I don't know about you but when we get a weekend in late October like this, I simply have to get out of the house at every opportunity. Considering just three days ago we were shivering and walking in the rain, I will take this weekend and bottle it if I possibly can.
I plan to play tourist in my own Region part of the weekend, enjoying the last remnants of the fall colours before they are gone for good, but also do some outdoor chores around the house, as the trees love shedding so much at this time of year. I suspect I won't be alone in that endeavour.
That being said, if you want some music to go along with your weekend and want to take a break from being outside for a bit, I have a couple of dandy concerts on both days that might interest you.
The Gallery Players of Niagara, like most large and small arts ensembles and organizations during the pandemic, have had to adapt to the changing landscape and provide virtual performances when necessary and grab the live ones when they can.
So this afternoon at 3 pm the Players will be hosting a concert at Silver Spire United Church in downtown St. Catharines entitled Southern Exposure. The concert, featuring local guitarist Timothy Phelan and a host of guest artists on flute, clarinet, cello and percussion instruments, is rescheduled from an earlier date and acts as sort of a prelude to the Players' new season that kicks off November 13th.
Phelan, a local artist and educator ranked amongst the finest of our classical guitarists in the province, has curated the concert and will present what's being described as a "vibrant South American tour from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro", featuring everything from Astor Piazzolla's "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" to the seductive Bossa Nova rhythms of A.C. Jobim and Luis Bonfa.
Phelan will be joined for the concert by Douglas Miller on flutes, Michele Jacot on clarinets and saxophones, Margaret Gay on cello and Mike Phelan on percussion.
The concert is without Covid restrictions but mask wearing is strongly recommended. The concert is being offered both live and virtually, with the live-stream available online until the end of July in 2023. Tickets for the live concert will be available at the door on a pay-what-you-can basis, or you can purchase online both live and for the virtual concerts by visiting the Gallery Players website.
Tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm, also in downtown St. Catharines, you can enjoy an afternoon of music with organist Andrew Henderson and soprano Jocelyn Fralick at Knox Presbyterian Church.
Fralick is part of the local Fralick family of musicians and educators and has been a fast-rising star in her own right for quite awhile now. Andrew Henderson is the organist son of John and Cathy Henderson in Thorold, of Henderson's Pharmacy fame.
Andrew currently works out of New York City at Madison Avenue Church and has been much in demand for many years now both in North America and internationally. I still remember an organ concert he gave many years ago in Thorold at one of the local churches and even then he was well on his way to becoming simply one of the best of the young breed of church organists.
The concert will feature a number of familiar organ masterworks along with a number of favourite vocal selections and should prove quite varied for a pleasant Sunday afternoon of music.
Tickets are $20 or $5 for students under 18, and available online at www.knoxchurch.com, at Henderson's Pharmacy in Thorold or at the door tomorrow afternoon.
So there you have it. Lots of music to accompany your Autumn rituals whatever they may be.
I would write more but hey, I want to get out and enjoy that sunshine while I can...
See ya!
October 22nd, 2022.
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