Celebrating 50 Years of Choral Music

Welcome to this golden anniversary year for The Bel Canto Chorus. This choir had its beginnings in 1975. Actually, the choir began much earlier, as part of the Sudbury Philharmonic Society, presenting musical events in conjunction with the Sudbury Symphony. In our fifty stand-alone years, we have been gifted by talented conductors and accompanists, people like Marion Harvey-Hanna, Don Weir, Pamela Teed, Suzanne Roy-Wilson, Charlene Biggs and Susan Urquhart. 

The choir sings a variety of musical genres, including sacred, folk, contemporary, classical and world music.   Our choir practices mix the challenges of learning new material with fun and fellowship.   We regularly have four concerts each year, two in the spring and two at Christmastime.  An important part of our work is offering music in the community, at the hospital, long term care facilities and community events.

A team of curious and willing people met over coffee last year and brainstormed activities that would make our fiftieth year a memorable one.  First off, it was decided to focus on enhancing our community image by creating new promotional material and a concert-look.  We now have a beautifully designed banner, created by Erin Sherman, which we can take to community concerts, and we are wearing sashes and pocket squares, specially designed with our Bel Canto logo by choir member Haja Lucien.

Also, this year, we want to offer thanks to past leadership, by welcoming former conductors and accompanists to join with us.  In the spring of 2025, Pamela Teed and Suzanne Roy-Wilson were welcomed back to lead us in two special pieces of music.  Plans are being developed to invite other former choir directors to share the stage.   In addition, throughout this anniversary year, we will be offering a “shout-out” of appreciation to three members who have been with the chorus for most of our 50 years.  We offer thanks to Forbes Stoodley, Lynda Todd and Nora O’Neil.  What a legacy of beautiful music and helpful support they have given us!

We plan to host a choir-singing workshop in the fall of 2025.  We have applied to the City’s Arts and Cultural Grant Process.  If successful in obtaining funding, we will host an event which will focus on enhancing vocal technique and honing our skills.  Community choirs from the area will be invited to share the workshop time with us.

Finally, in May 2026, we will invite our audience to come “Dressed to Impress.”  We know that audiences enjoy watching choir members arrive, dressed in our finest.  We thought it would be fun to ask the audience to dress up too.   This special concert will feature classical and operatic pieces, and we will be welcoming guest tenor and Sudbury-born, Joey Niceforo, as our special guest.  Many of us had the chance to hear Joey at a symphony concert earlier in the year, and his voice really does touch the heart.   Please save that date:  Sunday May 3, 2026, 2:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s Place, Larch Street.  There will be a reception to follow the show.  We want you to raise a glass with us for a toast to 50 wonderful years.  (And of course, there will be cake!)

To fund these activities, we are hosting two on-line auctions.   The first auction just finished today, and we are delighted to tell you that we exceeded our fund-raising goal by $200!   There will be another auction in November, 2025.