Prairie Soundscape, the Pembina Valley’s “community of inclusive choirs,” is wrapping up another season with a bang.
Heidi Friesen (public relations/media) and Selina Lovatt (secretary) say the conclusion of the 8-week choir program will take place at St. Paul’s United Church in Morden.
The day will consist of two performances — one featuring the group’s middle years choir in the afternoon and another in the evening.
The Sing-ema
This year’s finale will feature the familiar refrains from film.
The theme, which Prairie Soundscape has named “A Night at the Sing-ema,” includes songs from The Greatest Showman and Tarzan.
Lovatt says she’s also excited for the performance of “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen, which is favourite heard in Shrek.
Community at its core
Although film will take centre stage for Prairie Soundscape this weekend, the organization's mission represents much more in the Pembina Valley.
“It is really something special,” says Friesen. “Melanie Urichuk and Karen Giesbrecht created it, and they both just had such big hearts for people in the community, so it's inclusive. The point of that is that anyone can come grade 12 and upwards for the adult choir.”
Friesen says Prairie Soundscape is “a safe place to come,” no matter how long one has been singing.
“Maybe you haven't sung since you were in high school, and now you're [older], and you haven't sung for a while — it's just a safe space for anybody who wants to participate in choral music to come together.”
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Friesen says the choir builds social time into its evenings, so it’s also an opportunity for the members to get to know one another.
“It's just cool to share the love of music with the group,” she says.
For Lovatt, the beauty of being a part of the choir is the opportunity to be “a part of something bigger.”
“There are all these different parts happening, and I'm just one part of it, and I love hearing it afterward and hearing what it actually sounds like as a whole,” she says.
A free will offering
Because the objective of inclusivity extends to the performance day itself, there are no tickets for the performances — Lovatt says that a free-will offering will be available for the show instead.
The two performances take place May 31st at St. Paul’s United Church in Morden at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
With files from Ty Hildebrand