Christmas music fans are in for a treat with the Olds Community Chorus choir set to perform at Olds First Baptist Church on Dec. 4 under the guidance of new musical director Theresa Wasden.
Made up of about 40 singers from across the region, including Olds, Didsbury and Carstairs, the choir is in its 26th year in 2018.
Singers in the choir range in age from 20s to 70s. Many of the performers have been involved in the group for many years.
Wasden, who directed the Talisman Energy Choir in Calgary for more than a decade, says the local choir is already very well polished.
“This is an accomplished choir,” said Wasden. “This choir comes with some very talented singers. What you hear with a choir that has been together this many years is a fuller, more complete sound.
“We have some voices where the timbre (colour) of the voices just fills in any gaps. So you have 40 people singing and it feels like 80. It is astonishing and beautiful. This is such a pleasure.”
Songs on the set list for Dec. 4 include We Three Kings, We Need a Little Christmas, Deck the Halls, Mary’s Boy Child, Good King Wenceslas and Let There Be Peace on Earth.
Rehearsals for the show began in September. The Dec. 4 performance will include solo singing, duet singing and some spoken word, she noted.
“We’ve got some lovely music and some fun stuff for the kids,” she said.
They will be accompanied by pianists Jim Grusendorf and Santana Scarff.
Longtime choir member Grant Spence says the group would like more people in the region to come out and see performances.
“We are trying to spread our wings and get more people to come out,” said Spence. “It’s a beautiful concert and we want to fill the seats. It’s quality singing. We’d like to expand our audience.”
In the run-up to the Dec. 4 concert, the chorus is performing at a number of area venues, including at Olds Fashioned Christmas, and at the Didsbury County Christmas carolling at Quirks, Perks & Werks on Nov. 30. They will also be performing at Olds and Didsbury seniors' lodges.
The group’s spring season will get underway on Feb. 4, 2019. Wasden says new members are always welcome and encouraged to take part.
“We really want to encourage young people to join,” she said. “We will do everything from some classical to some swing to a little bit of pop music. A bit of everything that is fun.”
For more information see oldscommunitychorus.com.
