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It was cold, and dark, last Friday night, but that didn't stop the crowd from coming out and packing the Maberly Hall for the Tay Valley Community Choir's annual Christmas concert.  

The choir's first number, which I partially missed, because I arrived fashionably late, was, from all accounts, one of the best of the evening and a great way to get the evening underway.  This piece was a medley called 'Jingle Bells through the Ages'.  It included many tunes and mini solos and ensembles from the choir, including a cameo appearance from Elvis himself, as Eric Zeigler rocked the mutton chops and mimicked the voice of the king, to the delight of the audience.

There were many participatory opportunities throughout the evening.  The audience was given song sheets and were highly encouraged to sing along a number of times.  This really added to the fun of the evening, we weren't just watching, we were part of it. There were no long, drawn out versions of any of the carols.  They were shortened to a few key verses, and this really helped to keep the evening rolling along.

The songs were varied, from beautiful old ones sung in Latin, to dynamic renditions of more modern tunes, like 'Whisper, Whisper' and 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' (complete with a real life grinch, Fred Barrett, coming out and scaring the audience. Even the choir's deft piano player, Mary Lou Carrol, leapt from her seat in a frightful scream). 

There were tunes sung in solos, small ensembles, and with the entire choir.  Some of these soloists were: Marily Seitz, Anne Thomlison, Sheila Kroetsch, Ted Bryant, Virginia Beckett, and Kathy Doornekamp.  A solstice carol, and a calypso Christmas lullaby were included in the mix.  There was even a funny skit involving two of Santa's elves, Robin Jones and Kim Bonner.  

After the intermission, local group, Fiddlers and Friends, took the stage to breeze through a short and varied set of a few of their favourite instrumental tunes.  The group was quite well received.  (I know this, as I am a member of this group.)  The choir and audience joined in on their final tune, Lullaby Noel.

One of the highlights of the night, was when choir director, Rebecca Worden, accompanied by choir member Faith Hutton on harp, sang two hymns, demonstrating at once Worden's vocal prowess, and the sensitivity of Hutton's playing.  Another highlight was Night of Silence/Silent Night, one of the choir's final songs.  These two songs were sung counterpoint, where a harmony was created by the two melodies being sung simultaneously by different voices in the choir; and in the last verse, the voices of the audience came in as well. 

To top it off, at the end of the concert, the audience was invited to stay to schmooze and to enjoy the many varied culinary offerings that choir members had brought to share.  The performance lifted our spirits and kept us warm, as we all left the hall to go back into that cold night. 

The choir is always happy to have new members.  Anyone interested should contact Rebecca Worden for information. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call: (613) 264-1458.   

Published in Lanark County

“Keep calm and fiddle on” was the motto last Saturday as the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra held its 8th annual Jam-a-thon & Pie Auction fundraiser at the Maberly Hall.

The hall was packed with music and musicians, and yes, the great majority of those were fiddles and fiddlers.

And right in the middle of it all was orchestra leader Cindy McCall, complete in her Yes (the band) T-shirt, handing out percussion instruments and providing some semblance of organization to all this (it’s a jam, after all, how much actual structure can there be?).

“I’m having a great time,” she said. “It’s our major fundraiser and we have more bands than ever participating — all ages and styles.

“There’s a lot of goodwill here — a lot of people brought food and donated things.

“Many people brought tunes they wrote and they gave me the music and charts to hand out.”

McCall has been leading the Orchestra for 10 years.

“There are 53 people in the orchestra right now,” she said. “There were 10 when I started.

“We’re in a pretty rural area here and there isn’t a lot of arts and music education in the schools.

“(But) the tradition of fiddle music is very strong here.”

And that’s important, she said, because passing on those traditions is a big part of what they do.

“If we don’t pass this on to our kids, it will die,” she said. “(The Orchestra) is a vector for musical education.

“It’s community based and next year will be our 20th.

“It’s touched hundreds of lives.”

To that end they’re planning a 20th anniversary concert, likely in the late summer or fall of 2020 which will include some of the musicians who got their start in the Orchestra like fiddler Jessica Wedden, Jaier Mullally, who’s studying opera at U of T and the Sullivan brothers, J. T. and Noah.

There have been plenty of offshoot of the orchestra such as Fiddlers and Friends and the current trio, The Space Between (Fern Marwood, Sarah Jeffrie, Willow Marwood) and others like Jerrard Smith, who’s still a member but on this day brought his own band DLUX (David Pollard, Diana Smith, Vicki Hanes, Marty Rennick and Larry Hanes) to jam along.

“The lending library gives me the tools to put a fiddle in any hands that want one,” McCall said. “And every fall, we start a new beginners class.

“This has become more than a full-time job for me.”

And for the record, that was Lois Webster behind the mask, auctioning off pies, most of which went in the $40 range.

“Thank you to the community for all its support,” McCall said. “We couldn’t do this without them.”

Published in Lanark County
Wednesday, 10 April 2019 13:11

Tay Valley Community Choir Spring Concert

We all talk about the weather – here is your chance to sing about it! An eclectic mix of music loosely based on the theme of weather will be presented by the popular Tay Valley Community Choir. Under the ever-patient direction of Rebecca Worden and accompanied by the talented Mary Lou Carroll, the choir will sing selections ranging from musicals to pop songs to folk tunes. As is the custom at Tay Valley Choir concerts, there will be plenty of fun as well as opportunities to sing along (words provided) with familiar tunes.

Featured guests at this concert will be 'Three Guitars in Spring'. David Ramsden and Rob Rainer, both former Tay Valley Choir members, play guitar and sing with Mike Erion playing archtop guitar. Together, the trio has explored jazz standards of yesteryear and other popular music with jazz interpretations. They will share some of their favourites. Several vocal sections of the choir have also prepared familiar songs to perform.

The Spring concert will be held at the Maberly Hall on Friday, April 12 at 7:00. Admission is $10 at the door. Food Bank donations are welcomed. Refreshments will follow the concert, allowing time to chat with neighbours and friends. Come for the music, and stay for the food.

Published in Lanark County
Wednesday, 20 December 2017 14:37

The Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra

You’re in for a real treat on Sunday Jan 7, 2018

“The Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra” directed by Cindy McCall is an all ages group of 40+ fiddlers, with guitar, percussion, piano & penny Whistle, viola, bass, cello, and flute accompaniment. They will perform some of their recently perfected delightful repertoire. This enthusiastic bunch hails from the rural areas close by and rehearses on Saturday and Wednesday at the Maberly Hall. Their fiddle music is sure to get your toes tapping and the fun they are having is contagious.

The Lanark Fiddlers Guild directed by Cindy McCall will perform a selection of Celtic and Christmas tunes. Their arrangements will make the old Wooden hall ring with splendor.

“The Unspoken Rests” a youth segment of the Blue Skies Orchestra will also perform a few Jigs and Reels that they have been polishing up for your enjoyment.

Please join us at the Maberly Hall from 2pm to 5pm for our annual “Little Christmas Concert”. Admission is $10 at the Door. Children under 12 are free. Refreshments available.

Published in Lanark County
Wednesday, 22 November 2017 14:21

Home Grown Christmas

The Tay Valley Community Choir presents it's annual Christmas concert titled “A Home Grown Christmas'. The choir is renowned for its warm, cozy country concerts where the audience takes an active part by joining in the sing-a-long songs. Several groups of local musicians will add to the Home Grown joyful celebration of music.

 

The choir, under the direction of Rebecca Worden and accompanist Mary Lou Carrol, has been hard at work preparing seasonal tunes and two different takes on the Hallelujah Chorus. Local musician and former music teacher Jack Hurd has helped the choir prepare a song that he arranged for one of his high school musicals.

 

The Home Grown theme continues as individual members of the choir show off their talents. Special guests will be local groups; The Suspects, a local band made up of Jack Hurd, Tim Wynne Jones, Kalil Bailey, Cam Gray, and Frank Vanoort, who will perform two songs with the choir as well as a couple of their own songs; and The Ompah Community Choir who will sing a 50s inspired song along with other Christmas songs.

 

The Home Grown Christmas concert takes place on Friday, December 1 at 7:00 at the Maberly Hall. Admission is $10 at the door, and food bank donations are welcome. Following the concert, all are welcome to mingle with friends, neighbours and performers over refreshments.

Published in NORTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 08 January 2014 19:00

Fiddle Fans Enjoy A Final Holiday Hurrah

Fans of fiddle tunes got more than an earful of the tunes they love best courtesy of the Blue Skies and Celtic Heritage Fiddle Orchestras, who performed an exceptionally diverse and eclectic concert on January 5 to close out the holiday season and herald in the New Year.

The event was the 14th annual concert presented by Blue Skies in the Community and the only notable upset, other than a last minute cancellation by the piano accompanist due to illness, was a snow storm that kept at bay the usual standing room only crowd. However the crowd in attendance was still sizable. The concert, which was emceed by Linda Grenier of Long Sault Trio fame, opened with two tunes performed by the Blue Skies Prep Orchestra, under the direction of Cindy McCall. The Prep Orchestra includes players of all ages who spend a year or two learning the basics before being invited into the Blue Skies main orchestra. The beginners tackled two Christmas carols and demonstrated that they too will soon be joining their mentors on the main stage.

See The Annual Blue Skies Christmas Concert on YouTube

Next up under the direction of Carolyn Stewart was a performance by members of the Celtic Heritage Fiddle Orchestra, who come from such far-away places as Hopetown, Ottawa, Perth, Lanark, Bennett and Sharbot lakes, McDonalds Corners and Rideau Ferry. The orchestra performed an exceptionally diverse repertoire, all personal favorites chosen by individuals from the group, which included "Logging Camp Christmas" with Dave Tilston performing a top-notch solo-voiced lead.

Carolyn invited the audience to dance a polka for the festive Mexican tune titled "Puer Es Nada", a dreamy, tropical, musical yearning for southern climes. The group played a never recorded tune written by Django Reinhart titled "Chez Jaquet", which offered up his characteristic swooping melody line that always sounds as sad as it does sweet. Others included tunes chosen by Gary Glover that likely inspired Led Zepplin's chart topper "Stairway to Heaven" as well as Jaffe Sullivan's choice of the Dardanelles who hail from Newfoundland. Of course there were a few Christmas classics thrown into the mix and the addition of penny whistle, the musical saw, drums and guitars made for a very memorable portion of the concert.

Following an intermission of sweet snacking courtesy of the fiddlers, Cindy McCall took to the podium to lead the Blue Skies Fiddle Orchestra in a selection of tunes that included classic reels, jigs and carols. Cindy was handed the Blue Skies reins from Carolyn Stewart four years ago and once again demonstrated why she was an appropriate choice to lead the orchestra. The orchestra opened with "Val's Dream", a long time favorite that was played with prowess and charm. Other selections included "Springfield", a tune by Canadian-born fiddler and composer Erin Marshall that included a beautiful banjo and single fiddle opening.

Orchestra members were given ample opportunities to sing, as they did in the female/male back and forth banter of S'vivon where Kim Angel demonstrated her talents on that wonderfully eerie instrument that actually is (I think) a saw. In "La Marmotteuse" and "Reel Beatrice" the orchestra demonstrated their ability to perform what McCall terms double stumping, a challenging technique equally as demanding as the tune's many key changes.

The group showed their seamless playing in the slow dirge of the "Breton Carol" and two young fiddlers in the group had a chance to show their drumming finesse in the "Galician Carol".

The annual concert never fails to end on a community high note and for the finale the prep and main orchestras joined forces to perform "Deck the Halls" and "Silent Night", with Linda Grenier leading the verses as the whole audience was invited to join in. The Blue Skies Orchestra are always looking for new members. For more information contact Cindy McCall at 613-278-2448 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
With the participation of the Government of Canada