Trident Nov 14 2005 - Tridentnews.ca

R E M E M B R A N C E D A Y S P E C I A L
TRIDENT, NOVEMBER 14, 2005 11
Barbershop chorus and quartets to give concert
By Virginia Beaton
Trident staff
In tribute to the Year of the Veteran,
the Millstream Chorus, the
men’s barbershop chorus will present
a concert titled Melodies &
Memories 2005.
“This is a musical tribute to
Canada’s veterans,” stated Lieutenant(N)
(Lt(N)) Brendan Ryan,
writer and producer of the show,
and a member of the chorus.
“Our very special guest is the jazz
band of the Stadacona Band of Maritime
Forces Atlantic.”
According to Lt(N) Ryan, the
chorus decided to move up their
annual Christmas concert from its
usual December date and instead,
give it on Friday, November 18 and
Saturday, November 19.
“Given that this is the Year of the
Veteran, and it is one week after
November 11, and we have the
ensemble from the Stadacona band,
it was fitting that we choose a military
theme.”
The performers hope that many
veterans will attend the concert and
they have chosen a repertoire that
includes many of the popular songs
and big band music from the Second
World War era. “There is so much
music that came out of that era that
it was easy for us to accommodate
the theme. So we would like to
The Millstream Chorus has a significant number of serving and retired Canadian Forces Members.
salute our veterans by giving them
some of our renditions of some of
the tunes that may have helped them
get through the war years.”
The jazz ensemble will play big
band tunes made popular by Glenn
Miller, such as In the Mood and
String of Pearls. In addition to the
jazz ensemble, three well-known
barbershop quartets will also appear
on the program. 7’th Wave, a local
men’s quartet, will perform several
standards including Sentimental
Journey and Paper Moon. On the
Rocks will sing popular songs
including As Time Goes By and
What’ll I Do. Polaris, a highly rated
barbershop quarter from Ottawa,
will also be featured guests, singing
songs such as Chattanooga Shoe
Shine Boy.
As for the Millstream Chorus,
Lt(N) Ryan stated “We’ve got a
couple of medleys that incorporate
songs from the time, called the
Mess Decks Medley.” It comprises
favourite songs from the war years,
such as Roll Along Wavy Navy Roll
Along, “and other songs that the
guys would sing below decks.”
Another group of songs, the War
Songs medley, includes It’s a Long
Way to Tipperary, Pack up your
Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag, and
There’ll be Bluebirds Over the
White Cliffs of Dover.
Since it is the chorus’ Christmas
event, there will even be some holiday
content, such as Deck the Halls
and I’ll be Home for Christmas.
“For a military audience, the
evening has a resounding military
theme,” stated Lt(N) Ryan. “We’re
trying to recreate the wardrobe of
the era, with some costumes and
some choreography. We’re also trying
to recreate some of the show
settings that the veterans may have
been accustomed to, such as the
USO tours where they would have
performers such as Bob Hope.” The
idea is to recreate the nostalgic
mood found in movies such as
White Christmas, he stated.
“It’s about hearing the music that
gave some of these men the will to
go on, and kept them content while
they were away from home.”
Don MacRae is the new director
of the Millstream Chorus. The previous
director, David Bain, a former
RCMP officer, died earlier this year.
According to Lt(N) Ryan, “This
show is a tribute to him too, because
he led this chorus through 10 years
and produced some good shows.”
The chorus has approximately 40
members but always accepts new
recruits, Lt(N) Ryan emphasized.
“It’s a great hobby for military members,”
he stated, noting that with barbershop
quartets and choruses located
all across North America, “You
will find them in every city, province
and state across North America. It’s
very accomodating, in that you can
go from one chorus to another and
feel like you’ve never left.”
Lt(N) Ryan observed that the
Millstream Chorus, like other barbershop
choruses, has a significant
number of serving and retired Canadian
Forces Members. “I would say
that in the Millstream Chorus alone,
out of a 40-man chorus, at least 10
of them have been, or still are, as in
my case, in the military.”
Melodies and Memories 2005
will be held at 8 p.m. on Friday
November 18 and Saturday November
19 at L’Ecole Carrefour du
Grand-Havre on 201 Avenue du
Portage in Dartmouth.
Tickets cost $15 general admission,
$12 for seniors and $8 for children
under age 10. The venue offers
free parking and is wheelchair
accessible. For advance tickets or
for further information, please call
Russell at 455-3917.
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