Hello everyone and welcome to the latest installment of Musical Musings.  Although it seems a long time ago now, I wanted to say one last time how thrilled the choir and I were with the overwhelming response to our invitation for the congregation to join us in singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus on Easter Sunday, April 8.   Although it was impossible to count exact numbers, it seems that at least forty people “took the plunge” and joined us in that powerful display of parish unity and Christian joy, as we celebrated the victory of the resurrection. We ran out of music and that is always a nice problem to have!    The Sunday after Easter, often called “Low Sunday”, was anything but that at Epiphany, as we welcomed guest musicians Russ Cayen and his daughter Lynn Hickey to lead much of the prelude and communion music.  They performed a polished and musical Christian gospel style, which was very moving to most in attendance that day, and provided a very different flavour to our Music Ministry.

We have another guest group joining us on Sunday May 6 from one of Father Stephen’s former parishes – so please mark your calendar and plan on experiencing another aspect of what a diversified and blended Music Ministry can be – we are indeed blessed to have these opportunities at Epiphany.

The choir is hard at work preparing for next fall’s concert celebration of the Queen’s diamond jubilee (more on that in another installment) and we’ll present a teaser of what that concert has to offer with Ralph Vaughn William’s classic miniature anthem “O Taste and See”, which was written for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.  We are also working on a brand new medley of two contemporary Christian songs that we will be presenting later in May.   If singing on Easter Sunday gave you a desire to try and sing a bit more, please consider speaking to me about joining the choir.   They are a wonderful group of hard working and welcoming people whose “sum is greater than the whole of its parts” and we would love to have you.   Please don’t let a lack of previous choral experience hold you back – the love of singing is more than enough to get you started. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t provide another reminder of the Tia McGraff concert on Saturday May 12.   You can choose to buy dinner and concert tickets, or just concert tickets and the proceeds go to community outreach.  I have met Tia, and have sampled much of her music, and consider her to be a very talented and diversified musician who has had a very successful career, both here in Canada and in the United States.   Please check the poster on this website for complete details, and please tell your friends.   This is a great opportunity to show the community the diversity of life in our parish and to showcase our wonderful old sanctuary for future events.

Sincerely

David Greenslade Director of Music