THE BATTLEFORDS — Battlefords Blend Harmony Chorus under the direction of Jo Carter, is tuning up for a major production at the Dekker Centre on Dec. 10 at 3 p.m. The show, “Memories, a Tribute to Elsie Boulton,” has been in the works for more than two years and is finally ready for the public.
The chorus will be performing music that ranges from traditional a cappella barbershop to Christmas to newer arrangements of Disney and Maroon 5 songs. A fun Christmas skit will also be included in the show.
In addition to the beautiful harmonies of Battlefords Blend, there will be guest performers to entertain the audience. Because Bolton loved her community and always supported children’s performances, it was important to include some young people in the show. That comes in the form of dancers from Annette’s School of Dance under the instruction of Cayla Ellis.
About 30 dancers, aged eight and up, will be performing a Christmas medley, a mix of jazz and lyrical dance. The dancers are excited to perform on the stage of the Dekker Centre and to spread some Christmas cheer. Every time they perform they show their love of dance.
Annette’s School of Dance has been open in the Battlefords since 1987. Ellis is a second-generation dance teacher who was first taught by her mother. She danced in British Columbia for a couple of years before returning to her home a couple of years ago and taking over her mother’s dance studio as owner and instructor.
The second guests are a trio, 2farmgirls 1citybrat. This group started as a Battlefords Blend quartet, but when their bass stepped out, it left the three of them singing together. Jo Carter, Annette Duhaime and Lynn Heltman have sung as a trio for four years and have performed at various events in Meota and the Battlefords.
Heltman usually takes the melody with Carter filling in the higher soprano parts and Duhaime completing the sound with her lower harmonies. Each voice is featured individually in most of their songs which are arranged by Carter unless the available arrangement suits them. Carter also plays a piano track for them to sing to for their performances.
Finally, Keegan Isaac, a 20-year-old University of Saskatchewan student, will grace the audience with his voice, accompanying himself on the piano. This talented musician was introduced to music through violin lessons in Grade 2, which soon branched into a love for many different instruments and genres of music.
He started learning trombone through school and is now the trombone player for the U of S Wind Orchestra. He is also manager of the Jazz Ensemble and acts as a vocalist and trombone player for them as well.
Isaac’s first choice of instrument is his voice and being able to accompany himself on the piano or keyboard works well with that. He has been performing for appreciative audiences starting in Grade 4 at nursing homes and has graduated to larger audiences since then.
“1940s traditional pop and jazz are my favourites,” says Isaac, but his talents are not limited to those. He has continued to take trombone and vocal training and also plans to continue to perform, write and arrange music. He’s also looking forward to teaching music and encouraging others to perform as well.
With these guests, the Dekker Centre will be alive with music and Christmas spirit to start out the Holiday Season. Tickets for the show are available from the Dekker Centre and members of Battlefords Blend Harmony Chorus.
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