This is a special Happy Holidays “Thank You” to our Amabile parents, volunteers, donors and funders, executives, board members and friends, from 300 amazing boys and girls, men and women who sing because they love music! Thank You for all you do, to share the gift of music in Southwestern Ontario and around the world!
Can’t wait to see what great adventures await in 2014!
Did we say “Thank You”?
SAVE THE DATE: Sunday March 2nd, 2014
24th Amabile Festival at First-St. Andrew’s United Church, London, ON
with two concerts: 2:30 pm and 7:00 pm
The only concert all year with all eight world-class Amabile Choirs
with Dr. Julia (Olson) Davids, special guest conductor and Amabile alumna.
The day also features a World Premiere piece by Canadian composer Jeff Enns.
Dr. Davids is a founding member and Artistic Director of the Canadian Chamber Choir. She is the Music Director of the North Shore Choral Society. She has two degrees from the University of Western Ontario (B.Mus.Hons.Ed. and B.Ed.), two Masters degrees from the University of Michigan (Voice Performance and Conducting), and a Doctorate in Music from Northwestern University.
This annual event always sells out – All advance tickets are $20 – after Feb 18th all tickets are $25
For ticket information, please call 519-641-6795 or contact us via e-mail at info@amabile.com.
It was one year ago today that word of an unspeakable, senseless act of violence quickly spread around the world – the news of the Newtown, CT shooting, that tragically took the lives of 26 children and adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
New York composer Jim Papoulis and lyricist Mike Greenly composed “Always My Angel”, specifically to honour and celebrate the lives lost on December 14, 2012, but also to provide healing and comfort to anyone who has lost a loved one.
At the recent Ontario Music Educators Association conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the Young Men and Treble Concert Choir of the Amabile Boys and Men’s Choirs were part of a workshop with Papoulis for 1200 music teachers, and sang a cameo concert that featured many of his scores.
Earlier, the Amabile Treble Concert Choir was recorded as part of a backup choir for the Papoulis composition, which will be recorded by 9-time Grammy Award winner, Adelle this February.
No word on whether the song will be included on Adelle’s third CD which is currently in the early stages of pre-production.
Also performing backup, and on the video, are students from our own St Mary’s Choir Catholic School in London.
Three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Marnie McBean was the Emcee for the Amabile Choirs’ “A Song For Our Sisters” Benefit Concert.
She was outstanding when she explained how she had the audience in stitches when she turned a host’s ‘worst nightmare’ into a ‘Mentor Moment” with “wit and charm’ in an online Q & A! She wrote: “Just this week I was emcee at an event. The Amabile Choirs and Liona Boyd were performing at a benefit concert for Because I Am a Girl. As always, I asked the client how to pronounce a couple of names, including the choirs’ name–Amabile. It’s not what you might think, it’s an Italian word, so it is pronounced Ah-MOB-Bee-Lay (or Ah-MAUB-Bee-Lay). During the performance flubbed it. I said “Ah-mobe-ELL -Lay,” then “A-mobil- lay,” and then many other wrong adaptations. I knew I was missing it–and I made fun of myself. Every now and then I’d get it right but it just wouldn’t stick! I had the audience helping me out–and they loved it…it was hilarious. At the end of the night, the client told me they were quite sure that everyone was going to go home saying Ah-MOB-Bee-Lay with a smile on their face. I was also able to turn it into a mentor moment with the young choristers…even when you make mistakes you can have a great show!”
Thanks again to Marnie for her support of Amabile Choirs!