directed by: Cathy Baker and Dick Jackson

with special guests: The Fias–La Riviere Quintet, led by Attila Fias and Nick La Riviere

The Gettin’ Higher Choir welcomes you to our winter concert, bringing our wholehearted, uplifting songs in support of the excellent work of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria Capital Region. 

The GHC repertoire will run the gamut: Swing era tunes, Canadian classic rock, groovy funk, neo-folk, and even a lullaby.

Nick La Riviere and Attila Fias will lead some of Victoria’s best jazz players, three of their friends from Best Laid Plans, on their own as a quintet, and together with the choir. Don’t miss it!

GHC directed by: Cathy Baker and Dick Jackson
WCC directed by: Denis Donnelly

with special guest: Peggy Seeger

The Gettin’ Higher Choir and Wavelengths Community Choir are warming up for another collaborative virtual concert in support of local initiatives. “Now Is The Time!” will be a free evening of uplifting music via Zoom on Jan. 29, 2022. They will present a variety of songs from current songwriters of folk, Celtic pop and movie musicals, in the premiere showing of their “virtual choir” videos.

Renowned folk artist and activist Peggy Seeger will be welcomed as the guest musician of the evening. Performances will include recorded songs from her home in the UK, plus an exclusive video interview with Seeger and Wavelengths director Denis Donnelly.

Tickets:

To attend the concert on Zoom, click this link to register, make sure you have Zoom installed on your device, and watch for a reminder email on the day of the concert, which will send the same link . Or watch the full concert on YouTube Live, or during the week after: here is the YouTube link for the concert. We have a limit of 1000 participants on Zoom, so if that is full when you connect, please use the YouTube Live link. 

directed by: Cathy Baker and Dick Jackson

with special guests: Bruce Cockburn, as well as musicians from Mozambique

The Gettin’ Higher Choir is delighted to announce that their next online benefit concert will take place June 19 at 7pm PDT, and will feature renowned songwriter, guitarist, compassionate humanitarian and activist, Bruce Cockburn. Also, for the first time, we will welcome collaboration with musicians from the Caia district of Mozambique, for this our 23rd annual concert to support development projects in that region.

The event will feature recorded messages and musical performances by guest artists. The GHC will present “virtual choir” videos of songs celebrating our vital bonds to one another, near and far, and to the earth we share. This season’s uplifting songs come from South Africa, from classic rock, and from current songwriters including local star, Chris Frye of The Bills.

Tickets:

To attend the concert on Zoom, click this link to register, make sure you have Zoom installed on your device, and watch for an update email on the day of the concert. Or watch the full concert on YouTube Live, or during the week after, at this YouTube link. We have a limit of 1000 participants on Zoom, so if that is full when you connect, please use the YouTube Live link. 

Instead of buying tickets, on or before June 19, please make a donation to The Caia Connection through Canada Helps. This will support our long-standing development projects in Mozambique, including village schools, scholarship programs for nursing and agriculture students, distance learning, food security and water access, and an award-winning valimba music program.

directed by: Cathy Baker, Dick Jackson and Denis Donnelly

with special guests: Lea Morris and Greg Greenway
* Last-minute change due to unforeseen circumstances

The Gettin’ Higher Choir and Wavelengths Community Choir join to offer their second online concert together, “For Our Future World” on Zoom.

The concert will feature the choirs presenting songs ranging from Joni Mitchell to Italian opera chorus to current country-rock, in the premiere showing of their “virtual choir” videos, plus appearances by our two special guests:

• Lea Morris is a brilliant singer-songwriter based in Alexandria, Virginia who has been very active in the online community singing world. We welcome her for our first collaboration with our choirs!
• Greg Greenway, appearing live from Ashland, Virginia. Described as “a profoundly rich poet and musician,” his guitar, piano, and ukulele reflect inspiration from all over the map–gospel, rock, blues, jazz, and world music. Greg was the GHC’s guest artist in 2018—welcome him back!

Tickets:

To attend the concert on Zoom, click this link to register, make sure you have Zoom installed on your device, and watch for an update email on the day of the concert.

Welcome to forward this to friends or family worldwide — all welcome!

For more information about the choirs:

• http://www.wavelengthschoir.ca
• http://www.gettinhigherchoir.ca

directed by: Cathy Baker, Dick Jackson and Denis Donnelly

with special guests: Joe Jencks, Ann Mortifee and Shari Ulrich

The Gettin’ Higher Choir & Wavelengths Community Choir present their annual concert for Mozambique, as a combined effort. The choirs will present songs ranging from neo-folk to Canadian classic rock, from Ukraine to Africa, in the premiere showing of their “virtual choir” recordings. Our guest artists will perform live from their home studios.

GHC co-directors Dick Jackson and Cathy Baker, and Wavelengths director Denis Donnelly, organized the concert to continue over 20 years of fundraising for The Caia Connection.

Joe Jencks is a celebrated American folk singer based in Chicago who has toured Vancouver Island three times, including once with the trio Brother Sun. 

World-celebrated singer-songwriter Ann Mortifee is a longtime friend and champion of the GHC and the Caia Connection, being our first guest artist in 1999.

Juno award-winning Shari Ulrich is one of B.C.’s most-beloved singer-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, and has shared the stage with the GHC twice before.

directed by: Cathy Baker and Dick Jackson

with special guest: Barbara McAfee

featuring: Oliver Swain

Our winter concert brings our wholehearted, uplifting songs in support of the excellent work of The Power of Hope. While some songs are chosen for having a good message in a fun package, this time many of them have a deeper story that our singers tell us resonates in their hearts. We’re sure our audience will feel the same.

The choir will sing new arrangements of songs from Joni Mitchell, a current Broadway musical, the Indie Pop charts, Nashville, and the choral tradition, as well as a couple of our favourite songs from years past.

We are thrilled to have as guest artist Barbara McAfee from Minneapolis, who is a well-known vocalist, songwriter, TED-talk speaker and leader of workshops on the power of the voice. Barbara will perform a solo set of her songs, some with help of the choir. The evening will also feature our friend Oliver Swain on double bass.

The Gettin’ Higher Choir is proud to support The Power of Hope, an organization dedicated to the empowerment and emotional well-being of young people in our community. Through experiential camps that leverage arts-based activities to foster inclusion and community, the Power of Hope encourages at-risk youth to express their authentic selves and realize their potential.

directed by: Cathy Baker and Dick Jackson

with special guest: Samara Jade

Our Spring concert features a diverse and uplifting repertoire, from African folksongs to Leonard Cohen; from contemporary folk to an opera chorus by Verdi and a 1990’s Broadway musical.

Our guest artist this season is the remarkable Samara Jade, a modern folk troubadour and musical seamstress who stitches together a unique tapestry of sounds with intricate guitar playing and an acrobatically emotive voice. Weaving diverse musical strands colored by folk, jazz, blues, world-fusion and even Broadway musicals, Samara’s songs cut through truth, open hearts, stimulate minds, and perhaps best fall into the nutshell of a fan-coined genre: “Philosopholk.” Originally from North Carolina, Samara is now based in Port Townsend, Washington.

All proceeds from the Spring concert will go to The Caia Connection, the long-standing partner charity of the Gettin’ Higher Choir. The Caia Connection is a grassroots charity based in Victoria that is dedicated to raising funds and supporting health, food and education programs in Mozambique. The 2019 Spring concert is especially important as Cyclone Idai ravaged through our long-supported communities and floods, hunger and water-borne diseases are a greater threat.