New Year's Update

 Amid all the plans going on for New Year's Eve tonight and looking forward to what 2023 will bring, just a few thoughts and reflections to offer up at the close of another year.

I hope whatever you do this evening you do it safely and responsibly, and make lasting memories if you possibly can with that special person in your life.  I know how fleeting that can be.  Just today I found a Facebook memory from when we attended the Jim Witter concert down at the PAC four years ago tonight, and I had to stop and collect my thoughts.  Four years and so much has changed...

That's the thing about memories.  We often don't realize we're making them until long after they are made, and they slip into our memory banks again to make us smile, tug at heartstrings, or perhaps bring a tear to an eye or two.  So tonight, do what you can to cherish the memories you've made and will make both tonight and into the New Year.

It's funny; this night has rarely held much importance for me.  Growing up in Toronto I was usually at home this night, as my parents either went to their friends Sheila & Ken Tate for a visit and Chinese food, or they came to our house.  It was an alternate thing and that happened for as long as I can remember.

When I finally became old enough to be more independent and making my way in my chosen career I did get out on the odd New Year's Eve, and one forgettable year I invited people over for a party and nobody showed up...save for one couple.  But hey, that was enough and we had a great time!

When I was firmly established in my radio career I usually ended up working this night, sometimes to midnight, many times as late as 3 am.  So for about 20 years I really had no concept of how to observe the night.  When I finally did get the night off from my job I was at loose ends as to how to celebrate it!

With Sophie it was usually easy...she made the plans and I just said "great!".  Often we would go out to dinner or such, but the last two years we were together we did the show at the PAC on New Year's Eve with friends and it was about as enjoyable a night as I can remember.

Now, I am very much a homebody and quite content with that.  Tonight as has been the case the last couple of years I will perhaps go for a walk after dinner and then simply relax with the cats and watch some TV before retiring early for the night.  I have not stayed up until midnight in years, thinking it will be 2023 when I get up in the morning anyways so I will greet the New Year then, thanks.

I know, not very exciting, but many people I talked to this weekend have similar plans.  It's funny but I think with the aging population we may be seeing a slow decline in lavish late night parties on New Year's Eve and perhaps that's not a bad thing.

I bought a bottle of de-alcoholized wine for tonight...how exciting is that?!

Tomorrow will be a quiet day and since the annual Mayor's Levee is on at the Armoury again this year I might just stop in for a visit. wearing my mask of course.

I started a tradition a couple of years ago for the dinner on New Year's Day, and it will continue again this year.  Since I am always so tired Christmas Day following my late night hosting the Midnight Mass broadcast from the Cathedral on Christmas Eve, I decided to hold off on my own Christmas dinner until New Year's.  It is quite enjoyable actually!

So that brings me to how I am doing these days, and I promised you last week I would give you an update as I have the last couple of years on this weekend.  Overall I am doing okay.  I mean, it isn't perfect but I make the best of the situation and concentrate first and foremost on my recovery and moving forward, which became my mantra at the beginning of 2022.

In some ways I have been successful in moving my life forward, even sampling a brief romance this past summer, but alas it was not to be, at least not for now.  I remain hopeful on that front though and perhaps 2023 will be the year I can find love again and move forward even more than I have done already.

I am also making more, albeit small changes in the house.  I feel it is time to add a slightly more masculine look to the place.  Not drastic mind you and I can assure you it won't just become one giant man cave.  But there are some things I think can be changed to alter the look without compromising the quiet elegance I have always wanted to achieve here.

Perhaps it is inevitable I would make this change and in fact it is probably good that I do.  I can't just live in the past and I know Sophie would not want me to.  So I make changes that honour the past and look to the future at the same time, and in the process help to move me forward, the direction I am focused on heading in.

There is a certain sadness for those of us who have lost someone dear when the holidays arrive.  There is for me, certainly.  But with each passing year the ache is a little less, there is slightly more decorating done than previously, and you begin to feel you can do this.  You can move on with your life and make new memories, either on your own or with someone new.

So enjoy your celebrations tonight if indeed you are celebrating.  If on the other hand you are having a quiet night in tonight as I am, be thankful for the good things that have come your way and show appreciation for those around you throughout the year.

Let's make this a New Year's to remember for all the right reasons.  You and I and everyone else deserve nothing less.

From my house to yours, Happy New Year and all the best for 2023!

Enjoy.

December 31st, 2022.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All

 As this is December 24th, I thought I would offer up some Christmas Eve thoughts as we all go about our appointed rounds today and over the holidays...

While many will spend the holidays with family and in some cases friends, not everyone will, and I hope we'll all remember them this Christmas season.  As we've seen and heard in the news the past 24 hours, many are trying to get home for the holidays but the weather is thwarting those plans.  My heart goes out to those still in airports, train stations or in some cases this morning on the trains themselves, not going  anywhere soon.

But I also want to offer up a reminder not everyone will be home due to work commitments.  Many service workers will be on the job either tonight or tomorrow, or both.  Let's remember them all this season for their sacrifices:  the police and fire personnel, restaurant workers, those manning the few stores open over the Christmas period, taxi drivers, transit personnel and of course, let's not forget those overworked health care professionals always there for us now and always.

I have during my radio career worked my fair share of Christmas and New Year's shifts as well and I know how difficult yet gratifying it can be.  Once when working on Christmas Day on the air I remember a lady calling me late in the afternoon and thanking me for keeping her company during the afternoon as she was all alone at Christmas.

So yes, it can be lonely, but sometimes the rewards do help to make up for working the holidays.

Let's also remember those who have lost someone special in their lives and feel that loneliness that comes with now being alone during the holidays on a very personal level.  It happens to most of us at one time or another and I can tell you from my personal experience it is heart-wrenching to say the least.

This will be my third Christmas without Sophie and although it has become a little easier since the first one, the ache in my heart I don't think will ever go away.  And I know I am not alone in feeling that way either.

So next week I will update you at the end of the year on my own personal journey.

But for now, please remember those who need us at this time of year: the shut-ins, the lonely and those who choose to work for whatever the reason so we can enjoy the season with our respective families.  

There is joy in the season but also for some, pain too.  Be kind and understanding and be thankful always for those you still have surrounding you with love.

Merry Christmas however you choose to celebrate it and with whom.  Make the most of the holidays if you possibly can.  Make new memories now to last a lifetime.

Enjoy your holidays and we'll talk again soon.

December 24th, 2022.

Last Minute Christmas Concerts

 While some worry about last-minute Christmas shopping, others who perhaps started earlier may worry about last-minute Christmas concerts they may choose to attend.  I prefer to be in the latter category rather than the former...

For me, listening to Christmas carols just sounds better in a church environment rather than a concert hall. The music may be the same but the ambiance makes all the difference for me.  So I am happy to report there are several concerts planned for tomorrow, just a week before Christmas.  Oh I am sure there are plenty others should you choose to look, but these are all reasonably close to home or a short drive away.

The annual holiday concert featuring Glissandi and local actor Guy Bannerman, part of the Gallery Players concert season, takes place Sunday afternoon at 3 pm at a new venue for them, St. Catharines United Mennonite Church.  Entitled Celtic Folklore, the concert will feature a mix of celtic folklore of course, along with tales and traditions intertwined with festive music of the season.

In addition to actor Guy Bannerman, performers include harpist Deborah Braun, violinist David Braun, Douglas Miller on flute and Nicholas Braun on percussion.

You can purchase tickets in advance by calling 905-468-1525 or emailing info@galleryplayers.ca.  You can also go to the website:  www.galleryplayers.ca.  New this year however is a Pay-What-You-Choose option at the door.  If you choose this option, please be as generous as you possibly can be.

Also tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 pm, my own church, the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria on Lyman Street in downtown St. Catharines will hold their annual Advent Christmas choral concert.  Featuring the Cathedral cantors and choir, the performance is a free-will offering event at the Cathedral.

Of all the Anglican churches in Niagara I have had the pleasure of visiting, one of my true favourites is St. Barnabas Church on Queenston Street.  Their church community is always tremendously welcoming and I remember years ago visiting the church for any number of events and sneaking downstairs to check on their resident cat, Barney.

St. Barnabas will host a Christmas Carol Sing-Along open to everyone in the community tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm, and there is no charge.

If you don't mind the drive to Toronto tomorrow there is a Festival of 9 Lessons & Carols by Candlelight evensong service scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 4 pm at the Church of St. Peter and St. Simon the Apostle Anglican Church on Bloor Street East.  The performance will feature traditional carols and readings and music by Willcocks, Holman, Edwards, Sweelinck and others.  There will also be a reception afterwards with festive treats and mulled wine!

And finally, there is a decidedly un-carolly concert this evening down at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines if you are ready for something a little jazzier.  The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra will present A Very Swingin' Basie Christmas this evening in Partridge Hall at 7:30pm.  Directed now by Scotty Barnhart and featuring special guest vocalist Carmen Bradford, this will be a very upbeat and rather hip take on the Christmas season.

This is the final concert of the fall season for Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts as part of the TD Jazz Series.  Tickets are available through the PAC box office or by going to www.bravoniagara.org for more information.

So there you go, lots of reasons not to go to the mall tomorrow afternoon...

Enjoy your weekend!

December 17th, 2022.

Time for a performance of Handel's Messiah?

 Usually by now most people are in holiday mode and busy shopping for Christmas, subjecting their senses to the inane popular sounds of the season you hear in all the shopping malls since about October.  I steadfastly hold off on listening to any and all Christmas music until December 1st, and today in fact is the first day I put on a full CD of Christmas music as I prepare to dress the house for the holidays.

But for many, Christmas just isn't Christmas without attending a performance of Handel's celebrated oratorio Messiah.  It is indeed a Christmas tradition, even though it was actually written for the Easter season.  Oh well...maybe some year an enterprising arts organization would dare to programme the work at Easter rather than Christmas.  I would like that.

I have not been to a performance of Messiah in many years and feel I am about due.  But not sure if this is my year or not with COVID still amongst us but we'll see.  My personal history with Messiah I have related here before but if you don't remember, I actually sang baritone in a performance of the Tafelmusik Sing-a-long Messiah in Toronto years ago, and that was fun.  And one memorable year I attended a Sunday afternoon performance here in St. Catharines with Chorus Niagara before grabbing a quick dinner on the run on my way up to Guelph to attend the performance that very evening at the River Run Centre in downtown Guelph!  Yes, those were heady days and explains how I spent part of my younger days...

This year you'll be had pressed to find a local performance of Messiah.  Not that many years ago you could count on our local Choralis Camerata ensemble to stage Messiah on the years Chorus Niagara chose not to, as they only do it alternate years.  Chorus Niagara will perform their annual Christmas concert which is not Messiah this year next weekend, which would mean Choralis Camerata has the Messiah stage all to themselves here in Niagara.

But not this year.

In fact, Choralis Camerata is presenting Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, often overlooked during the holidays I find, tonight in fact at 7:30 pm.  The performance is at one of their familiar spaces, the large St. Andrew's United Church on Morrison Street in Niagara Falls.  For tickets you can go to www.choraliscamerata.com.

If you happen to find yourself in Stratford this evening, the Stratford Concert Choir conducted by Stephane Potvin will present a performance at 7 pm at Avondale United Church.  For tickets go to www.StratfordConcertChoir.org.

The Elora Singers will present excerpts of Messiah only tomorrow afternoon at 4 at St. Joseph's Church in nearby Fergus, with a chamber orchestra and soloists from the ranks of the choir.  For tickets go to www.elorasingers.ca.

The Brott Music Festival in Hamilton soldiers on in spite of losing their founder, the irrepressible Boris Brott in a tragic accident not that long ago.  They will host two performances with the National Academy Orchestra, the ensemble Brott founded with the Festival back in 1987, this coming Monday and Tuesday evening.  Monday at 7:30 pm they perform at West Highland Church in Hamilton; Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the Burlington Performing Arts Centre.  Tickets for both performances are available by going to www.brottmusic.com.

You have a bit of a wait until the two big, traditional Messiah performances come up in Hamilton and Toronto, but for both I would suggest getting tickets sooner rather than later.

In Hamilton, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bach-Elgar Choir team up with conductor Gemma New for one performance only on Friday, December 16th at 7:30 pm at Central Presbyterian Church, 165 Charlton Avenue West.  For tickets go to www.hpo.org.

Finally the big bow-wow performances in Toronto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra come up from Saturday, December 17th to Wednesday, December 21st, with all performances at Roy Thomson Hall in downtown Toronto.  These are always popular performances so don't delay if you want tickets.  Go to www.tso.ca.

There ill be other performances of Messiah within driving distance to Niagara but that should at least get you started.  If you go, don't forget to stand during the Hallelujah Chorus.  That's just what we do...

Have a great weekend!

December 3rd, 2022.