A Choral Musaic

Six choirs--more than 100 voices-- will light up the night as a fundraiser for Music Heals.

On Saturday, February 28, “A Choral Musaic” will return to raise the roof at St. George’s United Church for a fundraising concert with a portion of ticket sales benefitting Music Heals. Featuring six local choirs with about 100 voices and multiple music directors, the concert starts at 7pm. Choral ensembles in the evening’s concert include: The Quarantones Male Chorus (directed by Denise Marquette), Town Choir (directed by Melisa Devost), Comox Valley Children’s Choir (directed by Shelley Crysler), Just in Time Choirs’ Jems and Vocal Minority (directed by Wendy Nixon Stothert), Fiaremente (co-directed by Ali Romanow and Erinn Doncaster), and together they will perform a Mass Piece. According to Wendy Nixon Stothert, who is known for her exuberant, high-energy directing, “This evening will be an epic jubilee of choral music in a wide variety of styles. The finale, when all the choirs combine to sing as an ensemble of about 100 singers, will be sure to move the hearts and souls of audience members.” This will be the sixth Choral Musaic Nixon Stothert has organized, a tradition that began in 2016 that has raised over $12 000 for various charities so far. “We have about 25 community and church choirs in the Comox Valley! For our population, that’s a huge number of singers. For this Choral Musaic, we will be featuring some of the valley’s smaller ensembles.”

Tickets are $20 in advance at Eventbrite and at Laughing Oyster Bookstore. They are $25 at the door. Children under 12 are free. The Eventbrite link is here.

Music Heals and St. George’s United Church will benefit from some of the ticket sales. Since 2012, Music Heals is a registered charity that raises awareness of the healing powers of music. Funds raised increase access to music therapy for vulnerable Canadians including: patients in children’s hospitals, seniors’ centres; individuals in palliative care, AIDS and HIV programs; at-risk youth; and those in habilitation and bereavement support programs. To date, Music Heals has funded over $3 million in music therapy programs for Canadians in need. Events like the Choral Musaic celebrate music's healing power, raise awareness about music therapists' work, and highlight its use for physical, emotional, and cognitive health globally.

St. George’s raises funds through a variety of events during the year to benefit local non-profits. In 2023, the church donated more than $60,000 to community groups, including Habitat for Humanity, LUSH, the Comox Valley Food Bank, the Coldest Night of the Year, the Comox Valley Child Development Association, the Transition Society, and many others.

Located in the heart of downtown Courtenay at 505 6th Street, St. George’s United Church is a spiritually vibrant, inclusive, justice-seeking community of faith that has been changing lives in the Comox Valley for over a century. Its vision is to be a Christian Church that is a beacon of God’s love and hope in the community, doing so through unconditional welcome, spiritual transformation, and reaching out in love for the common good. St. George’s weekly Sunday service is at 10:30 am, followed by a coffee social in the fellowship hall. Families with young children are very welcome. St. George’s has a diverse group of more than 30 young children who participate in the Children’s Church while their parents and grandparents remain in the main service.