The Watsonairs Ladies Choral Group is ready to treat listeners to a night at the movies when they take the stage for their annual spring concert on Sunday.
The group will perform songs from a variety of movies, including The Lion King, Spider Man, and Mamma Mia. Choir Director Amy Robinson said they focused on memorable movie songs because they wanted to try something fun for their spring concert.
“We thought that the singers would enjoy singing them and we’d have a lot of fun and they’d also be crowd-pleasers (that) get the crowd going, and get the crowd energized,” Robinson said. “Just try something a little bit different.”
Robinson said movies often evoke strong emotions in the people who watch them, and music is a big part of that. The Watsonairs hope to capture those feelings with Sunday’s performance.
“(Being) relatable, evoking emotion or creating core memories, I think that speaks to people and it moves them for a host of different reasons,” Robinson said.
“Some of them (the songs) are emotional. Some of them are upbeat and inspiring…. It takes you out of the humdrum of daily life for an hour or two.”
Proceeds from Sunday’s performance will go towards the Prince Albert Ronald McDonald House, which is currently under construction. Robinson said she new families in Winnipeg who were helped by Ronald McDonald Houses, so she’s glad to see one being built in Prince Albert.
She said the project is also “near and dear” to a number of ladies in the choir.
“There are always so many good things to raise money for, but we just decided to go with the Ronald McDonald House because that’s where kids are,” she explained. “It’s our future and it’s a budding thing that we’ve never had in PA before.”
The Watsonairs Spring concert will not only usher in the new season, it also marks Robinson’s first concert as permanent choir director. She began serving as the group’s interim director in September, but enjoyed the experience so much she decided to keep going.
“It was a very fulfilling, challenging, exciting thing,” she said. “I’ve always loved conducting and I had taken various little classes here and there along my musical education to know how to conduct. It was just an absolute supreme privilege and I just really enjoyed it. I just wanted to keep doing it, and just do the choir a service.”
The Watsonairs Ladies Choral Group performs “Going to the Movies” at Messiah Luthern Church on Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at Canadian Tire, or from choir members. Tickets are $20 for adults, and $10 for 12 and under.
