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w w w .in s id e h a lto n .c o m | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, June 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 | 1 6 Artscene by Abigail Cukier Special to the Beaver W hen it came to planning their spring concerts, members of the Oakville Choral Society (OCS) decided to celebrate Canada' s 150th anniversary. The concerts were presented Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 2 2 and featured the world premiere of The Canadian Maple, composed for the occasion by the chorus' music director, Da vid Bowser. W ork on The Canadian Maple started more than a year ago, when Bowser decided to com pose his piece based on the responses of elemen tary school students to the question, "W h at does Canada mean to m e?" Choir members approached local elementary school teachers to ask if they would participate and students between ages of five and 11 shared their ideas through written contributions and drawings. Bowser wove these elements together into a musical work for choir, piano and video. Recorded voiceovers feature members of the Oakville Children' s Choir and the original chil dren' s artwork was on display at the concerts. "Connected to your Community" OCS gives The Canadian Maple to Canada for its 150th Choir speaking the words for the multimedia component of the piece. "M y favourite part of the whole process was working with the 13 young members of the Oakville Children' s Choir on the video. They were really professional and great fun to work with." Schools participating in The Canadian Maple project included Oakville schools, Dearcroft Montessori School, Fern Hill School, Heritage Glen Public School and W est Oak Public School, as well as Runnymede Public School in Toronto. "W e are particularly excited about this con cert," said chorus member Elizabeth Peck ahead of the concert. "It is all music by Canadian com posers. Having the Canadian theme and work ing with the comm unity has really brought us all together. And to be working on a brand new composition is exciting. W e all agree it will be sung by other choirs in the future." The 6 0 members of the Oakville Choral So ciety, one of Oakville' s longest established arts groups, perform music by Canadian compos ers Healey Willan, Leslie Bell, Matthew Emery, Stephan Chapman, Mark Sirett and Calixa Lavallee, who wrote the music to O Canada, to a Newfoundland sea shanty. Members of the Oakville Choral Society (OCS) rehearse in anticipation of its concerts, at which it debuted the new song, The Canadian Maple. | submitted photo The choir was accompanied by pianist Anne Marie Leonard. "The inclusion of children was essential to the spirit of hope and optimism of our country wanted to express in the work," said Bowser. "Writing words and drawing or painting pic tures was the m ost inclusive way for children to express themselves. I compiled a series of about 4 0 words or phrases written by school children and filmed members of the Oakville Children' s i l l KITCHENS J 1 f £ L & BATHS INC ^ 1 V P roud N o m in e e o f th e 2 0 1 5 O a kville A w a rd s fo r B u s in e s s E x ce lle n ce Your new Local S ource for P lastic "KeepYour Community Strong Shop Local" When you need Plastics come to the Pro's W e c a r r y a ll t y p e s o f P la s t ic f o r y o u r h o m e o r B u s in e s s * F u l l s h e e t s * C u t t o s iz e w h i l e y o u w a i t * F a b r i c a t i o n o u r s p e c i a l t y F o ry o u rh o m e ; Replacem ent Boat / M otorcycle W indscreens or W indow s «·* Custom M odel Car covers «·- Garage w in d o w replacem ents «·* Custom Food c u ttin g boards Custom Size chair mats F o r Y o u r B u s in e s s ; M achine Guards Restaurant Sneeze guards Brochure Holders Custom Display Point o f Purchase displays C onveyor Wear S tripping S e r v ic e s In c l u d e ; C uttin g ** CNC R outering «·* D rilling «·- Fabrication We have been featured in Feb. 2009 "Canadian Living Magazine" and our Products have been featured on HGTVs "love it or list" and "Our Parents House" We were also on The Discovery Channels "U ltim ate Niagara Falls" to name b u t a few. C u s to m m a d e K itc h e n a n d B a t h r o o m C a b in e tr y |C lo s e t S y s t e m s E n te r ta in m e n t U n its |B a s e m e n t R e n o v a t io n s |F u ll R e n o s a n d M o re! C reate Your D ream Look 1 0 0 % C an ad ian M a d e C ab in etry Q uality C raftsm anship 2 0 + Years E xperience Visit our 6 0 0 0 sqft Design C entre Call us for a FREE in H o m e C onsultation Units 2-3 333 Wyecroft Rd, Oakville T 905.844.3332 F 905.844.3334 www.aromakitchens.ca | info@aromakitchens.ca 2 0 W ilk in s o n R d . U n its 1 6 , 1 7 , 1 8 w w w .a c r y lic s b y d e s ig n .c o m P h o n e 9 0 5 -4 5 3 -0 3 1 4 /0 3 1 0 B ra m p to n , O N L6T 5B 2 A c r y l i c s b y d e s ig n @ b e l l n e t . c a Fax 9 0 5 -4 5 3 -0 3 1 7