Orientation for new members 1:30 to 2pm Full choir 2 to 4:30 pm - Sunday January 15th & weekly Unitarian Church - 603 Wellington Crescent (at Academy/Maryland)
Standard fee for spring season $60 (or more or less - depending on circumstances & the value of the choir to you.)
Spring season - January to May Fall season - September to December - standard fee $55.
For more info:Contact Dawn Lazar dlazar@mts.net or 488-0495
We're delighted to welcome Jeremy Vallance as the musical director of Spirit's Call Choir. Jeremy took over in the middle of the Spring 2006 singing season when director Michael Kurek had to leave the choir due to illness.
Jeremy first learned about Spirit's Call Choir when he did a piece about the choir for his "day job" with SHAW TV. Jeremy brings to us his energy, enthusiasm and love for Spirit's Call Choir - along with his extensive musical background and the experience from his previous career as a school music teacher.
The choir's long awaited FIRST CD - "Spirit's Call Choir - Together in Harmony" is now available in Winnipeg at Taché Therapeutic Centre Thérapeutique - 190 Taché Avenue - call 231-4959 for hours.
Special invitation to people affected by cancer to join Spirit's Call Choir
Spirit's Call Choir is partnering with Manitoba Artists in Healthcare (MAH) to extend a special invitation to people affected by cancer to "Sing for the health of it!" with the choir this year.
Research with people affected by cancer has shown that singing in community helps to releive distress, anxiety and fatigue and improve a sense of well-being and connectedness.*
Those affected by cancer and other health and personal challenges already have found that participating in Spirit's Call Choir can foster a sense of well-being, meaning and community. All of this contributes to a balanced state that can be helpful in supporting healing. Click here to view feedback from one of our members.
Anyone affected by cancer who is interested in this special invitation is welcome to contact Spirit's Call Choir's Program Director Margaret Tobin to find out more: tobin@cc.umanitoba.ca or 488-0078
* Traer, C. (June 2003). Sowelu Singers - A Journey to Wholeness. Presented at CAPO (Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology) national conference. Banff, Alberta.
This is what members have to say about Spirit's Call Choir:
"Thanks so much to Margaret and Spirit’s Call Choir for the support and consideration of new, and often, uncertain singers. I was definitely one of those uncertain singers, when I joined, and with the love, support and encouragement of many beautiful angels, I'm becoming more and more certain all the time. It's a miracle what Margaret and Jeremy and the whole choir do. Spirit’s Call Choir provides such a feeling of love and safety, for people like me, who could barely let out a squeak before. And now....I'm actually letting people hear me sing. It really is a miracle!! And it's having wonderful benefits for the rest of my life, too. I'm speaking up more, and feeling more empowered in general. And the JOY!! Singing brings me such joy. Thank you so much, Spirit's Call Choir!" Robbin RainSong (alto)
"Having sung with pleasure as a child I allowed my singing voice to go mostly silent in public after a discouraging comment in school. After many years of not being able to reach the high notes, I have rediscovered the pleasure of singing as an alto. In Spirit's Call Choir, we sing for joy with enthusiastic and talented singers and wonderful conductors who have supported many "newbies" to listen and discover their voices." Dorcas Wehner (alto)
"I had sung in the bathtub in my early years but any remnants of a singing voice, or so I believed, had disappeared over the next fifty plus years. I had never previously sung with a choir and only attended at the invitation of a close friend. I expected that the occasion would be rigorous and demanding and that I would be made less than welcome because of my inability to carry a tune. I was surprised by my experience. I was made very welcome and the singing is celebratory, lively, good for my soul, and much fun. The Choir helps keep me young, and I am delighted to be a member of a valuable, close, supportive community." John Buchanan (bass)
Spirit's Call Choir's 10th Anniversary Concert season
Orientation for new members 1:30 to 2pm Full choir 2 to 4:30 pm - Sunday September 11th & weekly Unitarian Church - 603 Wellington Crescent (at Academy/Maryland)
Standard fee for fall season $55 (or more or less - depending on circumstances & the value of the choir to you.)
Fall season - September to December Spring season January to May - standard fee $60.
For more info:Contact Dawn Lazar dlazar@mts.net or 488-0495
New members are welcome at the start of each season: Spring Season – January to May
Time: 2 pm – Orientation for new members on Sunday, January 16, 2011 Full choir – 2:30 to 4:30 pm – January 16th & weekly
Location: Unitarian Church 603 Wellington Crescent (at Maryland/Academy - looks like a house!)
Membership Fee: Standard membership fee is $60 for the spring season. Members may pay more or less, depending on current circumstances.
For more information or to join, please contact: Dawn Lazar (204) 488-0495 dlazar@mts.net
Choir fees pay for the director, rent, music, photocopying, bursaries and other expenses. Fees are flexible, depending on current circumstances. Spirit's Call Choir welcomes everyone. All contributions are confidential and equally respected.
Spirit's Call Choir at St. Vital Centre - December 19, 2010
After its sold-out annual fundraising concert the week before, the Spirit's Call Choir decided to do a Random Act of Culture similar to other performances seen on YouTube. We set it up with St. Vital Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba and about 50 of our 150 members showed up Sunday afternoon to sing for about 5 minutes. For a choir whose mission is to spread the joy of singing, it was a blast and we received a great response from the people around us. We even made the evening news on CBC! Many thanks to the choir members and the staff at St. Vital Centre who made this a great experience.
Hands of Hope : Benefit Concert - Saturday May 8, 2010 @ 7:30pm
Mother's Day Theme (Mother's Day is Sun May 9th)
With Special Guests - Encore Vocal Quartet
Tickets will be available at choir when they are printed. (Soon!) Thanks to Kathy & Mark George-Moore who have again agreed to handle the ticket distribution in the choir.
* Hands of Hope is a wonderful grassroots organization that delivers free household items to those most in need in Winnipeg. This will be our 3rd concert for H of H.
Proceeds for Winnipeg Harvest food bank from the 4th annual Spirit's Call Choir Holiday Sing Along were record-breaking!
$517 cash from raffles, bake sale and donations
330 lbs of food
Winnipeg Harvest was thrilled that we partnered for them for our 4th annual Holiday Sing Along which was held on December 11, 2005. This is the MOST food and money we have ever collected from any of our Holiday Sing Alongs so far.
Thanks to all who attended, contributed, organized and SANG to make the Holiday Sing Along so festive and successful!
Spirit's Call Choir - Special Community Event Saturday June 24th afternoon
Spirit's Call Choir will be singing at a tree planting celebration for the greening of North Point Douglas.
All are welcome to join us for this Summer Solstice celebration of greening, singing and a potluck picnic!
A special opportunity to meet, sing and celebrate with Spirit's Call Choir and support an important community event! Come and check us out to see if you'd like to join the choir for our fall singing season!
If you've always loved to sing OR always thought you couldn't - Spirit's Call Choir could be for you!!
Time & specific location for June 24th TBA.
This will be Spirit's Call Choir's spring season finale! We take the summer off. We will start our Sunday singing gatherings again on September 10th.
Spirit's Call Choir welcomes new members:
Sunday September 10, 2006 2pm - orientation for new members 2:30 to 4:30pm - full choir Unitarian Church 603 Wellington Crescent (at Maryland/Academy - looks like a house!)
For more info contact Dawn Lazar at dlazar@mts.net or 488-0495.
Thanks to Laura Davis, the choir's Social/Spirit Team Coordinator (& Mover & Shaker par excellence!) for organizing the "Neighbour to Neighbour" Tsunami Relief contribution campaign with the Red Cross that Spirit's Call Choir also contributed to last year. There were many opportunities to contribute to this important global relief effort and many in our community-minded choir also made other donations. However, this cause fit perfectly with Spirit's Call Choir's vision to support personal and choral and GLOBAL harmony so we were delighted to be able to offer this special contribution opportunity.
CBC Radio Interviews Margaret Tobin, Co-Founder & Program Director of the Spirit's Call Choir
[April 2010]
Spring Season – Starts Sunday January 15th, 2012
Thanks to all who attended, contributed, organized and SANG to make the Holiday Sing Along so festive and successful!