Dear Editor,
I have had the privilege of being a member of the Barrhead Senior Versatiles choir for just over a year. This group has been an important part of the fabric of Barrhead, the county and Ft. Assiniboine for many years and continues to be very active and welcoming to new members, ages 55 and up. We even have two members who are over 90 and the choir boasts over 30 members.
We were disappointed to say the least that the Barrhead Leader was unable to attend the 39th annual Music Festival that was hosted by the Versatiles on May 4 at the United church. We welcomed five choirs to our community and filled the church with song for the afternoon. This festival happens every year and travels all over northwestern Alberta, so Barrhead will likely not get the chance to host for at least another six or seven years. This choir is not only about singing. It is about sharing and belonging and bringing a little joy to many of our more senior residents who live at the Keir Care Centre, the Shepherd’s Care Foundation and the Hillcrest Home Foundation. We are very busy between practices and performing at each of the senior homes every month. But the choir has a problem, we need a pianist to help out. We currently have two ladies who graciously give of their time, but because of other personal commitments they really need help to share some of the load.
I, along with the rest of the men and women in our choir believe that this is such an important part of the community; we get just as much from being part of this welcoming group as the seniors get when we sing for them. We are far from professional, but everyone does their best and we all leave every practice and performance with a smile on our faces. Even the festival, though it was a lot of work, uplifted not only the audience, but all of us as well.
So if you are interested in helping us out by accompanying us on the piano, or joining the choir to sing, we would love to have you come and join. Please call Marlene Schmaus the Director of the choir at 780 674-8678 or Audrey Zilli at 780 674-5657. The choir meets weekly, excepting summers for practise at the Barrhead Seniors’ Drop In Centre.
Dallas Stevens
A Proud Versatiles Choir member
Fort Assiniboine
