I’ve always loved the variety of music that passes through Summerland.
There’s a wonderful flurry of sound that happens at the wineries in the summer and Action Fest and Light Up do a great job of bringing a nice mix of newer local acts and national acts that have been around the block a few times.
Things can slow down a little bit in the fall, at least musically, but this coming Sunday, Nov. 1, Summerland music fans have something of a day of music to look forward to.
It starts at 2:30 p.m. at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church with a performance by the Chorealis Vocal Ensemble.
They will be performing their show, A Moving Stillness, which features music from across the ages, from way, way back when to present, all presented in the style of choral music.
For those not sure what choral music is, it is, in simplest terms, music performed by a choir.
I’ve always been impressed with the amount of power and emotion that can be presented by singing and it always manages to catch me slightly off guard.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at the Beanery Café.
If choral music isn’t quite your thing, or if you’re really looking to take in all the music that day, The Contenders are once again bringing their act to the Summerland’s Centre Stage.
The Contenders, a musical duo consisting of Valdy—who I will forever associate with his appearance on an old kids show called Today’s Special—and Gary Fjellgaard.
Fjellgaard and Valdy are both accomplished solo artists in their own right, and started performing together 15 years ago.
They are currently promoting their third album together.
If there’s one thing I enjoy about watching them perform, outside of the energy they bring with them and some impressive guitar playing, it’s the fact that they are clearly having fun while they perform.
Seeing someone enjoying themselves while they’re up on stage, especially when they’ve been doing it for a couple of decades, always adds to the performance, at least for me.
There are bands out there I enjoy simply because they obviously love what they do and it shows when they’re on stage.
Tickets for The Contenders can be purchased at Martin’s Flowers.
I encourage anyone who might be looking for something to do to get out there and support live music in Summerland.
The more people who go out and enjoy it, the more music there will be to enjoy. Even if you’re not necessarily a fan of the genre, you might be surprised what kind of emotion a new style of music brings out or the memories it conjures up.
Douglas Paton is a Summerland writer and musician. If you know of a local arts and culture event, contact him at dgpaton80@gmail.com.