News
Stratford Concert Choir Presents a Romantic Evening of Wine and Roses
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Love is in the air as the Stratford Concert Choir (SCC) puts the finishing touches on its 2025 fundraiser, Wine and Roses. With romantic music provided by Our Little Band, this gala event will be at the Arden Park Hotel on February 15.
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Former choir treasurer Ron Dodson, who will act as MC for Wine and Roses, says anyone who buys a ticket is in for a treat. “The first thing they can expect is great entertainment from Our Little Band, the second thing would be good food from the Arden Park Hotel and the third thing, and most important, is that the auction items are going to be spectacular this year,” he said. “So all of those things – the entertainment, the food and the auction -- are going to make it a wonderful night!
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Our Little Band, fronted by singer Beverley Maranger, performed at last year’s fundraiser and got an enthusiastic response for their renditions of jazz and pop favourites. “It was a wonderful experience,” said band leader Timothy Elliott. “We got a lot of positive feedback, and the proof of the pudding is that we were asked back.”
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Last year people couldn’t resist dancing, so this year the organizing committee has made sure there will be a dance floor. Elliott and the other members of Our Little Band are busy scouring their repertoire for rose-themed music, suitable for an event near Valentine’s Day. Days of Wine and Roses will definitely make the play list.
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The band is looking forward to once again playing for an appreciative crowd. “The audience was great,” said Elliott. “It was a concert setting that was well supported with seasoned musicians and listeners. We were playing to people who appreciate good music and live music.”
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In years past, SCC fundraisers have featured a silent auction. This year, for the first time, there will be an auctioneer to liven things up and encourage bidding on an array of desirable items, including the opportunity to have lunch with Sheila McCarthy and Monk Marr, a stunning hand-made quilt, and a three-piece set of Samsonite luggage. “The committee has been doing a great job of getting out into the community and making the case for their support for the choir,” said Dodson.
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Like many other arts groups, the SCC must raise money to continue operating, to pay for things like renting a concert venue, maintaining a music library, and hiring soloists and musicians. In particular, under the direction of a skilled leadership team, the SCC is providing opportunities for young and emerging artists to perform with an established choir. “Fundraising efforts like these are absolutely vital, especially for the choir, which is a more specialized arts organization with a mandate to perform choral music and a classical repertoire,” said Dodson. “This event and ticket sales are by far the two most important sources of income for the choir.”
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Wine and Roses will be an opportunity to enjoy a great night out while supporting a unique and vital part of Stratford’s vibrant music community.
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Wine and Roses February 15, 2025, at the Arden Park Hotel, Stratford. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
Tickets are $80 and include a full-course dinner buffet, wine cork grab, auction, and entertainment.
Tickets available at https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/53eb9365-2340-42af-babe-7109d3d9e3be , stratfordconcertchoir.org, Blowes Stationery on Wellington St., or call 519 273 9084.
Join us in song
Have you ever noticed how music can transport you to a different place, another time, or perhaps even an altered frame of mind? Listening to Gordon Lightfoot’s Sit Down Young Stranger album replays fond memories of early courtship days with my wife, Yvonne.
Any genre of music can work wonders this way. Stéphane Potvin, Director of the Stratford Concert Choir (SCC), remembers his first choir experience in college, learning a Mozart Mass, then going grocery shopping with his school mates and singing one of the fugues on the way to the store. “It was glorious”, he says.
Scientists, of course, have been busy figuring out an empirical, measurable reason for why we should enjoy music. Apparently there’s a neurological basis for all this. The human brain is hardwired for tunes. There are six neural centres that respond to sound. One of these is devoted exclusively to music.
Studies have also shown that endorphins and dopamine are released when we listen to music. Endorphins increase feelings of wellbeing and foster social closeness. Dopamine gives us highs when we do something pleasurable – chocolate, sex, drugs (legal, of course!) - you name it.
Here’s the most interesting take-away from all this research. If you listen to music, you get a high. If you perform music with others, such as in a choir, you get a greater high. If you sing in a large choir, you experience an even greater high. It’s like dopamine on steroids. So who needsdrugs? Or chocolate for that matter, although that might be going a bit too far. All you need to do is sing together. As one SCC member puts it: “I feel a sense of joy and connection that is hard to replicate”. Another says: “Sharing in the making of music with friends old and new…is good for the soul”.
Naturally this involves some practice and dedication but you are part of a supportive group under the guidance of an amazing director. There is work to do but there is also humour, banter, and immense satisfaction. You will be introduced to beautiful music you had no idea existed. When the songs come together there is a “wow” moment. “It feels like riding a wave”, as one choir member so aptly describes it.
Well, you are in luck. By sheer coincidence, the Stratford Concert Choir (SCC) needs more voices and is holding auditions in late May, early June and late August. These auditions are welcoming and non-threatening so there is nothing to fear; you don’t need to be a professional singer. So give it a try; there is little to lose and so much to gain. To find out more about the choir and to register for an audition go to: http://www.stratfordconcertchoir.org/join
As it turns out (yet another serendipitous coincidence!) there is a concert on May 25, 7:00 pm at Avondale United Church. Tickets are still available via Blowes Stationery or online at:
https://www.stratfordconcertchoir.org/performances So come check us out and enjoy an evening of great music while you’re at it. Maybe we’ll even see you at next choir practice!
