Youth ‘can do’ the doo wop

By Tamara Neely
Staff Reporter

Next week a group of 50 youngsters will bring songs to life that were popular at least 40 years before they were a twinkle in their parents’ eyes.
Since January, the North of Broadway Show Choir directors Heather Seear and Colette Armsworthy have been working with youth between the ages of five and 18 in preparation for the choral presentation To Doo Wop and Beyond which will be held on Wednesday, May 14 and Thursday, May 15 at the Foothills Centennial Centre (FCC) in Okotoks.
The audience of the Big Rock Singers’ Fabulous Fifties show on April 26 was treated to a preview of the youth choir’s upcoming performance. The youth choir was invited to perform with the adults, and both choirs coincidentally chose music from the 50s for their spring season finales.
The North of Broadway Show Choir is made up of 37 youth between ages nine and 18, and 13 children between ages five and eight in the Broadway Babies.
Some of the songs in the To Doo Wop and Beyond performance will showcase the boys’ voices, some will showcase the girls’ voices and some songs feature everybody onstage at once, all 50 of them.
Seear, vocal director, and Armsworthy, music director, have a passion for music and an enthusiasm for coaching the youth towards a soulful performance that drives them to solve the challenges of fitting 50 youth onto the stage at the FCC and choreographing smooth dance transitions.
“Sometimes you have to scale down your ideas based on stage size,” said Seear, “and with combining singing and movement – it’s tricky.”
With this spring show, the North of Broadway’s second year comes to a close. Show preparation is not just about learning how to hit the notes and memorizing the words, Seear said the choir also finds the courage to hold their heads high on stage and learn to trust each other.
“It’s absolutely thrilling to see young men and women blossom – we’ve had rather quiet individuals join us and see them develop to the point that they stand on stage with confidence and look directly at you and sing to you and to see them grow, it’s exciting,” said Seear. “And to see the bond develop between these kids, it’s like no matter what’s going on at home, no matter what’s going on at school, they’ve got a support team.”
Developing the courage to tap into the inner showboat in front of one’s peers is one thing, but to remember everything they’ve been taught when faced with bright spotlights and an expansive audience is another thing altogether.
“We encourage them to let go of that (fear) and let the enthusiasm, the love of the music make them come alive – and the audience can then experience that. So we encourage them to push past their comfort zones,” said Seear. “We don’t audition, we believe everyone comes with a gift to perform, we just have to find it inside of them.”
The adjudicator of the Highwood Lions Music Festival recognized their gifts for performance: two members of the choir, Colton Bloom and Taylor Armsworthy, won awards of distinction; the senior choir (ages 13 to 18) were invited to perform the closing number at the musical theatre gala evening of the festival; and the entire choir was invited to open the evening.
Tickets for To Doo Wop and Beyond are $5 per person or $10 per family and can be purchased at the door. The show begins at 7 p.m.
For more information about this performance or the North of Broadway Show Choir and Broadway Babies, call Seear at 306-0032, or Armsworthy at 995-2846.

Lunch at Allen’s headlines series

By Holly Quan
contributor

The Beneath the Arch Concert Series in Turner Valley has announced their concert lineup for the 2008-2009 season.
This will be the 20th consecutive season for Beneath the Arch. In celebration of this milestone, the lineup features several performers who are audience favourites from previous years.
The concert schedule is:
Sept, 20, 2008 – Ruthie Foster (Texas). An exceptional singer, very popular with the audience – this will be a sold-out performance.
Oct. 18, 2008 – Watermelon Slim (Oklahoma). Slim has been a truck driver, salesman, even a petty criminal who’s now an award-winning blues artist in the tradition of John Lee Hooker.
Nov. 15, 2008 – Jenny Whiteley and band (Toronto). With her bluegrass roots and singer-songwriter sensibilities, Jenny is a Juno Award winner who’s performed all over North America.
Jan. 24, 2009 – Keybrass Ensemble (Canmore). Beneath the Arch’s annual classical concert features three of Canada’s finest chamber musicians on trumpet, trombone, and piano, playing everything from Beethoven to Gershwin.
Feb. 21, 2009 – Scott Nolan and Gurf Morlix (Winnipeg and Texas). A fine roots musician who covers songs by Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Tom Waits, plus writes his own feel-good travellin’ songs, Scott will be accompanied by guitar man extraordinarie Gurf Morlix for a unique and lively concert.
March 21, 2009 – Quebe Sisters Band (Texas). These three lovely young ladies play swing and old-time fiddle like they invented it — smooth and sassy, with plenty of jazzy style. Their harmony singing is heavenly too.
April 17, 2009 – Lunch at Allen’s (Toronto). The final concert of the season brings back another audience favourite. Lunch at Allen’s is Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church, Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas — each a Canadian music icon, together they are truly legendary.
Beneath the Arch reminds current season ticket holders that they have until May 31 to renew their tickets for next year. Season tickets are $135 for students and adults (12 years and up), $70 for children (6-12) and $100 for single-parent families (one adult and one or more children up to 12 years old). After May 31, Beneath the Arch will open the waiting list and sell season tickets on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about season ticket renewals, call 933-7040. To get a ticket order form, visit Terra Cotta Gallery in Black Diamond or go to the Beneath the Arch website, www.beneaththearch.org. Rush tickets will also be available approximately three weeks before each concert. Tickets will be $25 for adults, $10 for children (12 and under). Rush tickets will be sold from a number of local retail outlets including Harvest Moon Health Foods (Okotoks), Millarville General Store (Millarville), Terra Cotta Gallery (Black Diamond) and Coyote Moon Café (Turner Valley).

Musician mixes old style with new impulses

Pernell Reichert and The Hard Drinkers will be playing songs about beer, politics and travelling on Sunday, May 11 at The Stop in Black Diamond. They are, from left, Jonah Toulmin, Reichert and Chris King. photo submitted

By Tamara Neely
Staff Reporter

The future could hold plush hotel rooms, packed crowds and hefty paycheques for outlaw country musician Pernell Reichert – he has drive and passion.
Five years ago Reichert’s passion for music and performing led him to pursue music as a career, and that passion has been the drive to push past sleeping in the van and playing to a room with just enough of an audience to play tag with.
Reichert and his band, The Hard Drinkers, are celebrating their first studio album by heading out of Vancouver and making their way to southern Alberta to play an afternoon show at The Stop in Black Diamond on Sunday, May 11.
Reichert, who plays banjo, guitar, harmonica and slide guitar, together with drummer Jonah Toulmin and bass guitarist Chris King may be playing to fans they won over from their last tour through the foothills in November.
“It’s nice when the audience is listening. Actually, it’s nice when there’s an audience,” Reichert wrote in his blog on April 21.
That entry is testament to the satisfaction he and the band get from performing their music across the country; no matter how many people show up, they are just happy to be playing.
Reichert’s musical style is country/folk/blues, and the new album has a faster pace than his two solo albums.
“Once I started playing with the band it felt good to speed up the energy,” said Reichert. “When I was playing on my own the songs were a little more coffee shop-y.”
Reichert’s songwriting unravels the lives of interesting people and offers a look into his view of the world.
“On this album there’s a few political songs, a few songs about beer and a few songs about travelling,” he said.
The musicians Reichert has been influenced by predate him by decades and have roots deep in the history of country, folk and blues, such as Delta bluesmen Blind Blake and RL Burnside, as well as Steve Earle and Hank Williams senior, Bob Dylan and John Prine.
To take a listen, go to www.pernell.ca
Pernell Reichert and The Hard Drinkers will be playing on Sunday, May 11 at The Stop in Black Diamond beginning at 4 p.m. Cover is $8.

Benefit concert aids mission of hope

Ian Willumsen, a member of Standing Stones, takes the lead during the group’s performance at Holy Trinity Academy for the school’s Mission Costa Rica program. photo by Blair Braitenbach

By Blair Braitenbach
Staff reporter

By working with those less fortunate in Costa Rica, a 16-year-old Holy Trinity Academy (HTA) student said her eyes have been opened wide to the luxuries she enjoys in Canada.
Last Friday, a benefit concert was held at HTA in an effort to raise funds for the school’s Mission Costa Rica group. At the end of the day, the concert raised just under $6,000 through donations, a silent auction and concession. Organizers said all the proceeds raised from the event will go entirely to the Obras del Espiritu Santo orphanage, or the Association for Works of the Holy Spirit.
For the past two years, HTA’s Mission Costa Rica has sent students on two occasions down to the poor, crime-ridden community of Cristo Rey in San Jose, Costa Rica. There, students spend time with those in the children’s ministry to give them hope and a sense of belonging. Alex Kilcommons was one of this year’s Mission Costa Rica participants who made the trek to Cristo Rey in March. She said seeing the daily life of those living in third world conditions has made her more appreciative of the benefits in this country.
“It just makes me realize how lucky we are here and how much we have. They have barely anything there and they’re still happy, it’s just amazing,” Kilcommons said.
The benefit concert showcased the talents of local musicians from the school and in the community. Benefit concert organizer Marilyn Smith said although she recognizes there are problems in local society, it is still important to help those a far distance away.
“We learn that God works through all of us and can serve one another, whether in our own community or abroad. We are all connected and called to love each other,” Smith said.
Les Giraudier, HTA English teacher, spearheaded Mission Costa Rica. Having spent a significant time in Costa Rica, and Cristo Rey specifically, he thought it would be a good idea for students to take part in the rehabilitation of the community. He explained that Cristo Rey is an extremely poor neighbourhood fraught with crime, drugs and prostitution. At the orphanage, Giraudier said students work and play with the children living there.
“What we do is give the kids attention. It’s unwanted kids who don’t have kids that age to play with. They’re kids 16, 17, 18-years-old who are on their own, some of them are mothers. It’s just an opportunity for them to get attention when there’s really not a lot to be had when you’re a kid who’s off the street,” Giraudier said.
In addition to spending time with the youth, Giraudier said Mission Costa Rica has raised approximately $30,000 over the past two years that is directed towards medical, computer, recycling and farming facilities. Rather than getting down and dirty and partaking in building, Giraudier said the goal is really to help the people help themselves.
“We don’t go down there and build something because they can build it,” Giraudier said. “They need the money to buy the materials so they can do the building and that’s very important. They are the ones who help themselves, we’re just giving them that opportunity.”
Giraudier is also involved with another mission working to establish an English program in a different neighbourhood in San Jose.