Saturday, May 4, 2019 ~ SOOKE
CONCERT REVIEW by Chelsea Kirkpatrick for West Shore Voice News
The Sooke Community Choir performed their first of three local Spring concerts on Friday night May 3 at Sooke Community Hall.
The show is called #modernlove — a name as cheeky as is the music, with Bruce Ruddell as the artistic director and conductor. Experienced pianist Kathy Russell played alongside the choir and Jeff Poynter, a multi-instrumentalist who performed on keyboard, saxophone and clarinet.
Good evening weather — warm and dry — helped bring out the concert goers. The hall filled up quickly with around 140 people. Audience members sat on chairs, with the Choir on risers on the floor in front of the stage.
The audience beamed with excitement throughout the show, especially during the popular numbers “Love Shack” and “Uptown Funk.” The mostly a cappella version of “Build Me Up Buttercup” really excited and pleased the crowd.
Solos were performed by Melissa Curtis and Willis Taylor singing “Like I’m Gonna Lose You”, Amanda MacDonald singing “A Thousand Years”, Jonathon Francoeur, Rachel King and Terri Owen singing “Love Shack”, and Jason Ince singing “My Girl.”
The lighting was superb with colours and light swaps at the perfect time, making it an immersive pleasure for all senses. The show ended with an encore of “Little Light of Mine” to which the audience gave a standing ovation.
Sooke Brewing Company was selling beer, Sooke Family Resource Society had refreshments like cookies and coffee by donation to their organization, and there was a raffle for local prizes with the proceeds going towards the choir.
The next two #modernlove concerts in Sooke will be performed on Saturday May 4 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday May 5 at 2 pm at Sooke Community Hall, 2037 Shields Road. Tickets are available at Shoppers Sooke, The Stick and at eventbrite.com .
Taking a bit of a road trip — on Mother’s Day weekend the choir will perform in Parksville at 3 pm on Saturday May 11 at St Anne’s St Edmund’s Anglican Church, 407 Wembley Road (tickets $20 at the door).
www.sookecommunitychoir.com
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Feature interview with Sooke Community Choir artistic director Bruce Ruddell by Mary P Brooke (posted online April 27, 2019), based on the feature interview with as published on page 3 in the April 19, 2019 print-PDF edition of West Shore Voice News.
