A grand selection of diverse choir music could be heard from Martin Exeter Hall on May 15, as the Eclectica Community Choir performed its annual spring benefit concert, Here Comes The Sun.
After the Front Porch Bluegrass Band opened with a pleasant mix of bluegrass tunes, the choir of 57 members opened with its cover of The Beatles, Here Comes The Sun. This was especially important to the choir as it was its first public performance with the new Yamaha grand piano that the 100 Mile Festival of the Arts committee had purchased in March.
However, this concert didn’t limit itself to choir music alone. There were several smaller acts, including an ensemble performance of Springtime in Alberta by Barbara and John Hooper and Joanne Macaluso. This was followed by an innocent cover of Four Strong Winds by Conor Regan and his guitar. Other acts included a swift blend of Far from the Home I Love and To Life from Fiddler on the Roof by Curtis Wolfe on violin and Tom Fischer on accordion.
Finally, there was a soft yet excited cover of Teach Your Children by Margot Shaw, Edda Brett and Donna Forward on guitar.
We Rise Again was a provoking song that was dedicated to the victims of Fort McMurray. The performance was quite powerful and spoke of the power of friends and community.
Another song that spoke about the importance of community was Words of Chief Seattle, which is based on the speech the chief gave in Seattle in 1854. The song had a haunting yet beautiful harmony with lyrics, such as “to harm the earth is to harm the Creator” and “humans are all connected to each other and the natural world.”
As is tradition with the choir, it enjoyed a fair mix of international songs. This included the Irish melody, The Rising of the Moon based on the 1798 Irish Rebellion. The choir also incorporated some classic French pieces such as Dirait-on and the humorous V’La L’Bon Vent.
The concert then came to a dramatic conclusion with The Prayer. The song, written by David Foster, was made famous by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli and the choir kept true to the song by incorporating Italian lyrics.
The concert was not only a success in terms of wonderful music, but also in donations, as $1,617.70 was donated by the audience towards Fischer Place/Mill Site Lodge and the 100 Mile District General Hospital auxiliaries
The Eclectic Community Choir will begin practising once again in September at the United Church every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.
