Weyburn has a bright future in performing arts due in part to the plans underway for the Triple C Centre, which will be located at the Weyburn Comprehensive School (WCS). The school has been working with the Triple C planners and fundraising committees, and while there will be sacrifices made during construction, the rewards will be worthwhile and state-of-the-art. The Triple C has recently received a $200,000 donation, which will result in a new music facility called the Helen Davidson Choral Room.
Helen Davidson taught piano lessons in Weyburn for 70 years. She directed choir and played organ at the Calvary Baptist Church for more than 60 years and in fact she was at the church before Tommy Douglas arrived in Weyburn and became pastor.
"Keifer Sutherland visited Helen when he was in Weyburn last year, as he remembers her fondly from when he was a young boy," said Stan Runne, Southeast Saskatchewan representative of the Bill & Helen Davidson Foundation.
Mrs. Davidson was an avid supporter of the T.C. Douglas Centre as well as the Music Festival and even has a music award named in her honour. The Helen Davidson Music Award has been presented to promising young musicians for four years, including Britney Alexander, Meagan Milatz, Chelsea Woodard, Brayden Jensen, and most recently, Mikyla Jensen.
Helen Davidson passed away this spring at the age of 102. Her friends describe her as having had a lifelong passion for music and performing arts. A donation going toward a new music room in her name as part of a state-of-the-art facility would have delighted the local legend.
Colleen Weimer, Choral Director at WCS, is also delighted by the plans for the new facility.
"The center is really going to benefit our school in that we will have much more stage room for our musicals and concerts, which is very important with our large numbers," said Mrs. Weimer. "The new choral room will be right behind the stage so that we have easy access to the stage at all times. Our audiences will be able to enjoy a more comfortable venue, and our drama department will have access to more space, dressing rooms and upgraded lights and sound."
The Foundation's presentation to the Triple C was intentionally scheduled on October 7 to coincide with the students' choral practice for the Communithon. Mrs. Weimer spoke to the students present about how important it was to her personally that the new music room always be known as the Helen Davidson Choral Room and that the community not forget the legacy of Mrs. Davidson, even as time passes.
"She was my piano teacher when I was in high school!" said Mrs. Weimer. "I studied piano and theory with her for several years. I always looked up to her as a mentor and valued her as a fellow music teacher. She contributed a lot to the arts and music in our community."
It seems fitting that Mrs. Weimer herself gets to see this community dream come into fruition. Just as Helen Davidson had a personal impact on many people in Weyburn, Colleen Weimer has had an impressive impact on the students of Weyburn during her 29-years-and-counting career. There are more than 250 choral students at WCS. The potential for full utilization of a modern facility is in the hands of teachers like Mrs. Weimer and students who share in the legacy of performing arts in Weyburn.
