickets at the church office Mon-Fri in the mornings (call 519-842-5573) or members of the St. John’s Choir. The church is fully accessible with a lovely ramp off Coon Alley.
If you wish to hear the Choralaires full repertoire of spotlighting Canadian Music, you can attend their Annual Spring Concert celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday with their full two-hour concert, Here’s To Song. It will be held on Saturday, April 29 at Maranatha Christian Reformed Church, 735 Frontenac Crescent, Woodstock, with performances at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and available from Merrifield Book Shop in Woodstock at www.ticketscene.ca or by calling 519-536-7630. Once again, the Choralaires will be performing songs by Canadian composers in celebration of Canada 150. You can see their website for details at www.woodstockchoralaires.ca.
The Choralaires will be returning to Tillsonburg as part of St. Paul's United Church 'Hooked on Music' series, but not until October (88 Bidwell Street).
Here’s the Coles’ Notes on their Hooked on Music series:
April 23 - Blazing Fiddles. Over the last 10 years this group, consisting of two violinists, a standup bass player and a pianist, has performed all over the world (www.theblazingfiddles.com), 2:30-4:30 p.m.
May 28 - Cadence Unplugged. A group of four vocalists who sing a cappella. For more info visit www.cadence-unplugged.com.
Sept. 24 - Robert Michaels. A Juno Award winner who plays guitar as well as a number of other styles. For more information visit www.robertmichaels.com.
Oct. 22 - Woodstock Choralaires are back to thrill you again! For more information visit www.woodstockchoralaires.ca.
Details on the series will be out soon but for now you can call them at (519) 688-0011 for more information. I know they are selling Blazing Fiddles for $25 or the four concerts as a series for $80
It seems that if the weather won’t lift us up this spring, music surely will!