On Saturday afternoon, October 5th, a large number of people from the church and the community enjoyed some wonderful music in our sanctuary, presented by the Greater Victoria Police Chorus under the very capable direction of Valerie Turner.
It was
indeed a joy and a privilege to have them come to share with us with quite a
variety of songs, solos, duets and quartets.
Their
programme included "Sweet Caroline," "In the Mood," "Ghostriders in the Sky," "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen), "British Columbia," written by Steven Point our past
Lieutenant Governor for the renaming of the Salish Sea and "Hymn to Freedom." For their grand finale, they sang their signature tune, "Amazing Grace." They almost raised the roof.
The choir was accompanied by Jeanne Campbell at the piano, Mary Ross playing the piano accordion and Ed Salyn on the drums. It really was a musical feast and very much appreciated by all who came.
The choir was accompanied by Jeanne Campbell at the piano, Mary Ross playing the piano accordion and Ed Salyn on the drums. It really was a musical feast and very much appreciated by all who came.
For anyone wanting to learn more
about the Greater Victoria Police Chorus you can find it @ www.victoirapolicechorus.org and if you ever get the opportunity to hear
them in concert, it will be worth your while and you won’t be disappointed.
Also through this website you can
order any of their C.Ds. from Lynn Trace who began volunteering with the chorus
in 1987!
A brief history of the Police Chorus of Greater Victoria:
On January 11 1984,
twenty members of the various area police departments met for their first
practice at the Victoria Silver Threads Centre under the direction of Art Wiebe
with Cyril Mossop as their accompanist.
Their goal was to bring
together officers from separate forces with one common interest – music.
The Greater Victoria
Police Chorus was founded and soon they were singing for schools, hospitals,
charitable fund raising venues and public events.
Greater Victoria Police
Chorus is one of a few police chorus' in western
Canada. The Greater Victoria Police Chorus is comprised of serving, retired and reserve police officers, plus some non-police performing members, all proud to be serving their community in this unique way. Officers from Central Saanich, Oak Bay, RCMP, Saanich and Victoria City and the former Esquimalt forces, initially formed the chorus. They have since been joined by officers from the Royal Ulster, Royal Hong Kong, Cheshire, Leicester City, Toronto, Shelbourne, Orangeville, Regina, Calgary and Edmonton police forces. They are all united through their love of music and have built relationships that are both professionally and personally satisfying. Although sanctioned by the area police chiefs, the Chorus operates independently and without any remuneration from the departments they serve.
The Chorus has
toured parts of Europe on four different occasions, and has sung in historic
cathedrals in the Netherlands, Wales and England. They were the hosts of the
first International Police Music Festival in Victoria in 1993, and again in
2000. In 1986 they were selected to sing daily at Expo 86 in the B.C Pavilion
and the Plaza of Nations. The Chorus regularly performs in all denominations of
churches, senior citizen centres, hospitals, civic and charitable events and
government venues. As a registered non-profit society, the Greater Victoria
Police Chorus raises its operating expenses through donations, sponsorships and
the sale of Chorus memorabilia and CD's.
Beyond meeting
their financial needs, the Chorus has proudly raised funds that have been
donated back to various charitable organizations, including $615.00 to SPPC.
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