Saturday, June 30, 2012

Paul Churchill photos - courtesy of Ferris-Manning Photography

The Stairwell Carollers Copyright Ferris-Manning Photography

             Peter Ferris-Manning of Ferris-Manning Photography has graciously allowed us to share this selection of photos he took of the Stairwell Carollers at our 2011 National Gallery concert. He was  at the Mondial concert in Laval last weekend and is shocked and saddened by the suddenness of Paul's passing. Peter expresses his condolences for Paul's friends and family with the hope that these photos will be of some comfort. Fell free to copy and share them.

The Stairwell Carollers Copyright Ferris-Manning Photography


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

In Memorium, Paul Churchill, a lovely man who will be sorely missed...

Yesterday, the world lost a beautiful tenor voice.
Paul Churchill, tenor with the Stairwell Carollers

Monday, June 25th, Paul Churchill was taken from us.

We are all still in shock and cannot believe we have lost him.

Paul was  warm and intense, hilarious yet at times passionately serious, self-deprecating and generous. His sense of humour was irreverently fresh and funny.
Heading off to do Xmas  caroling in the Byward Market

This past Sunday, on the way to and from the choir's performance at Mondial in Laval, Paul kept his carpool mates entertained. Andrea says his stories of his children and how proud he was of them, interspersed with  outrageous anecdotes and observations, was typically "Paul" -- in high spirits as usual.

The concert was fun -- short and sweet, with a wonderfully receptive audience. Paul clearly had a blast at his final concert with the Stairwell Carollers.

We will miss him more than I can express here. We all had our own friendships with him, each as different and varied as Paul's own personality. Thus, I can only speak of our relationship. It was one of winks and grins across the circle in rehearsals, double entendre remarks right before performances, and deep serious discussions about the educational system. He was great at diffusing tension with humour and amused us with his "bon mots" during rehearsal.
Paul being Paul -- note the hat

His respect for our choir's director was complete, for he worked harder than anyone to improve his technique and follow Pierre's suggestions in rehearsal.

Paul's beautiful voice has been immortalized on our upcoming Sacred CD, Cantate Domine, which will be dedicated to his memory.

Details of the service for Paul 





Portulaca from my garden
A memorial service for Paul is planned for Tuesday July 3 at 10 AM to take place at Capital Memorial Gardens, 3700 Prince of Wales Drive. The Stairwell Carollers will be there to sing a tribute to Paul.


Stairwell Carollers memorial to Paul in this Blog

Mary Honeywell School Council memorial to Paul

Paul's Facebook page is also filling up with memories and tributes. I will not link to it, since it is a more personal memorial.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Concert! Sunday, June 24th, 2012 at Laval's MONDIAL, sponsored by Loto-Quebec

 
The Stairwell Carollers at a little church in Montabello QC.
 Join us in 
this Sunday,
June 24th, 2012. 






Laval's Mondial, sponsored by Lotto-Quebec, runs from June 15th to July 15th this year, with many well known performers, such as Sarah McLachlan, Eric Lapointe, LMFAO, Aerosmith and Jean Leloup headlining.

The Stairwell Carollers, also known as Les Chanteurs Stairwell (en Francais), will perform a half hour of Sacred Music for the fabulous Mondial  as part of the "Choeur en Ville" programme.



The performance will be at Église St-Pie-X in Laval. Google Map.


The concert is in two parts, with Chœur Walter at 7:00pm and  Les chanteurs Stairwell (The Stairwell carollers) at 7:30.


Entrance is FREE/GRATUIT. All the concert venues can be found HERE.


Come hear us -- and stay on to enjoy the ambience of beautiful Laval, Quebec



Thursday, June 7, 2012

Website Contest ENDED FOR 2012

Contest winner with a celebratory glass of beverage
The Stairwell Carollers 2012 Web contest* ENDED

Don't miss out on your chance to win $200* by simply visiting our website.  
 
Go to http://www.stairwellcarollers.com/ click on "Contest" and complete the questions !

 En Français -- Concours :)

 All the answers are there on the website just waiting to be found :)
 
Want to get there fast?  Simply go to the Contest form and start surfing the Stairwell Carollers official home to find the answers.
Once you submit your completed form, and we have verified that all your answers are correct, you will be placed in the draw.





Contest deadline TOMORROW -- Friday, June 8th, 2012. 
Contest draw change -- Saturday June 3Oth, 2012. Winner TBA.

*SORRY to our international friends and recent former Stairwellers...
Contestants must be Canadian residents and have reached the age of majority in the province or territory in which they reside. Those who have been members of the Stairwell Carollers since 2009, and their immediate families are not eligible. 
 Holly :)

Friday, June 1, 2012

UPDATE -- Stairwellers David and Nicole run for Biodiversity

This is just a quick note of appreciation to all of you who gave Nicole and me moral and/or financial support as (a) she attempted her very first 10km race (first step on the way to a fall marathon!) and (b) I attempted my ouch 17th marathon as part of USC Canada’s Run for Biodiversity here in Ottawa on May 27. 

David




We had a record number (46) of dedicated R4B runners and walkers join us this year. They have helped raise a record $9,100 for farmers in Nepal and donations are still coming in, so a huge thank you for your generous financial support!

Your moral support and encouragement was also greatly appreciated this year.

Nicole












After the race, Nicole wrote this:
I had SO much fun on Saturday. The weather was amazing, I felt really strong the whole way, and wow, the cheering crowds were incredible. It was a blast. Can't wait to run my next race! I'm happy to see that the fundraising efforts were successful. A win-win for everyone! Thanks for the opportunity to participate in such a great project! 

        On my side, here’s how it went. During the marathon, I was feeling pretty good up to about the 30km mark, at which point I hit the wall. 

I struggled mightily in the last 10-12 km, but drew inspiration from a visitation by my spirit bird, the great blue heron. Two of them in fact (!) – who were flying majestically in tandem along the Ottawa River at about km 32 – and I drew from their energy and told myself that was it, I would push myself to finish, and I did. (NB: I’m still wondering to myself whether this was a visitation, or perhaps a “vision”, as I seemed to be the only runner who was aware of their presence…..) 

Anyways, I was able to finish the race in 4 hour 14 minutes, which turned out to be my best time since 2008 and 2007 when I ran similar 4:14 times – as a “young man” of 55 and 56 – so I can’t complain on that front. 

Indeed, now that I have “advanced” to a new age group, 60-64, I actually placed a respectable 36th out of 94 fellow male runners my age, so everything is relative, maybe by the time I’m 70….

From both of us, thanks again for all your support – until next year!
David
David Rain
Legacy Gifts and Donor Recognition
Coordinator, Run for Biodiversity
USC Canada 56 Sparks Street, Suite 705
Ottawa, ON Canada K1P 5B1

Tel: 1-613-234-6827, ext 231
Fax: 1-613-234-6842
I'm running wild for food and farmers. Support USC Canada's Run for Biodiversity!

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