After two highly successful spring concerts, the Men & Women of the Tay are already in preparation for the annual Christmas Concert which this year will be held on December 9, 2018 at St. James the Apostle Anglican Church (Drummond Street, Perth). The concert begins at 2:00 PM and a free-will contribution to the choir may be made at the doors.
Rehearsals for the concert start on Monday, September 24 for the Men and Wednesday, September 26 for the Women. Rehearsals begin at 7:00 PM and end precisely at 9:00 PM each evening. There rehearsals also take place in the sanctuary at St. James. This season there will be no rehearsal on Thanksgiving Monday (everyone attends on Wednesday) or on Halloween (everyone attends on the preceding Monday).
This year’s Christmas concert features music for the combined chorus as well as four feature numbers for the Men and four for the Women. There will also be a chance for the audience to join in singing many of the familiar carols of the season. There will be a wide variety of music presented: from beautiful traditional arrangements, to up-tempo seasonal songs.
There is never an audition to become a member, but often the chorus spots are filled to capacity. If you are interested in joining with us, contact us by email at musicofthetay@gmail.com to have your name placed on the waiting lists.
The choirs are true community choirs. We receive no funding nor is anyone remunerated for their contributions to the performances. Each season we choose music from our extensive library or purchase new music with the monies obtained through the contributions at the door. When more monies are needed, the additional costs are divided evenly amongst the choir members. An average season costs choir members under $25.00 and many times in the past there has been no cost at all to sing with the groups. When we perform at special events and functions for groups, we do not charge for our appearances. It is our aim to provide a venue for people who like to sing to get together and sing … that simple!
What made both concerts special was the direct link between the music being performed and either a Canadian composer, arranger, locale, original performer or even better all-of-the-above. Composers such as Eleanor Daley, Diane Loomer or Mark Sirett provided a rich ground of choral sounds for the large audiences who attended both programs, which were again offered without charge to attend. Brilliant arrangements of familiar francophone songs, traditional Canadian ballads and even contemporary works challenged the singers and their accompanists.