The Christmas season is coming quick, and the best way to ring it in is with the songs of the season. St. Andrew's United Church is bringing back the Magic of Christmas, and bringing together three local choirs to sing the songs of the season. Performances will take place on December 11.
Rev. Milo Spooner Craig says that the event began as a way to give a gift to the community.
"We were thinking about something that the community needed, that was maybe something that was missing at Christmas time. What we're very good at here at St. Andrew's is music, so we decided that an offering of Christmas music would be a good gift to the community and get people into the Christmas spirit," he says.
This year, more choirs are taking part, with the Yorkton Community Concert Choir and Yorkton Youth Singers joining the St. Andrew's United Church Choir in the day. Craig says Shani Apland and Karen Muir were the driving forces behind having more choirs taking part. With the other choirs taking part, she says it's clear that everyone involved loves singing and the music of the season, and with the youth choir it also says that choirs have a strong future as well.
"To me, that kind of speaks to choirs in the future, we're creating that future right now," Craig adds.
Overall, the Magic of Christmas is something that St. Andrew's does because it's something they're well suited to do, Craig notes. Since they have the ability to offer the music and spirit of Christmas, it makes sense to dedicate a day to it.
"We have such a marvelous space, and since the space is conducive to having that many people, we can offer it."
Keeping in the spirit of the season, they will also be accepting donations for the food bank at the performance. Craig says that if the concert was a gift to the community, it makes sense that they should also be giving to those who need it.
"The origins of this was giving back to the community and offering what we had so other people could see it. What better way to do that than by collecting food?"
This year, there will be two performances, an afternoon performance at 2 p.m. and an evening performance at 7 p.m. Craig says that in the past, the concert had sold out, so moving to two performances made sense. The choice to do one in the afternoon was also driven by feedback from audiences, as Craig says many people don't want to go out in the evening in December and this gives them a chance to enjoy the music during the day.
The Magic of Christmas will take place at St. Andrew's United Church on December 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students and children 8 and under are $5.
Tickets are available at Loucks Pharmacy, Frameworks and the St. Andrew's United Church office.
