All choral weekend
Indian River Festival features two local groups Friday evening and one
It will be a weekend of choral music at the Indian River Festival.
Two local choral groups, Arioso and Men of the Harvest, will be appearing Friday night and a choral group from Zimbabwe, Black Umfolosi, will be performing Sunday at the historic St. Mary’s in Indian River.
The festival’s season started with an open house June 9 and then welcomed Matt Andersen last Sunday for two packed shows.
“We are pleased to have Arioso and Men of the Harvest appearing at Indian River,” said Don Quarles,
executive director of the Indian River Festival.
“This event is intended as a fundraiser of sorts to support the festival. We are grateful to these groups for donating their talents to help support the work we do at historic St Mary’s.”
From Kensington, Arioso sings for the love of singing and has been described as a “ladies double trio vocal group.” Comprised of six singers and one pianist, they sing a variety of folk, sacred, secular, classics and popular music.
Men of the Harvest is a multi-denominational men’s choir formed in the fall of 2013, under the direction of Bonnie LaFrance. Since that time, Men of the Harvest have shared the unique strength and power of the male voice with audiences throughout P.E.I. Old favourites and contemporary pieces laden with harmony have warmed the hearts of appreciative audiences.
The June 30 show gets underway at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $15 or $13 for seniors.
“On Sunday we welcome Black Umfolosi, an incredible choral group from Zimbabwe. We are fortunate enough to have them on the Island for a once in a lifetime experience for our audience,” said Quarles.
Black Umfolosi is a self taught a cappella (imbube) singing and traditional dance group that was formed in 1982 by the then school-age members who wanted to develop themselves and contribute to their community. Specializing in imbube music, gumboot dance and Zulu dance, Black Umfolosi has toured extensively nationally and internationally. They have represented Zimbabwe at international events such as Expo 1992 in Spain and the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria.
“If you haven’t been to Indian River Festival yet this season, now is your chance to experience the amazing acoustics in historic St. Mary’s,” added Quarles.
The July 2 show also starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for this show are $32 each or $30 seniors. For tickets call the box office at 902-836-3733 or 1-866-8563733, visit the venue box office 12-5 p.m. daily or visit the website: indianriverfestival.com.