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Transforming Our Lives: The Power of Song
with Becca Whitla
Singing has an amazing power to transform: it can transform our communities, our churches and our selves. Drawing from a range of choral and community singing traditions from around the world, choir director Becca Whitla explores such questions as:
- How can we breathe vitality into our life together through our songs?
- How might we better embody our joys, hopes, desires, prayers and laments in our singing, embracing the many different ways of celebrating and praising the divine?
- How do singing and justice-making intersect?
From singing in four part harmony, through traditional hymns, to popular music, we will use a thematic approach – our songs will help us wrestle with and reflect on contemporary issues such as poverty and eco-justice. Our morning sessions will be integrated with evening worship at Sorrento: participants will have the chance to share in musical leadership for the whole community by singing, by writing new songs, and by becoming a choir. No experience required!
BECCA WHITLA is Music Coordinator at The Church of the Holy Trinity in Toronto, Ontario. There she leads the community’s music making by playing the organ, piano, trumpet, kanjira and by singing. She also leads the spirited Holy Trinity Seasonal Choir. She co-founded and is co-director of the 80-voice Echo Women’s Choir, and has led music for a number of ecumenical justice-seeking organizations, as well as for adult singing camps. Becca studied at the Royal Conservatory (ARCT, 1986), at York University (BFA, 1990), and with the Royal Canadian College of Organists (CRRCO 2002). She will have completed her Master of Sacred Music degree at Emmanuel College in June of 2012, spending her final semester in Matanzas, Cuba.
Course Fee: $300
Sponsored by Sorrento Centre
Typical day's schedule at Sorrento here »
Register for this course here »
LINKS
- This course: an 8.5 x 11 poster "emailer" (260k .jpg) of the image below - download »
- This course: a high-resolution print version pdf (2.8 MB) of the image below - download »
- The List: all the emailers/printable pdfs for this year's courses - here »
