For the fourth consecutive year members of the Sundre Community Choir are hard at work preparing for the Christmas season.
The 39 members, including choir director Jean Dickman and accomplished pianist Kathleen Van Mourik, are preparing 12 songs for two main concerts that will feature the full choir. As well, there will be several smaller performances with partial repertoires in town and the region.
Christmas is one of two periods in the year when the choir, whose male and female members range in age from 15 to 80, is busy practising and performing. The other time is the Easter season.
“Christmas is always bigger. Spring (Easter) is slightly smaller. I have about 30 members then,” said Dickman, a retired teacher from England who came to Canada in 1965 and then moved to Sundre in 1975. “I love doing choirs. I love teaching choirs and I love choral music. This is the first community choir I have ever had.”
Dickman has led the choir since its inception. She noted there were two other community-based choirs before the current one. Dickman says she is optimistic for the future of today's choir, noting it has been enthusiastically received by the community.
“We get wonderful support. We try to fit in as much as we can. I have to turn down requests,” said Dickman, adding her members, who come from all walks of life, are dedicated to the joy of performing for the community. “They practise for such a short period of time. We go just eight weeks. It is a big commitment to be in the choir.”
Dickman said many of today's choir members are the same as in the first year. She said a few new members are picked up each year.
As for the Christmas music selection, most songs are new with one or two returning from the year before. Included in this year's song selection is O Little Town of Bethlehem, Happiest Time of the Year, Christmas Wishes and Jubilate Deo.
Dickman said there will be two full 50-minute performances this Christmas season. The first will be at 7 p.m. on Nov. 27 at the Sundre United Church. It will feature the Toth sisters – Olivia, Amy and Melissa – as special guests. They will perform by playing piano, violin and viola.
The second full concert will be held at 2 p.m. on Dec. 8 at the McDougal Chapel. The performance will include Red Deer's Hearts of Harmony, a women's barbershop group that is affiliated with Region 26 of Sweet Adelines International.
The choir is also scheduled to make partial repertoire performances on Nov. 20 at the Foothills Lodge. It will begin at 7 p.m. Members will perform again at noon on Nov. 24 at Red Deer's Festival of Trees. The performance begins at noon at Westerner Park. They will also participate in carolling in Sundre's downtown along Main Street on Nov. 30, and at the community centre at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 2.
The choir also performed on Remembrance Day at the Sundre Legion Hall. Along with singing the national anthem they performed Danny Boy and An Irish Blessing.
