in concert with Beth Nielsen Chapman
June 16, 2007 at 7:30 pm
(also performing on June 15)
with Beth Nielsen Chapman,
Alix Goolden Performance Hall,
907 Pandora Avenue, Victoria
For tickets, contact Gloria Hansen
at (250) 995-8731 or tickets@gettinhigherchoir.ca
For more information, download the poster (230kb pdf).
A Rainbow of Colour
A Treat for my Soul
A Joy to my Spirit
I am uplifted
Thank you
My husband and I attended your concert last night (June 16th) and we greatly enjoyed the spirit of enthusiasm and joy. We especially enjoyed Beth’s singing and very moved by her songs dedicated our 27 year old daughter (who passed on in 1995). You are all doing wonderful work and we pray it continues. There is great need in this world and if everyone did a little something worthwhile, the world would be a far better place.
Thank you.
What a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening — absorbing the powerful, enlightening singing of the Gettin’ Higher Choir, led by music gurus, Shivon and Dennis, in a magical space in beautiful Victoria. Particularly liked, ‘Circle of Light’, and, ‘Shine All Your Light.’ A couple of songs got the stage ‘a movin’, and it seems to me we got some pretty good moves from Shivon too, right on! What a talent Beth Nielson Chapman is! Her spirit shone through as she flooded the hall with her strong and magnificent voice. Shivon and Dennis initiated a wonderfully warm ambience to the night and Beth carried it through to the end of the show. It filled my heart with such hope to hear Shivon telling of how, we, in our own small way, CAN make such a difference to the children and others in Mozambique. Makes you so proud to have “connected” with a choir who has made such a contribution to, and continues to better the lives of the people who live in that part of Africa. Thanks so much to the Gettin’ Higher Choir, Shivon, Dennis, Beth, the Hansons and to the many volunteers and sponsors. I had a great time.
Namaste.
To my brothers and sisters in the gettin’ higher community:
On several occasions last week I noticed I wasn’t consumed with practice, tiny notes covered in lyrics shoved in all my pockets, found on the floor, shredded in the washing … and singing in my head, my car, my sleep! I chose not to sing in the concerts this time and I felt a deep missing for all of you and the ritual of performance … and yet, last night, as a most fortunate member of the audience, I was privileged to hear a holy sound that god was definitely in!
Quite unlike the surround sound of singing together, this was a rich alchemic mix, a full frontal wall of sound that rang so true for me that several times I felt tears stream down my cheeks … for instance, when ‘diamonds’ sounded like a crystalline prayer sent up to heaven by wind and sea, when the powerful hand of ‘mystery’ momentarily moved the planet right at the confluence of ‘you are all of life’ … Oh and when Beth sang ‘dreams’ acapella there was nothing any of us could do but climb on board and hang on tight! And when you all swayed in the sweet arms of masibulele, and then the alleluia ending of ‘shine your light’ building to a diamond brightness that left the summer sun wanting! And not least of all, I could see the perpetual bliss of singing with someone so bone talented as Beth Neilson Chapman on all of your radiant faces — can we keep her?
Like a human stained glass window of song, choirs from the balconies, one human family, shining one light, open wide, just doing what you can. I could hear your gladness, feel your love, hear your ‘yes!’. It was an immense honour to witness and receive your gift of song last night — the gift that gives right ‘round the world in Africa.
Funny, I thought I had far too much going on in my life to sing in the concerts this time and I realized last night that actually, I had it all backwards. It is singing with the choir that feeds my soul when I struggle with the contemporary challenges of feeding my family. It is the joy of singing that allows for my own storm to pass over and helps me to allay my fears, find solace in community. So no regrets — I was exactly where I was meant to be to receive such a profound message!
with thanks and love,
Hilary Leighton
Thursday Alto
(never say lapse!)
Last nights concert was another roaring success in so many ways. Singing with Beth for two nights in a row then hearing all the positive response from the audience will carry all of us through the summer in into our next session starting in the fall.
Beth’s music is amazingly beautiful and with Shivon and Denis leading us through the evening it can’t get any better than this.
Five days in a row with Beth, Shivon, Denis and the choir. A blissful afterglow persists, like the day following a special date that exceeded expectations; joy, affirmation, connection, anticipation, hope.
Dear Friends:
Words could never adequately express the power of those two concerts and the brilliance of our leaders in creating with us and, particularly, Beth a set of musical/spiritual experiences that touches the deepest part of my being and makes me so grateful and proud to be a part. To think that by “coincidence” last year I met this stranger, Denis ,sitting next to me at the Ogden Point cafe and what followed was what I yearned for, connection in community with something to share and give. Beth was such a perfect choice to carry these concerts to such a high level. I sat in her workshop totally impressed by her humaness, intelligence, and creative brilliance. What a beautiful example of one who moves past her pain and grief and grows ever more able to show us what’s important and how to live.
This session will stay with me for a very long time because I learned or had important reminders of the beauty of the human spirit as manifested in community singing and giving. I will always be grateful for these opportunities to connect with others, nurture my soul and know what’s important and one of my reasons for being.