Day 4, Sunday, we had the task of packing up our hotel rooms and checking out. This group of choristers seemed tidier than other tours, so it wasn’t too big an ordeal. After another hearty breakfast, we headed back to the historic First United Church (1928) on Bernard at Richter. We had a few extra minutes, so we did a forced march around the block. Turned out that the block we chose to walk around was in the historic district, and every home had an interpretive sign at the front gate, describing that home’s history. A lovely area… each front yard garden a sight to see!
The inclusive service was themed around “water”, specifically the biblical symbolism of “living water” and “going to the well”. Being a chorister, one can’t help but learn about bible stories and symbolism, because so much significant choral music is connected to Christian symbolism and faith. It’s part of our personal journey to figure out how (or if) this relates or connects to our own lives or to our own beliefs and learnings. At Coastal Sound we try hard to be an inclusive community of singers. Attending and performing at a United Church service is a way of learning about and connecting with others who are inclusive and open-hearted like us! It’s also another way to understand our choral repertoire.
Frances Chiasson, conductor of Okanagan Children’s Choir, is also the music director at First United. What a lovely, caring and vibrant community! Even on the long weekend, the congregation was big. Almost every person complimented the choirs, and made us feel so special and so warmly welcomed. It was lovely.
Frances and Taylor have really started something wonderful–a legacy–for Kelowna youth. We hope that their choirs continue to blossom, and we can’t wait to collaborate more in the future!
On the way home, we went to Othello Tunnels in the Coquihalla Canyon… but there were throngs of cars and people… we couldn’t get the tour bus near the bus parking, and were concerned about the crowds… so we aborted the mission and headed to Hope for our break.
Right on schedule, at 6pm we arrived safely back to Evergreen Cultural Centre to the waiting arms of our loved ones. Another wonderful tour experience for Coastal Sound Choristers!