Tuesday, June 10, 2025

MUSINGS June 10, 2025

Ann-Marie MacDairmid | Director of Music

“And since all this loveliness can not be Heaven, I know in my heart it is June.” —Abba Louisa Goold Woolson

The Noon Hour Concerts continue with Luke Welch on June 11th.  Luke will be performing music composed by Robert Nathaniel Dett (October 11, 1882 – October 2, 1943). Nathaniel Dett was a Canadian-American composer, organist, pianist, choral director, and music professor.  Born and raised in Niagara Falls, ON until the age of 11, he moved to the United States with his family and had most of his education and career there.  During his lifetime he was a leading composer, known for his use of African-American music as the basis for choral and piano compositions.  Luke's concert program includes one of Dett's most popular works, "In the Bottoms", subtitled "Suite caractéristique".  "In the Bottoms" is a Suite of five numbers giving pictures of moods or scenes peculiar to African-American life in the Bottoms.  The Bottoms is a flood plain directly across from St. Louis, known as East St. Louis. In the early 20th century, industrial growth in the Bottoms attracted many African-American migrants who left the rural South to work in factories there.  East St. Louis became a hot-bed of African-American music dating from the early days of jazz.  

June 18th is the final date of the spring Noon Hour Concerts.  Shoreline Chorus directed by Ann-Marie MacDairmid will be performing.  Two choral scholars from St. Andrew's, Amanda Jeffreys and Morgan Ballantyne will be soloists.  Music for this program is from Shoreline's spring concert 'Afrika: Story & Song'.  The program comprises music that is about and connected to Africa in a number of different ways.  Four pieces are from South Africa, one from East Africa.  Three are gospel pieces, written by African Americans. Two are spirituals, from the African American diaspora of the 19th century.  One is best described as an outlier, that just had to be included in the program.  Music included will be "Freedom Is In Your Hand, Amani, Rain Rain Beautiful Rain, Tshotsholoza, Nia".  

What a wonderful season of music!  Thank you to all who performed, to the W.A. for the weekly lunches and to the technical team for sound and video for the youtube site.  And especially to the appreciative audiences.  Mark your calendar, starting on Wednesday September 17th, 2025 as St. Andrew's celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Noon Hour Concert Series! 

On Sunday June 15th the Sanctuary Choir will sing "Use Me, Lord" by Cindy Berry.  This past year the choir have shared their voices and attended rehearsals every Thursday evening (even 15 minutes earlier to prepare for the Christmas Eve/Day and Good Friday/Easter services).  On Sunday, they arrive at 9:00 am to warm-up their voices for the Sunday service.  They are truly a dedicated group of individuals.  Since the fall, the music has been excellent!  When I think of all the songs/hymns that have been sung throughout the past year and the different genres of music, it has been a wonderful journey.  Thank you to all the choristers who sang the weekly services and special events.  What an amazing year!   

See you in September!

The music continues each Sunday as we move to the summer service schedule.  Soloists and instrumentalists will provide music for the anthems and offertories.  

I will be taking holiday time during August.  Dave Mitchell and Peter Nikiforuk will be leading the music for these weeks.

There is always room for choristers or ringers in the choir, consider joining one of these programs.  If you are interested, leave your name and contact information at the church office.

A fitting quote for the season, especially related to music:

“Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart."  Pablo Casals

Ann-Marie MacDairmid | Director of Music