Emo choir offers ‘best concert yet’

The Emo Centennial Choir presented its eighth-annual Christmas celebration—“Sing Noel!”—on Monday night at the Christian Reformed Church and director Renée Martin-Brown said it was one of the group’s best performances ever.
“From the comments I heard, it was one of the best concerts yet and I really think so, too,” she enthused. “They were just really tight and they had a wonderful sound.
“It was great for me to direct and see how well it all came together.”
She noted the choir had recorded CDs of the selections back in November, meaning they had to be prepared earlier than in past years.
“We then had time to really perfect them,” Martin-Brown added, agreeing that Monday’s concert was likely one of her favourites.
“I heard lots of comments about how they enjoyed the different styles of music and there was something for everybody,” she continued. “You have to put some upbeat songs in or it gets boring.”
She also noted there was a really good crowd out—almost a full house.
The choir sang several pieces, including “Good Christian Men Rejoice Medley,” “The Christmas Peace Canon,” and “He is Born, Sing Noel.”
As well, Scripture readings read by members of the choir helped to tell the Christmas story throughout the evening.
The first selection had choir members stand in the aisles to sing, lighting each other’s candles.
“I think it was really effective that the first song was called ‘Pass the Advent Light’ to bring in the season of Christmas, and with the lighting of candles I think that went well,” Martin-Brown said.
But it was the second song on the program that was one of her favourites.
“The Gospel piece ‘What a Wonderful Child’ got us moving,” she remarked.
“It took all of us straight-laced choir singers and got us moving—just listening to the music and letting the words and text lead you as opposed to the notes on the page.”
She explained singers always sing the notes on the page, but it’s what you do with the music and how you feel it.
“I just feel finally after weeks of rehearsing they just let it go [Monday] night and had fun with it,” Martin-Brown enthused. “You could tell because the crowd was having a good time, too.”
The choir also performed several two-part pieces—and some splitting into three parts.
“The two-part pieces were the pieces that had a flute part with them, so it added that other dimension,” Martin-Brown explained.
“We were lucky to have Diane [Veldhuisen] on flute just to add more richness, which could sound like a more simplistic arrangement of the carol.”
Martin-Brown admitted she’d like to have the choir sing in four parts, but since she only had five men in the choir, it wasn’t doable this year. Still, she said the three-part selections were a challenge to prepare.
“‘Til the Season Comes Round Again,’ which we worked so hard on, I thought went off really well at the concert,” she remarked. “It was more tricky because it was a little less accompanied—more parts where the voices had to carry themselves.
“It was basically a cappella at the beginning and we had to work hard to keep our pitch up and stay in tune so when the piano came back in, we were all still together.
“And it was a little more contemporary in nature so the harmonies were more difficult, but it came together really well.”
The evening also featured two small ensembles. Martin-Brown, along with her husband, Ken, Dave Ogilvie, and Geneva Veldhuisen, sang “In the Bleak Midwinter” in four-part harmony.
Martin-Brown also performed “The Holly and the Ivy” with Lisa Vos, Heather Ogilvie, Debbie Friesen, Sabrina Rempel, and Julie Clink.
“It was the first time we ever singled out anyone,” she indicated. “We’ve always just sang as a choir, so it was nice to have a little variety.”
CDs were sold at the performance and there still are 40 left, which are available at the Emo post office, clinic, or by calling Martin-Brown at 482-3055. They are $15 each.
“We didn’t sell as many as I had hoped,” she admitted, noting the sale was a fundraiser for the choir but they haven’t broken even so far.
A free-will offering also was taken, which raised $586 towards a CT Scanner at La Verendrye Hospital in Fort Frances.
“I just enjoyed the whole night. It just felt really relaxed and was a good time,” Martin-Brown enthused, adding the choir will be starting up again in the spring and always is accepting new members.