Local choir offering holiday music with A Holly Jolly Christmas Sunday

The Queenston Women's Chorus kicks off the holiday season with their annual Christmas concert this Sunday, Dec. 8.

Lisa Cosens Brillon, conductor of this season’s ‘A Holly Jolly Christmas,’ is the music director at St. Davids United Church. She said that Niagara Star Singers will be special guests joining the concert.

The chorus generally begins the concert with ‘Here We Come A-Carolling’ and ends with ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas.’ “In between all of that, there will  be varied songs and readings, like a small poem or little verse, and it just sort of ties the whole concert together,” said Brillon.

She promises an eclectic collection of Christmas songs “from the Angel Gabriel, which is sort of a standard, to Jingle Bells Rock. Of course, we'll be singing ‘A Holly Jolly Christmas with the Niagara Star Singers.”

The chorus, formed in 2003, has been performing since 2004, said Brillon. The number of singers fluctuates over the years and currently they have 21. “Probably the youngest is around 25 years old and some up into their 80s. It's a quite a diverse group.”

Brillon said since COVID-19, people are finding it difficult to make the same kind of commitments they used to make. “It is a bit of a challenge for rehearsals because a lot of people here are retired, and they're going on trips. It's tricky when we have several missing, but we managed to pull off some fantastic choirs.”

Brillon attended the University of Manitoba for vocal performance and achieved two masters’ degrees at the University of Arizona, one in vocal performance and the other in music education. While undertaking her doctorate, she was cast in the Toronto production of Phantom of the Opera, where she stayed for the next six years.

Now she teaches singing and is on the board of directors with the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She also organizes the Niagara Festival of Performing Arts, and is the president of the Ontario Music Festivals Association.

Newark Neighbours and the Niagara Festival of Performing Arts will both benefit from the proceeds of the concert. The Niagara Festival has established music scholarships for young singers which goes to a singer in classical voice, and a singer in musical theatre, “and sometimes we have those winners come and perform at our concert.”

“We always have a great audience that's very appreciative and we’ve always been able to give a a great donation.”

The chorus has produced three CDs, two of which showcase Christmas music and the last, produced in 2012, is titled Remembering The War of 1812.

“We've sung at different community events and I think it's just really a group of women who love to sing, and it's a great social outing.” Brillon explained that it’s a great communal feeling of working toward a goal of excellence and a sense of accomplishment.

For information on auditioning for the chorus, visit queenstonwomenschorus.ca.

Join the singers for “a wonderful afternoon of Christmas music and entertainment” at Trillium United Church, 415 Linwell Road in St. Catharines, at 3 p.m. Dec. 8.

Tickets are $20 ($15 for students) and are available at the door. “Everyone's invited to the reception after,” said Brillon.

Prebook your tickets by emailing [email protected].

People will really enjoy the Niagara Star Singers, said Brillon. “They're so wonderful and full of joy, and they dance and sing, and it's just great to have kids involved.”

“And a lot of people say that ‘ohh Christmas has started now that I've come to your concert.’”