Spring recital swings at L’Amable Bible Chapel
The North Hastings Community Choir put on a spring recital called Why We Sing at the L’Amable Bible Chapel on April 28. Singing a wonderful variety of songs and sharing personal anecdotes, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Choir director Melissa Stephens and choir member Laurie Fenner comment on this spring recital.
The North Hastings Community Choir’s spring recital, called Why We Sing was held on April 28 at the L’Amable Bible Chapel. Fenner told Bancroft This Week on April 22 that preparations were going very well and that the choir had been practicing every Wednesday since the beginning of February at the chapel. She says the choir’s first recital was back in 1998. “The last couple of years we have held the recital at the L’Amable Bible Chapel but we have been at the Bancroft Village Playhouse, the Bancroft Pentecostal Tabernacle, the Bancroft high school, the Haliburton high school and the Lindsay armories,” she says.
Fenner says the choir started in 1997/1998 and they are a community choir open to anyone who has an interest in singing. “No experience is necessary and we have both amateurs and experienced singers in our choir,” she says.
Fenner says all the songs have the word “music” in the title and the entire program is themed around Why We Sing. She says they’re extremely fortunate to have Melissa Stephens as their choir director, and she’s also the choir director of around five choirs and organist for two churches. “She is an accomplished music director, pianist and flutist. She is also involved with the Highlands Summer Festival and the Highlands Opera Studio. For Canada’s 150th birthday, she combined the Haliburton, Lindsay and Bancroft choirs to make up 150 voices and performed all music from Canadian composers and songwriters,” she says.
On the day of the spring recital, the North Hastings Community Choir sang beautifully and several members of the choir shared personal anecdotes with the audience about why they joined the choir and why they love to sing. Peter Penlington says his wife Sharon joined the choir about three years ago. “She really enjoys it. It’s a way to connect and get integrated into the community,” he says.
Fred Henderson, president of the North Hastings Community Choir, told the attendees that they love to sing and while everyone has their reasons for being in the choir, first and foremost it was because of their love of singing. “And we love to sing together. There’s nothing more satisfying than contributing to a four-part harmony and having it send tingles down your spine sometimes. This afternoon our theme is music and you will hear in every song, the word music comes up. And with that, we’re ready to sing!” he says.
Stephens thought the concert went very well. “It was beautiful music with extremely thought-provoking words,” she says.
Fenner told Bancroft This Week after the recital that as usual, Stephens prepared the choir very well and her suggestion to include personal stories of some of the members as to why they enjoy being part of the choir was a great addition. “From the smiles of the audience I noticed when I was performing, I think they enjoyed it too. As mentioned, we are a relatively small group and any help we can get to bring awareness to the Bancroft community and beyond greatly assists in getting a larger audience to attend our recitals. Our expenses to operate are largely supported by this performance and another that we do during the Christmas season,” she says. “Hopefully it will also have piqued the interest of others who are wanting to join too!”
Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Bancroft Times
