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Candescence Concert coming to Westminster United Church

September 19, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Written By CONSTANCE SCRAFIELD

For the first time, Candescence, a locally based female vocal quartet, is coming to Westminster United Church in Orangeville for their concert, Say it with a Song, set for Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

The quartet was formed in 2010, as a result of the four ladies singing together by chance, really, and learning that they liked their sound and were having fun singing together.

Susan Verduin, one of the quartet members, who does most of the organizing and finding of their music, told the Citizen, “We haven’t had an open concert since before Covid.”

In addition to Ms. Verduin are Maria Cappiello, Cathy Clark and Kelly Chunik. 

That first occasion, in 2010 of their performing in a group came as an invitation to sing at the Shelburne Youth Choir’s Disney Concert.

As director of the Shelburne Youth Choir at the time, Ms. Verduin felt that the Disney program she was planning needed something more.

“The program was not quite full enough,” she recalled. “So, I offered three women, members from Achill [Choral Society] ‘Would you like to form a quartet?’ Afterwards, we thought maybe we should stay together and find other things to do, because it felt the good to us; we liked our sound.”

In the time since they have staged about 10 concerts and have been invited to perform at many other events.

“This is the biggest concert we’ve ever planned,” Ms. Verduin admitted and very exciting it is too.

Several local musicians are attending the concert. Minister of Music at Westminster United Church, Nancy Dettbarn, will be the pianist and organist, “among other attributes,” drummer Dave Joseph, clarinetist Sean Derraugh, dancers Jonathon Neville and Michelle Grierson; and tenors John Burton and Bernie Lynch.

Sharing the song list gave us an idea of how diverse this concert plan is. The music is emotional, sacred, fun, reflective, some of them with a dancer or two; something for everyone, essentially very well rounded.

We learned somewhat about the Candescence foursome and what made them put this quartet together. Cathy Clark was one of the founding members of the Toronto Children’s Choir for five years. Maria Cappiello and Kelly Chunik sang with Achill for a number of years, learning about the blending and harmonizing of their voices that choral music requires.

Typically, they do not regularly do “acappella” as such; they are four singers but not Barbershop. They have engaged various people to accompany them for all their performances. When they have been invited to sing at churches and for other occasions, they have not charged for themselves as performers but only to pay their accompanist and possible expenses incurred. The songs, not the money, have been what matters.

Taking the role as artistic director, Ms. Verduin explained that mostly, one of them gets an idea, and tells their vision.

“We bring music to the table,” she said about their collaborative method of designing a concert, “and we put a program together; we try it and decide what people would like. We’re all choir people.”

Ms. Clark is from Orangeville; Ms. Verduin lives in Shelburne and Ms. Cappiello is from Bolton. Originally local as well, Kelly Chunik has moved to Durham. Within her own life, she has more time now and she is able to drive the distance to sing with her mates in Candescence for Sunday’s concert.

“Nice to have the four together again,” was the comment. “We needed that Alto.” 

No one is involved with directing the quartet; they do it all themselves. Closer to a concert, naturally, they record themselves and listen to be sure of their sound.

Four members or many more, such enterprises demand time and dedication, which require their families be on board.

In this case, “Our families have been extremely supportive,” she told us. “It’s really been a blessing.”

For other concerts, they have had children dancing but this time, adults are the ones to dance: for one song, the couple will dance to Moon River; Creative Dancing will be a hit with Don’t Get Around Much Anymore. There are “Special Moments” too with Pie Jesu and Danny Boy, among others.

Come and enjoy it. 

A big program with an intermission, it was Susan Verduin who rationalized that people are getting back since Covid and she has “tons of music. Stuff just jumps into my head.”

Like a habit she developed while directing a children’s choir and a ladies’ choir called Forever Young, she spearheaded the idea for this concert. They worked as a group to make it happen.

Candescence has a tagline: Illumining the soul with song. They have been together for 14 years and have developed a well-loved singing bond and a friendship bond. Beyond this concert at Westminster, they have not decided what will be next.

They are always open to invitations to sing.

“We have really been enjoying being back together,” she remarked. “Illuminating the soul with song is what it means to us; to sing and which we love to do even more than that is to share with others. Maybe with a song they’ve known since they were young and are happy to hear it again.”

Say It with a Song is at Westminster United Church this Sunday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available at Aardvark Music and Culture, 145 Broadway, and Dufferin Group, 70 Centennial Road 1A, Orangeville (owned by Cathy Clark).

Tickets can also be bought by emailing Mariac99@rogers.com or by calling Cathy Clark at 519-939-6506.

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