Music

News from SouthWest Music

Colds, flu, mountains of snow: we love the winter! If music at SouthWest has been lingering on the back burner of late, we’re all clearing our throats to heat things up a bit. Lent is a time for both quiet reflection and calls to action, and music can help unlock the keys to both.

 SUNDAY SERVICE WORKGROUP*

 March 4: Soup Drive

You are invited to a simple lunch of homemade soup and bread downstairs after the service. You are also invited to bring along a few tins of soup, which will be collected.
Although all music is special, we will have a few guests for this service.
Details to follow.

March 18: Food for Thought

Once more, you are invited to share a simple meal of soup and bread after the service.
If it has been easier to sidestep issues concerning First Nations People in Canada in the past, it is no longer. This is a huge topic for discussion, but we’re going to make a start at our own round table after lunch.
Details to follow.

*Doug Hastie, Dennis Brown, Aline Sorel, Steve Scales, Darlene Halfyard,
Sarah Fraser.

The Candlelight Service at SouthWest

Once a year, the choir rallies around the preparation of what is our highlight of the season: The Candlelight Service, held one or two weeks before Christmas. Extra rehearsals are called, work schedules altered, and the weather predictions are examined very carefully. Twice, since I have been at SouthWest, the Candlelight Service has been cancelled because of snow storms – once moved to a modified Christmas Eve Service, and the other time postponed to Epiphany Sunday, a week after Christmas.
The choir has been large, it has been small. We’ve had children playing instruments for the Christmas carols, and we’ve had the kids from the Alleluia choir singing their Christmas songs.
Who will ever forget the Candlelight with bagpipes? With Donald in full Scottish dress, drum strapped to his middle, beating the entrance.
Or the year we had Stephany, Lexy and Georgia leading the service.
Three girls then, three young women now.
I was going through old photos this summer, and found a picture taken in the basement before the first Candlelight I was part of. In the centre: Linda Dixon standing beside Roman… and Roman was shorter! A slight ten-year-old then, he’s now six feet four and twenty-two years old, and he’s played his violin at every Candlelight since. Linda moved to Toronto last spring, but she’s coming in on the train today – for a visit with friends to be sure, but most of all to sing with the choir for the Candlelight.
Octavio will be back this year, and I don’t think anyone can really remember when he came for the first time. Arielle will return for her second Candlelight, though everyone was reminded of her beautiful voice on November 5, just a month ago. Justin, our resident tuba player will be back to sing, and Katherine – who usually has Percy strapped to her middle! –  will sing with us as well.
There are so many memories attached to this service, and so many more waiting to be added.
Come and join us for this year’s edition: December 17 at 4 pm.
Enjoy the music, feel the warmth of our welcome, and enter into the gentle spirit of Christmas.

Sarah

Christmas by Candlelight/ Chantons Noël

Come join us for our beautiful celebration of Christmas: the candles will be lit, the choir will lift their voices, and we will be wrapped in the magic once more.

Venez nous rejoindre pour notre célébration annuelle à la lumière des bougies et dans une véritable bain de musique : chœur, solistes, et nos voix unies. Noël !

December 17 at 4 o’clock
le 17 décembre à 16 heures

SouthWest United Church/ Église Unie du Sud-Ouest
1445 rue Clémenceau, Verdun

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