The Okanagan Celtic Choir has been hard at work preparing for their year-end show Thursday, May 25 at the Trinity United Church in Vernon.
The first act of this year’s show will celebrate the songs of the late Canadian folk music legend Stan Rogers.
Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs, frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes. Rogers died in a fire aboard an Air Canada flight on the ground at the Greater Cincinnati Airport at the age of 33.
“Rogers was my age when he died in 1983, the year before I was born,” said choir director Andrew Mercer. “Even though he was taken way too soon, he left behind a legacy of music that lives on, and we are excited to celebrate some of his greatest work.”
The choir will be performing well known Rogers songs like Northwest Passage, Barrett’s Privateers, and Make and Break Harbour. They will be joined by Mercer’s modern Celtic band Cod Gone Wild, who will also be performing a couple of Roger’s selections.
The band will also be backing up the choir throughout the performance.
The second act will focus on Celtic classics and sing along tunes like Lukey’s Boat, Squid Jiggin’ Ground, Farewell to Nova Scotia, and The Irish Blessing. Cod Gone Wild will also share a couple of new songs from their upcoming album release that is set to hit the stands in June.
The Okanagan Celtic Choir will take the stage Thursday, May 25 at the Trinity United Church, 3300 Alexis Park Drive. Doors open at 7 p.m., show time is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and are available at the Ticket Seller Box Office online at www.ticketseller.ca or by phone 250-5349-7469. Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the performance.