Welcome


Welcome to Renate's Baton. This blog is mostly for and about my choir, The York Region Community Choir.

But, While I'm holding the baton, I'm in charge. So, if I want to talk about other parts of my life, I will. :)

The choir itself is a community and I'm discovering that we have a lot in common with one another besides our love of music and singing.

When I go off on a tangent, there is always a crowd coming along. Join us!

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Origins of the York Region Community Choir

Finally, here is the promised Origins of the York Region Community Choir post. 

The Executive of the YRCC recently did a bit of house-cleaning and found a history of the choir which described the origins of our choir.

“In 1995, after the York Regional Police Male Chorus was formed, Sheryl Mac Phail and Wendy Evenden Loney, female members of the York Regional Police, created the York Regional Choir as a mixed choir which would welcome men and women employed by the York Regional Police as well as members of the surrounding community. By January of 1996, they had a director and an accompanist, and by late spring of that year, the choir performed. At the request of the organizers of the Celebration of the 200th Birthday of Yonge Street, the choir performed an original composition written especially for the occasion by choir member Roy Hamilton at the Holland Landing portion of the celebration.
In 1998 a choir constitution was passed and the choir became known as the York Region Community Choir.  The first executive was lead by Wendy Loney as President, with Marlene Shruiff as Vice-President, Thelma Evenden as Secretary-Treasurer and Roy Hamilton for Public Relations.“


Since then, the choir has undergone several changes as directors and accompanists have come and gone.  At the moment, there are only a few members from those formative years.  The constitution has been updated but we have maintained a focus on singing a variety of music that reflects the variety of people that make up our choir and our community, as a fun musical outlet for our members and to share the choral experience with the community. We have collaborated with the York Regional Police Male Chorus, which rehearses across the hall from us. We participate in community events in addition to giving 2 public performances every year, and each season we set aside time to sing at several seniors’ residences. 

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