World Cup 2006 A Great "Thank You" - Hofbräuhaus News

y Lucia M. Trommer
Since the dawn of time music has
accompanied us on all special occasions,
happy or sad, dance or meditation, music
works magic on the soul. Actually, for those
open to that sort of thing, composing, listening
to, playing or singing music, transports them
to a different level of
being. Even though
Mozart only lived to
the age of 35 he has
left us a legacy of
marvelously diverse
music. Reading one
of the many Mozart
biographies on the
market is highly
recommended, not
only for Mozart fans.
Music fans from
near and far followed
Happy Birthday Former
teacher for music at the
Deutsche Samstagsschule
Christel Lorek-Grund is
80 years young. With
flowers from the German
Choir Montreal.
Mezzo Soprano and
Mozart Interpretin
Elisabeth Churchill
Conducter of the
German Choir Montreal
John Guzik
th
Mozart’s 250 Anniversary Year
The Montreal German Choir’s Afternoon Concert at St. Paul’s Church
the invitation of the
German Choir
Montreal to an
afternoon concert in
the St. Paul’s
Lutheran Church in
Ville St. Laurent,
which opened with
four Mozart songs:
“Bruder reicht die
Hand zum Bunde,
Abendruhe, Ave
Verum and Laudate
Dominum”.
Explains the
Choir’s president,
Ms. Ingeborg
Randall-Cooke,
“When we realized in
the concert’s
planning stages, that
we had only one
Mozart song in our
program, we
rehearsed another
three songs”. In any
event, under conductor John Guzik, the Choir
swiftly sang itself into the hearts of the
audience. Musical accompaniment was
provided by a small, outstanding chamber
orchestra directed by Ms. Holly Larsen,
Professor of Music
at McGill University.
Just as Mozart
enchanted in the
concert’s first
entreacte, in the
second it was
familiar folk songs
that captivated the
audience. Louis
Armstrong’s “What a
wonderful world”
was the finale. The
lyrics well known
and everyone sang
along sure of the
closing “…I love
you” line.
A warm welcome was extended to the
Reverend Matti I. Terho and the
representatives of the “Echo”, and everyone
invited for coffee and cake afterwards. Ten
homemade cakes awaited and the coffee was
hot and fresh.
A big thank you to the
singers, some of whom travel
between 80 and 100 km to
attend the Choir’s rehearsals
and who fleetly doubled as
kitchen helpers. Just like Finni
and Guenther Buettner, elderly
folks who find the travel very
strenuous. Thus, they bade
farewell to the Choir’s tearful
President, with whom it
appears, they had a
longstanding relationship. They
share many fond memories of
the Choir’s travels; nowadays,
one is glad to get together in
“more or less decent shape”.
The Choir is fifty years old its
founders at the time young
adults between 20 to 30 years,
arriving in Canada from wartorn
Europe. As the Choir’s the
program brochure aptly
indicates: “We welcome new
members – active or passive.”
DCM Chamber Orchestra
Members of the German Choir Montreal and the conducter John Guzik
Members of the chamber orchestra Genevieve Lessard-Lapierre, Violin Cello, Mahmoud Hussein Viola
and Members of the German Choir Montreal
10 - The Hofbräuhaus News July - August 2006