Vicki L MorrisonThe Canadian Military Wives Choir held a very successful New Member’s Evening on September 9, 2014 at Stittsville United Church in Ottawa. “We were amazed and thrilled to have 16 new members sign up to join us,” said President Sue Palmer. The Canadian MWC is a three-part women’s choir and all members are partners of active military personnel. “There is always a danger of losing members to postings. There is an inevitability that some people will have to leave. We are very fortunate that we kept all of our past members and welcomed so many new faces. At present we total 51 members.”
Musical experience is not a prerequisite to joining. The choir is all about support, both vocal and personal. “We come with all different levels of talent and yet it just works. Very musical people might listen to us and think differently, but we sing from the heart. The ethos and number one purpose of the choir is to create a support network for military wives. In the UK, where I am from, there are over 80 military wives choirs spread out all over the place, with over a thousand members. My dream is that we create that in Canada someday. I know of six women in six different places in Canada, making a move toward starting military wives choirs. I hope that Canadian military wives reading this get in touch with, me no matter where they are posted in Canada or abroad. We are trying to support the family within,” said Palmer. Choir members quickly become very close, sharing the common bond of being military spouses, referring to each other as family.
The choir has developed an audience and recognition, leading to an invitation to perform their Christmas repertoire in the Rotunda on Parliament Hill in December. “We were also happy to announce the CMWC was asked to perform at the Canadian International Military Tattoo in Hamilton, Ontario in May 2015. We are already looking forward to this exciting five day road trip. But we really need help to get there. We do pay a fee to be in the choir, but it will not cover this trip. Our lodging is supplied by the Tattoo organizers, but we will require a bus to get us from Ottawa to Hamilton. We’re hoping for public support.”
The Canadian Military Wives Choir began in the fall of 2013. Following in the footsteps of the UK British Military Wives Choir phenomenon, “We come together weekly to sing, and make new friends. In that kind of environment, it’s amazing how much we can accomplish and how good we can sound. Welcome to all our new members. I know they’re going to have fun.”
For more information or to support the Canadian Military Wives Choir please email Sue Palmer at [email protected] or fill out the contact form at www.canadianmilitarywiveschoir.ca
