Knox Presbyterian church, 2013 Christmas Concert Recap

           What an incredible venue to have for the first of our own 2013 Christmas carol concerts! 

A cathedral - sized church in downtown Ottawa

A cathedral in both size and style, Knox Presbyterian Church at 120 Lisgar St. Ottawa, Ontario, is impressive indeed --  a Gothic jewel at the center of our Nation's capital!

The Stairwell Carollers present a $2000 cheque to Youville Center -- Photo, Genevieve Lajoie

And the acoustics! Out of this world! I recommend this church to anyone wanting the experience of singing choral music in a cathedral setting.

One of our proudest moments was presenting the $2000 cheque to a representative of Youville center. Giving financial help to local charities is a core mandate of the Stairwell Carollers choir.

Our MC, Keith Bailey, introduces a Christmas carol

Wouldn't you know it, Saturday, Dec 14th had to be one of the worst storms that month! Despite the rotten Ottawa weather, we had good attendance.The people who came were obviously dedicated fans to brave the blowing sleet and snow -- and we thank them for their staunch support!

Keith, former Stairwell Caroller Bass and our MC at Knox

Former Bass, Keith was a stellar MC, his booming British accent in fine form and his smile infectious. His blend of music factoids and wry humour is always spot on -- making the concert complete.

Pierre gives the choir  notes (pun intended) on a piece of music in the pre-concert warmup

Tom Barnes recorded the audio for us, as always, while two friends took the live video. You will see the songs on YouTube over the coming months,  our director Pierre editing it all together (he doesn't do enough, after all).

Knox Presbyterian church, 2013 #Christmas #Concert Recap http://t.co/QHMxbwm1Mg #choral #Ottawa #blogging
— Holly Massie (@HollyWroteit) January 30, 2014

The well-attended reception afterwards was held in the church's huge hall-- bright and cheery -- like the rest of Knox, full of Gothic style and atmosphere.

Pete awards the door prize -- a handmade gift basket filled with goodies and cds

As always, at our Christmas concerts, Pete awarded a festive gift basket door prize to a lucky audience member. Our thanks for coming to our concert! All in all, it was a great new church experience.

Many thanks once again to Michele, Susan and their crew for handling tickets at the door, CD sales and distributing programs.

Huguette, former Soprano with the Stairwell Carollers, makes an elegant usher

Ottawa Choir Auditions Next Week! Basses, Tenors please contact us Now! See Youtube Video

              Just a few more days before auditions start at St Columba Church, 24 Sandridge, Ottawa, Ontario - Wed Jan 29th and the following Wed Feb 5th! 
To reserve your audition time, email us at info@stairwellcarollers.com. 

If you have questions, email anytime or use the comment option below. Holly will reply ASAP.

If you live in the Ottawa/Gatineau area, The Stairwell Carollers may be the choir you've been looking for.

We sing Renaissance, ancient and modern music in a capella style, and rehearse once a week year round (with a little summer vacation:). We have two seasons -- Spring (Renaissance and Medieval Sacred and secular pieces, Masses and Madrigals) and Christmas (Christmas carols ancient, Olde and New).

The ability to read music is an asset, but not a requirement for our group :)

I hear some new singers in the Stairwell! 2014 Spring season auditions coming up -- January 29th and Feb 5th

those

                We'd like to welcome this past year's new members of the Stairwell Carollers. All are in our newest group photo -- and.... here they are!

In the Soprano section, we were thrilled to get Patty Morrison -- a beautiful girl with an equally beautiful voice and personality.

Patty and Beatrice

She-Yang -- photo by Denyse Mageau

 In the Tenor section, She-Yang brings pure notes, an angelic demeanor with a devilish grin and a consistently positive attitude.









On a down note, a large hole was left in the Bass section when both Keith and Bill decided to retire from the group after many years of staunch Stairwelling. We will miss you both!

Bill and Keith relax at Cantate Domino recording session

So... we have two new Basses...

Andrew (who looks like a tenor) surprised me with his deep mellow tones.

Andrew, far right, pays close attention to Pierre's direction. Photo, Suzanne Gibeault

Last, but definitely not least is David. A deep resonant Bass voice combined with a wicked sense of humour.

David, at left, pen at the ready, works hard at rehearsal -- while Pierre directs from the center of the circle

Welcome, welcome all!

New singers in the Stairwell and 2014 Spring season #choir #auditions #Ottawa #Gatineau -- January 29th, ... http://t.co/12ZyYXAyHL
— Stairwell Carollers (@StairwellChoir) January 16, 2014

And... believe it or not -- 
we are still auditioning for an Alto, tenor and a bass, Jan 29th and Feb 4th. 
Please contact us by email -- info (@) stairwellcarollers.com -- 
don't forget to remove

2013 Christmas Concert Recap -- The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

the National Gallery of Canada

                For a number of years now, we have been invited to sing at the National Gallery during both our Spring and Christmas singing seasons.

The National Gallery Concerts -  PART ONE, The Rideau Chapel  

The National Gallery Concerts PART TWO - The Great Hall

Kelly and Susan in the Green Room before the concert

For 2013, we were relocated to the Garden Court because the Grand Hall is under renovation. Thank goodness we still had the lovely green room to relax in! We had loved singing in front of the Giant tree in the Grand hall, so were wondering how the new venue would work out.

Seasonal colours in a sea of bromeliads

 The Garden Court has a sky light ceiling and is filled with real trees and seasonal plantings. I was expecting the usual poinsettia display and was pleasantly surprised by the choice of green and red bromeliads.

2013 #Christmas #Concert Recap The National Gallery of Canada @gallerydotca @beaux_arts_ca #Ottawa http://t.co/94o5PNuziW
— Stairwell Carollers (@StairwellChoir) January 16, 2014

We often looked up to the audience ringing the upstairs balcony above us

 The acoustics were tremendous, and we could all hear each other so well -- everyone loved the experience of singing in the new space! Andrea McCrady (our Dominion Carilloneur) was in attendance, and explained to me that the room was designed as a cloister -- which are traditionally designed to enhance sound.

 Above the stone archways the ceiling reaches up to the second floor with a balcony all the way around.

Audience filled the space and surrounded the balcony through our entire hour mini-concert.

Thanks to Laurie for doing the CD table! Andrea McCrady on the right discusses the concert with our director, Pierre

I am planning a post that reviews our singing history at the National Gallery. Stay tuned!

St. Stephen's Church, Chelsea, Quebec -- Christmas Concert Recap 2013

St. Stephen's church against a cobalt winter sky

            A gorgeous and crisp winter's night, a quaint Heritage church and an intense and focused audience made St. Stephen's concert, Saturday, Dec 7th, truly one of a kind.

We were in awe of the atmosphere as we waited for Pete to give us our first note.

A Full House! Photo, Suzanne Gibeault

The church has amazing acoustics and is visually stunning.

Altar details with angel sculptures

The icons and painted murals reminded me of our recent visit to Medieval churches in Germany.

Central ceiling mural

We arrived ahead of everyone -- to a vision in the night...

St. Stephen's at night

The blue sky just past dusk gave me the chance to capture some glorious shots of the exterior.

Ironwork sign for St. Stephen's

Waiting inside.. a photog's dream.

St. Stephen's Church, Chelsea, #Quebec -- #Christmas #Concert Recap 2013 http://t.co/RzrxzuoQC6 #choir
— Holly Massie (@HollyWroteit) January 16, 2014

View from the second floor balcony

A little setting up, a little rehearsing and a little, sorry, make that a LOT of encouragement and hands-on help from the churches deacons put everyone in a singing mood.

The organizers even supplied a photographer, Suzanne Gibeault, who took all the concert photos (since I was singing) and promptly sent them to us -- an early Christmas present!

Having a singing good time! Photo, Suzanne Gibeault

Happy New Year!

2014 AUDITIONS for The Stairwell Carollers -- contact us now!

  

       Just a quick note to everyone that auditions are coming up Jan. 29th to Feb. 5th for our 2014 singing seasons!

We are currently auditioning Tenors, Basses and Altos. 

2014 #AUDITIONS for The Stairwell Carollers #Ottcty @JoelCTV http://t.co/jCrVg8KrSL #Ottawa #choir #choral
— Stairwell Carollers (@StairwellChoir) January 2, 2014

Please email us for audition details at 
info AT StairwellCarollers DOT com 

You may want to check this out...
Top Ten Reasons to Audition for the Stairwell Carollers

January 2014 Choral Music Monthly Link-Up Now On! The BEST Music Blogger linky party you will find...

LINK up your Musically-related photos, articles, compositions and blog posts with us NOW.

January 2014 #Choral #Music Monthly #Link-Up Now On! The BEST Music #Blogger #linkyparty you will find... - http://t.co/MbzI0UMqvs
— Stairwell Carollers (@StairwellChoir) January 2, 2014

Here are the 3 Top Posts for December....

Choirs without a conductor   KBeez Musings

 In this thoughtful post, Karen Boyce muses about being thrust into the role of interim musical director for two choirs she regularly accompanies on piano.

 

Next, we were featured in Ottawa's preeminent blog Apt. 613!

Lastly, some sage advice for us music bloggers, from Being a Wordsmith

Must-Have Qualities for your Blog Posts

We want to connect with other bloggers who love choral music.
Use our easy Linky tool to post your composition tips, singing techniques, ideas for the best recording venues and your fave choral videos.

Music related crafts, decor and recipes too!

Visit as many of these bloggers as possible and leave a quick comment like, "Hello! I love choral music too, and I hope you have a wonderful week!" I'd also love it if you could leave a comment here about this project.

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