It was Time to Sing-A Noel at Westminster Memorial United Church in Kamsack on December 10 when the Kamsack Community Choir presented its annual pre-Christmas concert.
After welcoming everyone to the concert, Susan Bear, the director and emcee for the concert said that Christmas was quickly approaching, with the accompanying hustle and bustle of trying to decorate inside and out, getting gifts for loved ones and making food preparations.
“But tonight we just take time away from all that to enjoy the music of Christmas,” Bear said.
“We are delighted to have two pianists accompanying us for this concert,” she said. “Wendy Becenko is accompanying the choir and Deb Cottenie is playing for the small group numbers.
“It has been a pleasure working with them as they have both taken well to the demands of playing for a group of singers and we have had a lot of fun.
“As well, we have a new member, Dieneke Spronk, who as well as being a wonderful singer, is an accomplished flute and piccolo player,” she said. “We have several songs tonight where she will be adding these instruments as part of the accompaniment.”
The concert began with Time to Sing-A Noel, a “bouncy calypso number,” and the choir’s next song Shepherd’s Rocking Carol, is an old Czech folk song.
“Sometimes a choir needs to sing without accompaniment to get the full feeling for the song and hear fully the beautiful harmonies,” Bear said as she introduced the choir to sing Near the Inn in Bethlehem a cappela.
“This next song is a wonderfully Canadian Christmas song, written by Rita MacNeil and recorded by both her and Anne Murray,” she said, adding that it has been arranged for chorale presentation by Willi Zwozdesky.
And the choir sang This Season Will Never Grow Old.
“We are going to let the choir have a break and switch accompanists for the next few numbers,” she said as she introduced a trio comprised of Zennovia Duch, Susan Bear and Kathie Galye who performed To Make His Coming Sweet.
“I don’t know how Zennovia does it,” Bear said. “As well as our practices for the choir and the small groups which are on different nights, she was rehearsing and taking part in the dinner theatre. Some nights she doubled up and left us to run over to the theatre for practice.
“Thank you Zennovia for your dedication and enthusiasm,” she said.
“How lovely to be able to have a quintet for a change. Lois Matten has joined our small group this year. I would also like to thank Lois for her dedication as she has to come from work in Norquay to our practices and then go home to Canora afterwards.”
She introduced John Adamyk, Matten, Galye and Duch who joined her as the quintet which sang Tiny Baby, and then the trio returned to sing Who is This in Manger Sleeping?
“Ashley Hollett has been a regular presenter at our concerts,” she said. “Usually he is doing a song accompanied by piano but tonight he is going to tell us a story about how an ingenious idea saved Christmas. Here is Ashley with Santa’s Key.
After a short intermission Bear said that it is always great to hear the old familiar carols at Christmastime.
“As our numbers tonight do not include many of them, and because when we do many of you are singing along anyway, we have decided to have a sing-along. I want you to join the choir as we sing a few songs from the red hymn book.”
Everyone joined in singing: Angels We Have Heard on High, O Come All Ye Faithful, Silent Night and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.
This next song is a very classical arrangement, she said as she introduced Nazareth sung by a quartet of Matten, Galye, Bear and Duch.
The next song was a jazz arrangement called Wasn’t That a Mighty Day and was performed by a quartet of Duch, Bear, Adamyk and Galye.
And then, “poking a little fun at choirs,” Galye, Duch, Bear and Matten performed Monotone Angel, which was followed by the choir singing See Amid the Winter’s Snow, which is a gentle lullaby.
“Hopefully this next gospel number will have you bouncing in your pews. The choir will now sing Midnight Clear with Dieneke Spronk as the lead.
“We have come to the end of our program,” she said. “We would like to thank you all for coming out and sharing our music with us and we hope you have enjoyed yourselves tonight. We certainly have.”
Bear thanked the choir for all of its hard work and patience and the accompanists, Wendy Becenko and Deb Cottenie, “for all of the time and effort you have put in to making our concert special.”
She thanked Spronk “for adding to our performances with her flute and piccolo,” and she and Matten for their special musical contributions. She offered thanks to her husband Doug “for manning the door for us this year.
“We would like to wish you our special version of We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
For the encore, the choir performed She Wrapped Up the Light, which she said has a special message that members of the audience could take away with them.
“Good night, God bless, and we hope you have a wonderful Christmas season and a blessed new year.”
