Submitted by Heather MacGregor, Board President and Concert Manager
Saturday, May 9, 2026 · 7 pm
Christian Reformed Church, 930 Trunk Road, Duncan (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Tickets: Adults $20 / Children 12 and under $10
Available from choir members, Volume One Bookstore, and at the door.
Encore Women’s Choir is proud to present “Our Backyard”, a special concert celebrating the work of Canadian female composers. We are thrilled to welcome our guest choir, Island Bel Canto Singers from Nanaimo, for this one-night-only event. Join us for an evening of music and community and experience the harmony of our local talent directed by Michelle Weckesser and Fiona Blackburn, accompanied by pianists Naomi Barclay and Stefanie Unger.
A Story of Collaboration
Earlier this spring, Encore was the guest choir at Island Bel Canto Singers’ concert in Nanaimo. The idea to collaborate and share our spring concerts was hatched some time ago with Michelle and Fiona doing the ground work to make it all happen. On International Women’s Day the two choirs got together to meet each other and to workshop our pieces with well-known Vancouver choral director, Morna Edmundson. Double the Treble, Double the Joy!
What to Expect
The audience can expect to hear repertoire spanning the sweet sentiments of Eleanor Daley’s “Rise Up My Love” to the raucous sounds of “A Place in the Choir” arranged by Erica Phare-Bergh and everything in between. Encore choir members have grown especially fond of “Refuge” by Sarah Quartel and “Blinded by a Leafy Crown” by Marie-Claire Sainden, both of which required considerable work and dedication as these pieces were quite challenging.
More familiar tunes, invoking a little nostalgia, include beautiful arrangements of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and “The Circle Game,” Shari Ulrich’s “Changed Forever,” and Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You.”
We’re also thrilled to be singing not one, but two songs by our talented resident composer, Deborah Sumner: “We Will Sing” and our concert title song “Our Backyard.”
Join the Choir
We always welcome new singers. If you are interested in joining Encore, please contact Michelle Weckesser at weckfam@gmail.com to arrange an audition.
Saturday, May 9, 2026 · 7 pm
Christian Reformed Church, 930 Trunk Road, Duncan, BC
Doors open 6:30 pm · Adults $20 / Children (12 and under) $10