Battlefords Blend
Battlefords Blend Chorus has been on the move and in the community more this fall than we have been in the past few years!
After a summer break we started our season by getting together in late August to learn three new songs at Annette Duhaime’s home, followed by a pot luck supper. It was a wonderful kick off for the season and gave us a head start on some new music.
We were back to regular rehearsals in September to prepare for our first sing-out in mid-October. This was a fundraiser for the United Church’s Mission and Service Fund held at Third Avenue United Church in North Battleford. We were one of several groups who entertained for the afternoon event.
Next up was preparing for our first major production since 2017! “Memories – A Tribute to Elsie Boulton” was held at North Battleford’s Dekker Centre and honoured the members we have lost since the chorus formed in 1982, especially Elsie.
Part of our preparations was a weekend workshop with Sheryl Brook of Hearts of Harmony Chorus. In addition to putting us though our paces, she helped make decisions on which songs were most suitable for competition in 2024.
There were two performances of this show, one public and the other a private showing for Chris Odishaw of Battleford Furniture and his guests. Odishaw was a major sponsor for the show and has been a strong supporter of Battlefords Blend for many years. Our chorus performed three sets for each show and were joined by other guests including Annette’s School of Dance, 2farmgirls 1citybrat and Keegan Isaac. There was also a short introduction to the ugly stick accompanied by a fiddle.
December performances also included taking part in a Christmas show at Frontier Mall in North Battleford and the Carol Festival at Third Avenue United Church.
Unfortunately, our plans to sing at a number of seniors’ residences were postponed due to illness among our chorus members. That also postponed our Christmas party!
We resumed rehearsals on January 2 as we recorded our performance for TeleMiracle 48 in Saskatoon on January 6. Saskatchewan’s telethon is an annual event put on by the Kinsmen Foundation which raises money to help Saskatchewan people with medical issues. It has become a Saskatchewan tradition and every year they feature Saskatchewan talent along with a national cast of hosts/performers. (Photo left: On our way to the recording)
Plans are in the works to do a fundraiser in partnership with other locals who are involved in the telethon and another one with choirs in the area.We expect to be able to post our performance sometime after TeleMiracle airs on February 24 and 25.
Other plans for the spring include singing at various seniors’ residences that were missed in December and preparation for competition in Edmonton. Carolyne Oehlerking is our Regional Education Faculty for 2024 and will be in the Battlefords early in February for a tune up and musical workout to help us prepare for our busy schedule.