Together in Song - musical fun and inspiration!

It was an amazing experience - the kids got to bring the songs that we had prepared to a whole new level with a huge massed choir, new dance moves, and a whole new understanding of how to pronounce words African style. A grade 11 singer from De La Salle high school in Ottawa solo'ed on one of the numbers - what a great inspiration for our  young singers. 

One of the highlights was a young African singer that Scott Leithead had brought along - Nelson. He sang several songs for us, amazing us with his beautiful voice. But then, he talked about the different languages that he speaks - one of which has 4 different "click" sounds that are integral to the language. He explained that the song / rhyme that he was about to sing for us is what a child in his village would sing as they ran down the street calling for others to come and play. The looks on the children's faces as he launched into a combination of clicking and singing - sounding for all the world like two (or more) people at once! As he finished, people commented, "that's not how we invite our friends to play here - too bad!"

By the end of the afternon, the children had all learned - and experienced - the idea that in African music, the most important thing is the rhythm; the next most important thing is the singing and when it is done well and with energy, it leads us all into dancing.

A tired and inspired group of Chelsea singers made their way home for dinner, and at least in the case of the singer in my family - singing all the way!

Together in Song! March 29 at 4pm

We are super excited to be participating again in Together in Song this coming Sunday. This year we will have the opportunity to work with Scott Leithead and under his leadership, will join with three other youth choirs to perform.  Please join us for the concert - all are welcome!

Scott Leithead Guest Director   When&Where: Sun. March 29th 4 pm St Thomas the Apostle 2345 Alta Vista Drive Tickets: Admission by donation Scott Leithead, guest director  4 choirs + one drumming group   An afternoon of workshops leads to a inspiring performance, as african choral expert Scott Leithead from Edmonton takes 4 local choirs from around the region through their paces, and teaches them some songs from southern africa.  Each of the four choirs, Cantiamo Training Choir, Chelsea Youth Choir, Cross Town Youth Chorus, and the Goulbourn Junior Jubilees will have their chance to perform, as will special guests the Baobab Roots Drummers, before the choirs join forces for a huge massed choir of children ages 5-15 Lots of fun, and great music, too!

Copyright © 2014 Cross Town Youth Chorus, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Cross Town Youth Chorus, PO Box 96, Cumberland, ON K4C 1E5 www.CTYC.ca info@ctyc.ca

Registration for 2015 now open!

Thank you to all those who attended and sang in "A Choir's Christmas". Following on the heels of Angel Share and A Magical Christmas in Chelsea, it was a wonderful way to settle into the feeling of the upcoming holiday season. 

We begin our 2015 singing on January 12th, and do hope that you will consider joining us! Registration is now open for both children's choirs, and for some voice parts in The Morel Singers. For more information, please get in touch with our Musical Director, Stephanie Sewell info@chelseayouthchoir.ca or 819.827.2408

                                                              "A Winter Fantasy"

                                                      Les Anges dans nos Campagnes

                                                              The Cotton Pickin' Song!

                                                             practising for the concert!

Christmas Concert Time is here!!!

We are enjoying preparing for three performances over the next few weeks, and hope to that you will join us to celebrate the season with song.

First up is:

Angel’s Share

the fundraising concert that Ian Tamblyn hosts with his many musical friends every year. This year, the Angel’s Share is marking its 10^th anniversary with the addition of a matinee show. We hope that you will join us there at 3pm: we look forward to joining Ian and the other musicians in singing some songs for you, and to singing more songs WITH you! Tickets are available at Bougie Doozy Candles, Les Fougeres and Une Boulangerie dans un Village, all in Chelsea.

Then, on December 13th at 5pm, we will be singing at: 

A Magical Christmas in Chelsea 

to welcome Santa Claus to Chelsea! We will be singing at La Fab, right next door to St Stephen’s Church, from 5 until 5:30. At 5:30, Santa will light the Christmas Lights on the tree outside La Fab. All are welcome to join in this community gathering and to have a few moments with Santa Claus!

The following day, Sunday December 14^th at 3pm the Junior and Senior choirs of the CYC, and our adult and teen counterpart, The Morel Singers, present our joint concert:

“A Choir’s Christmas”

We hope that you will join us at the Mill Road Community Space (Chelsea United Church) for this very special musical gathering of our community. As always, the CYC and The Morel Singers invite you to share their love of joyful singing by singing along with us on some of our numbers.

Looking forward to singing with you over the next few weeks,

Stephanie

For the Chelsea Youth Choir and The Morel Singers

AUTUMN SINGING!

LET'S SING TOGETHER! Our new season is just about to begin, and I'm looking forward to making music with returning and new members.

We're going to delve into folk songs this year - from here, there and everywhere. Here's a little preview of this year's repertoire:

A few of the songs each choir will sing:

The Junior Choir, which learns its music by rote, is going to be singing "My Paddle's Keen and Bright" paired with "Land of the Silver Birch". We'll also be learning a version of "Tis a Gift to be Simple" which can be harmonized with an original melody based on the word, "Alleluia". And many more!

The Senior Choir, which learns some of its music by rote and some with scores, is going to be singing the Hebrew song, "Zum Gali Gali", a really fun arrangement of "Old Dan Tucker" and "Cape St. Mary's", a folksong from Newfoundland. And many more!

The Morel Singers, who learn songs both by rote and from the music score, is going to sing "California Dreamin' (just for fun!) and "Swing Low Sweet Chariot". We're also going to continue with "Shto Mi e Milo", the Macedonian song that we enjoyed so much last year, as well as learning another Macedonian song to join it. And many more!

One of the aspects of the Chelsea Youth Choir and Morel Singers community that I love the most is that the choirs join together to sing. It is incredible to see multi-ages, and especially multi-generations coming together in song. A few of the songs that we'll be singing together over the year are: Les Anges dans Nos Campagnes, Rhythms of One World, and Si njay.

We are looking forward to several workshops, one with Kathy Armstrong from Baobab Drummers, and a second with Jean Marc Lalonde, a superb Franco Ontarian musician. These workshops offer a great opportunity for the choirs to sing and learn together, as do the shared songs that we prepare for each concert.

Please get in touch if you'd like to join us! stephanie@chelseayouthchoir.ca