Headwaters’ Choir presents “Love Notes” to Canada

June 10, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Marni Walsh

Dufferin-Caledon residents will get an opportunity to hear the Headwaters Concert Choir perform their Scotland-bound concert “Love Notes” this Saturday, June 11, at St. Joseph of Nazareth Anglican Church in Brampton.

Shelagh Tyreman, conductor for Love Notes, says when the invitation came to present a concert at St. Giles Cathedral, the mother church of Presbyterianism in Edinburgh, the Headwaters-based choir “jumped at the chance.”

The Concert Choir will be on tour July 13- 20 in Scotland, where they will perform in both Edinburgh and Inverness. But, this is not the first invitation for the choristers to perform abroad. Founded by Conductor Robert Hennig, the Headwaters’ Concert Choir has performed at an impressive list of venues including Carnegie Hall in New York City, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Esterhazy Palace in Vienna, Lincoln Cathedral and St. Alban’s Cathedral in England, as well as Salzburg and Prague.”

The Concert Choir has gained a reputation for its “blended and expressive sound,” winning awards for interpretations of composers such as Handel, Rutter, and Beethoven. Formed about 20 years ago with members from across the Headwaters area, it has grown from an initial group of 16 to over 50 members.

Ms. Tyreman, also the music director at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Brampton, holds three music degrees, attended specialist programs at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies in Aldeburgh, England and the Banff Centre for the Arts, and is a busy classical singer, musical theatre performer and private teacher.

“The concert highlights Love Notes to our beautiful country, featuring Canadian compositions from all across the country – the West Coast, the Prairies, Central Canada, and the Maritimes,” she says.

A new work, “Autumn’s Orchestra” by composer James Brown, was commissioned for the performance. The piece is based on the poetry of E. Pauline Johnson, “a late nineteenth-century Canadian poet and performance artist, whose themes of nature, gender and racial discrimination still resonate today,” says the Conductor.

A duet composed by Ms. Tyreman will also be an exciting part of the repertoire, and the audience will have the pleasure of hearing accompanying clarinets, violin, banjo, bongos and percussion instruments.

“The sound of the choir is spectacular,” says Ms. Tyreman. “They are putting their hearts and souls into the music and, as the conductor, I have to say it is life-affirming and deeply moving for me to hear. The depth and quality of the Canadian compositions is inspiring. We are so proud to be Canadian artists, representing Canada internationally.”

For those interested in becoming involved with the Headwaters’ Concert Choir, members “span all ages and walks of life” and are “open and excited to have new talent.”

Call or text for a consultation at 647-529-6752; no auditions are required and rehearsals are every other Monday night, currently in Caledon.

The June 11 concert, Love Notes, takes place at 4 p.m. at 290 Balmoral Drive in Brampton. General admission is $20, ages 12 and under free. For further information, please contact robertbhennig@gmail.com.