The Suncoast Phoenix Community Choir (SPCC) is holding its final concerts of the season on Thursday, June 9 at 7 p.m. at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church in Sechelt and on Saturday, June 11 at 2 p.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church in Gibsons.
The program, called Songs from Here and There, will consist of a collection of songs from around the world, brought to life by the choir’s 50-plus voices as well as a small ensemble group, and the traditional audience sing-along.
SPCC was incorporated in 2013 when Suncoast Singers in Sechelt and Coast Phoenix Singers from Gibsons joined voices under the direction of Michael Grice with the collaboration of pianist Paula Seward. Sara Douglas assumed the musical direction when Grice moved to Quebec in 2014.
Under the leadership of Douglas, the choir has continued to grow in membership to 55 singers, with a large range in age and experience. Douglas encourages, cajoles and keeps the choir eager to follow her direction. Her enormous energy, professional experience and knowledge are a driving force behind the SPCC’s success. She holds a bachelor of music degree (1987) and a bachelor of education (1989) from UBC.
In 2007, Douglas moved with her family to the Sunshine Coast where she has been teaching music, drama and French at elementary and secondary levels. She recently produced and directed a production of Into the Woods with 22 students from schools up and down the Coast.
Douglas has implemented several innovations for SPCC. She proposed to the board of directors that admission to concerts should be by donation at the door so more of the Sunshine Coast community could access the wonderful music the choir offers each season. She also invites the audience to join in a sing-along, and has introduced poetry reading and choreography to the performance. In addition, she encourages choir members to take initiative as small ensembles to prepare and perform their own musical arrangements.
A good part of the success of any choir depends on the ability of the accompanist to respond to and anticipate the conductor’s cues, and Seward fulfills this role with impeccable skill. Many Coasters know her as a pianist, accompanist and teacher who has shared her extraordinary talent with others on countless occasions.
SPCC members commit to weekly practice and contribute to the choir through membership dues, which can be flexible according to means. Student members are exempt from dues. This is just one of the ways in which the SPCC contributes to music education on the Sunshine Coast. Audiences are growing, but additional funds need to be raised each year, and other donations, corporate and individual, are an important part of the annual budget.
For more, see www.suncoastphoenixchoir.ca
