Canonbie United Parish Church

The promised kiss of springtime…

Solway Singers’ Spring concert

The Solway Singers’ spring concert this year has a modern and transatlantic feel to it.  Even the anchor piece of the entire concert, Vaughan Williams’ Toward the Unknown Region, written in 1906, has an American link as the words were written by Walt Whitman.

The programme for the concert includes settings of folk songs from both sides of the Atlantic – Aaron Copeland’s light-hearted I bought me a cat and others from ‘Old American Songs’ are balanced by British folksongs from ever-popular British composer John Rutter’s lovely ‘Sprig of Thyme’ – as well as jazz and even popular music.  George Shearing was a British composer who moved to live in America: his settings of Shakespeare songs include the gorgeous Who is Sylvia? and the sultry, tongue in cheek Live with Me and Be My Love.

The American blues/music theatre composers of the time of Gershwin are not forgotten, with two songs by Jerome Kern arranged for choir; and gospel influences can be heard in the choral arrangement of Simon & Garfunkel’s signature song Bridge over Troubled Water (1970).  The most modern piece is then Ola Gjeilo’s The Ground (2008).  The Norwegian composer now lives in the United States, but the floating, linear harmonies of this piece and its religious text neatly remind us of Solway Singers’ roots in the British choral tradition: and that it’s a tradition which is going strong to this day, with composers still writing beautiful music for both religious and secular reasons.

By way of contrast, talented cornet player Olivia Beckett will be Solway Singers’ guest soloist for these concerts.

Performances take place:

– at St. Patrick’s church, Patterdale on Saturday 5^th May at 6pm (free entry; gift-aided donations to their Music Account welcome)

– at Canonbie United Parish Church on Sunday 6^th May at 3pm (£10 full price; students £5; school-age children accompanied by an adult free) and are available from either church, from choir members, Solway Singers Chair Janet Madden (07789 263605/ jahmadden@btinternet.com) or on the door.

Editors

For more information or to arrange interviews please contact:

Publicity officer Sarah Lewis-Briggs: 07399 628387 sarah.j.lewisbriggs@gmail.com

OR Chair Janet Madden: 07789 263605 jahmadden@btinternet.com

*** INCLEMENT WEATHER***

Due to the snow, drifting and icy conditions along the access road to Canonbie Church, this Sunday morning’s service has been re-located to the Cross Keys.

See you there!

TONIGHT!

Movie Night @ the Café
Why not join us at the Café for a movie night on Valentines Day Wednesday 14th February. Supper served 6.30pm followed by film at 7.30pm.
Film is a recent remake of a 1940s classic set on a west coast Scottish Island starring former local resident Gregor Fisher. 
No charge, donations can be given if desired.

There’s never been a better time to donate to Traidcraft Exchange! Any donations to their Hidden Entrepreneur appeal will be DOUBLED by the UK Government until 11^th April. Call 0191 497 6445 or go to www.traidcraft.org.uk/donate

Traidcraft Exchange is the charity arm of Traidcraft plc from whom we buy our stock. The company is founded on Christian principles and they seek to live out the Christian faith through their mission to fight poverty through trade.

Their activities also include overseas development programmes, trade policy, campaigns and trade justice. Hidden Entrepreneur is one of their overseas development programmes. Traidcraft’s mission is to fight poverty through trade, practising and promoting approaches to trade that help people in developing countries to transform their lives. Traidcraft’s vision is a world freed from the scandal of poverty, where trade is just, and people and communities can flourish.

Messy Church is back, this coming Sunday in Canonbie Church!

It’s that time of the year again, the weekend of Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November, Canonbie Craft Fayre in the Village Hall. Tea and coffee and light refreshments available on Saturday, and soup and pudding lunch on Sunday.