Christmas Choir Concert voices Engineering’s musical history
By Adam Fox
The Christmas Choir Concert/Sing-a-long will bring together the festive sounds of the Skule™ Choir and the Brass Ring quartet at Knox College Chapel on Dec. 3, 2009. The groups will unite their festive sounds of brass, vocal, and pipe organ played by Malcolm McGrath (CivE 5T4), and perform a collection of Christmas carols and hymns.
Before the early 1980s, local high school bands had been invited to accompany Faculty events. Then, a group of professors realized there was a large group of passionate, talented musicians at the Faculty. They approached McGrath, who rallied the Skule™ Choir of students, staff and faculty volunteers. The stage band also formed at this same time, performed at Faculty functions and inspired musically-inclined staff to collaborate with McGrath's guidance for a Christmas concert.
The Skule™ Choir grew through the 1990s and settled into their new venue, acoustically beautiful Knox College Chapel, now home to the annual Christmas Concert and the Skule™ Music Concert.
In addition to the choir, two stage bands and the Brass Ring, other musical Engineering groups include a 50-member symphonic orchestra, a jazz combo, the Skule™ Nite Orchestra which accompanies the annual comedy revue in March, and the notorious "Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad".
How does McGrath explain the vast support and interest in musical performance from engineers? He has heard over the years from members that the rehearsals provide relief from the academic and work pressures that pile up at this time of year.
“Music crosses the left and right sides of the brain to achieve creative expression. And besides,” says the long-time pipe organist, “what is music if not a fantastic application of math?”
To learn more about the Skule™ Choir and Skule™ Music ensembles, visit http://www.skulemusic.ca.
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