The Golden Community Choir is putting some final touches on their upcoming show, with their two Christmas performances scheduled for Dec 12 and 13. Both shows will be at 7:30, with the first taking place at the Trinity Lutheran Church, while the second is scheduled to go at the Golden Baptist Church.
The choir, which dates back as far as the 1960s, will be led by Kristin Schneider in her first year as the group’s conductor.
According to Jean Dakin, one of the choir’s directors, the concerts will feature a mixture of popular Christmas music, with both religious and non-religious favourites on their song list. The concerts will also feature a sing-along carol for those who would like to try out their own singing voices as well.
For Dakin, singing in the choir has always been a lot of fun.
“Singing together in a choir, it’s just really a wonderful thing to do, and develops all sorts of things within you and within the people that listen to you,” she said.
However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a strong desire from the choir members to perform their best.
“We do strive for excellence in our choir. We don’t just meet and sing off-key, we really work at it,” Dakin said. “When you do harmonize and get everything right, it’s just wonderful.”
After the group struggled to find a conductor, having Schneider on board has been extremely important for the choir this year.
“Having Kristin in our community now…to have her take on that job, we appreciate so much that she’s willing to do this.”
Dakin and the rest of the choir are also thankful to have pianist Ruth Ratzlaff.
“We’re very fortunate to have Ruth; she’s such a talented pianist and so supportive of music in the community,” Dakin said.
A spring concert is also in the works, with a date that has yet to be determined. Admission to the choir’s two Christmas concerts is by donation, which will help the choir cover the high cost of purchasing music for its 20 members. Coffee and tea, as well as some baked goods, will be served following the second concert.
