Our ARTISTIC Director
Madelyn Mensen, Artistic Director, has been active in music for over 35 years. Originally from Plum Hollow, she most enjoyed participating in the Brockville Lions Music Festival as a child, performing with the Brockville Operatic Society, school bands, and studying organ at St. Lawrence Church. After completing a degree in music at Carleton University, she pursued a career in funeral services. Today she is an established business owner, member of the Brockville Lions Music Festival committee, church musician, and devoted wife and mother. She looks forward to supporting performing arts in the community for years to come.
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Brockville Community Choir 2024/2025 Fall Program
As I was searching for inspiration for this season’s concerts, I was struck with the idea of veering away from the ‘Christmas Concert’ circuit and focusing on Remembrance Day instead. It would call for an earlier calendar date than what we’ve aimed for over the past few years, however, I had no doubt that, with the right program, we would be able to put together a beautiful, poignant dedication to our fallen ancestors that doubles as a call to peace in the world today.
Requiem: One of the most popular choral works to date, the Fauré Requiem continues to inspire the world with its ethereal beauty. I associated this Requiem, in particular, with a dedication to the memory of those who died in war due to Fauré’s inclusion of In Paradisum at the end; the text is from the Burial Service following the Funeral Mass rather than the liturgical Requiem, thereby ending with a sense of peace and eternal rest.
In Remembrance: To follow the last movement of the Requiem, I have chosen In Remembrance by Eleanor Daley. The text, suitably, is that of a popular anonymous/untitled funeral poem that starts with the line, “Do not stand by my grave and weep”. Sung a capella, it captures the numb bewilderment of committing a loved one to the earth, but not without offering consolation through the last line, “I am not there, I did not die”. Through those words we affirm that our remembering the fallen is not done in vain, but preserves the integrity of their sacrifice.
O Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem;:This piece was written by Herbert Howells in 1941, during what is known today as “The Darkest Hour” of WW2 (mid 1940 - mid 1941); a fitting end to the first half. It is from a larger set of four anthems titled “In Time of War” and is set to the text of a portion of Psalm 122. It also serves as a not-so-subtle nod to the current state of unrest in the Middle East today.
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Let The River Run: After a first half that focuses on Remembrance Day as a commemoration of death and sacrifice, the second half has been designed to bring those who have fallen to life again. Our aim is to create a kind of looking glass that showcases their frivolity in youth, their dreams and innocence. Let the River Run serves as a segue with its references to the “New Jerusalem” – although the lyrics weren’t written by Simon with any specific religious or political intent, “The New Jerusalem” can be interpreted as a kind of promised land for the working class, which made up the bulk of those who served in the world wars. Whether by choice or conscription, those who served were swept up in a conflict they couldn’t escape until it had run its course.
It’s A Long Way to Tipperary: This was sung as a marching song by the soldiers in the first world war and is remembered as a song of that war. What I love the most about it is how it concentrates on the longing for home, which is more relevant to the lives of the soldiers, rather than a boisterous commentary on glorious deeds and hero-culture.
Sister Susie’s Sewing Shirts for Soldiers: This song is meant to highlight the many ways that people came together to help in the war efforts throughout both world wars, in a fun and interactive way. The tongue-twisting taglines in the song can be used to engage the audience, thereby applying the ideals of the subject matter (comraderie and participation) to the concert in real time.
In Flanders Fields: this piece is meant to be a segue between the pieces from WW1 and WW2 – lest we forget that at the end of the first world war over 9.7 million personnel were dead along with 10 million civilians. John McCrea had penned his iconic poem that has become an everlasting part of the oral tradition of the western world and a staple in Remembrance Day tributes.
As Time Goes By: After singing the words of In Flanders Fields, I needed a reverent way to move into the music from World War 2, so a slightly quicker song in the swing style of “As Time Goes By” felt right. The song was originally composed in 1931, but made famous by its appearance in the film, “Casablanca” in 1942. The lyrics of “no matter what the future brings” and “the world will always welcome lovers” has an undertone of cynicism from the viewpoint that conflict is seemingly always brewing. Does time really heal all?
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy: This iconic WW2 song made popular by the Andrew Sisters entertained the troops and kept toes tapping, all while the lights were being turned off across Western Europe. It reveres the youth and vitality of the very soldiers we remember and astutely captures the soundscape of the era. In another subtle nod, we remember the tremendous contributions of our nation’s women and enjoy this number featuring the soprano and alto sections.
In The Mood: To continue the energy of the second half, we have a piece derived from a popular piece by the Glen Miller Orchestra, which includes the tenor and bass sections. Our WW2 selections serve to superimpose a modern-day practice to the bygone era of WW2; that of the Celebration of Life. Such a term would have been inconceivable to the public at that time and in subsequent years, until the turn of the 20th century.
After The War: The last two pieces bring us back to the aftermath of conflict and are a call for reflection. This piece is probably the most moving and emotionally draining one in the concert. It can be heard as a song between a woman and her lover/husband, but can also be a dialogue between a mother and a son, a father and a son, etc. As a frequenter of many wakes, I realized in my twenties that as a child born after 1980 my perception of veterans was a bit skewed compared to older generations; to me (as a kid), a veteran was an old, wrinkly, grey person from the Legion who wore a suit jacket, medals, and shiny shoes. It wasn’t until I worked in funeral homes that I realized that it was young, handsome, wide-eyed men in uniform, that we often saw in picture frames beside caskets and urns, that were the original casualties of the great world wars; the massive cemeteries across Europe are filled with the young – not the old. When I read the lyrics, “my love, please forgive me, I never planned to die” I think of a client I sat with who told me stories of lying about his age to get into the Navy and all the debauchery these young teenagers got up to in the North Atlantic Ocean. It would seem that dying was never on the radar because they hadn’t yet reached an age where they could realize their own mortality.
Lord Make Me An Instrument of Thy Peace: The final piece the words of the Prayer of Saint Francis and a summary of the intention of this concert – with war persisting in the world today, Remembrance Day is (unfortunately) a fluid occasion that has been added to over the decades since the great world wars. Although it is a slower selection, the phrasing is uplifting musically, as well as lyrically, thereby leaving us with a glimmer of hope, a kind of surrender to goodness and faith in humanity.
