Sacred and secular, lively and lovely: local choirs are singing again

It was lively, and it was lovely.

Four community choirs took their turns on stage at Bonnyville’s annual Christmas Choir Festival December 8 at St. Louis de France Catholic Church. 

The Bonnyville Tuneagers, directed by Sharon Sharun, welcomed the audience and opened the evening with the up-tempo spiritual Go Tell It On The Mountain. 

Then The Bonnyville Singers offered a set of three arrangements under the direction of Walter Boldt. 

Les Musicos de St. Paul, co-directed by Laurier Levasseur and Don Buryn performed next, followed by the Elk Point Community Choir led by Udo Mueller. 

Each director appeared absolutely thrilled to introduce their groups and their selections as the festival returned for the first time since 2019. Their selections were almost all sacred music, in a variety of traditional and contemporary styles. An audience singalong midway through the program included some secular seasonal standards.

The choirs were accompanied on piano by Linda Klinger and Linda Fewchuk (Tuneagers); Amy Schiffrick (Bonnyville Singers); Patricia Gervais (Les Musicos); and Sheila Hatch and Kelsey Taylor (Elk Point Community Choir).

The choirs all massed together for the uplifting finale “Angels We Have Heard On High,” with Sharun conducting.

Audience donations at the event raised $2,135 for the Knights of Columbus Christmas Hampers and Bonnyville Centralized High School’s “Santa’s Elves” initiative.