Twenty years of chapel music
Docherty family members looking forward to celebrating 20th year performing at St. Andrews Chapel
Members of the Docherty family are celebrating two decades of performing together on stage at St. Andrew’s Chapel. Kendall, Jason, Timothy and George Docherty will be back there again this Sunday evening. Get the details on their upcoming concert in the story on page
The Docherty family is set to perform at St. Andrew Chapel on Sunday, July 19, 8-10 p.m., in a concert that will mark a special milestone for this musical Island family.
In the spring of 1995, Kendall Docherty was a young Island singer who was just about to release his first CD. Like most recording artists he was eager to perform as much as possible to promote his upcoming album launch and recording project. A call came from Rev. Wendell MacIntyre who, at that time, was an active board member and driving force for the Friends of St. Andrews, a group of community-minded volunteers who had banded together to keep the historic St. Andrews Chapel operating through a series of concerts, lectures and other public functions.
The call was to see if the Docherty family would be interested in performing several concerts throughout the summer months and into the fall in partnership with the committee.
“Rev. MacIntyre was a master promoter at a time when ceilidhs were still relatively new and had run radio ads, newspaper stories and ads and circulated promotional material throughout eastern P.E.I.,” states Docherty.
These concerts quickly gained in popularity and featured other groups as well like P.E.I.’s Fiddlers’ Sons, who also still perform annually at this venue.
Concerts would run from July until late November with the icing on the cake being an annual candlelit Christmas show which always filled the building to capacity to wind out the year.
Who would have known back then that the first summer partnership in 1995 would lead to a 20-year tradition of this family performing at this enchanted chapel - enchanted because it sits in the picturesque countryside just east of Mount Stewart, overlooking the Hillsborough River, lined with wide pine planking, aged timbers and century old candles that illuminated services in years gone by.
The Docherty family, featuring George on guitar, harmonica, fiddle and vocals, along side his sons, Kendall on lead vocals and keyboard, Jason on bass guitar and harmony vocals and Timothy on lead and rhythm guitar are looking forward to their Sunday evening show filled with traditional music, stories and laughter.
Doors open at 7 p.m. for an 8 p.m. show time with general admission. There will be a free lunch provided as well as a 50/50 draw.
This event serves as a major fundraiser for the Friends of St. Andrews and the ongoing maintenance and operation of the historic St. Andrew Chapel.