will ye come again

"Will Ye No Come Back Again," a Celtic-inspired folk programme with solos, duets, trios, instrumental and choral pieces, will feature the A Cappella Chamber Choir conducted by Jeanette Steeves, as well as local classical trio Aria 21.

The repeat performance will be performed at, and raise funds for, the Tolmie Memorial Presbyterian Church in Port Elgin and Kincardine United Church in Kincardine.

The musicians first performed this concert at Southampton United Church (SUC) in September of 2018. “We were approached by SUC to do a concert similar to Celtic Woman,” recalled Soprano Liz Coates in a media release. "We weren’t super familiar with the group, so did some research and came up with a Celtic inspired programme of folk songs from Canada and the British Isles."

"This is all familiar music," said pianist Christina Edwards. "It’s a part of our heritage in this area and it’s performed with such a positive energy that is just contagious."

Named after the upbeat closing number, the September concert was a resounding success and positive feedback and queries for a repeat performance soon began.

Tolmie Presbyterian Church soon rallied together the singers and instrumentalists and nearly all of the original performers are set for a repeat performance as well as some new additions to the choir.

"With a concert of folk songs we wanted variety," said Meghan De Jager, adding that the A Cappella Choir combined with the instrumentalists adds dimension to the performance.

"This concert is full of pieces that people know and love dearly. There is something special about songs we can all sing together. This music expresses universal experiences in a refreshing and simple way," said De Jager.

"Will Ye No Come Back Again" will take place on Saturday, January 19 at Tolmie Presbyterian Church at 7 p.m. and on Sunday, January 20 at the Kincardine United Church at 3 p.m. Admission is by donation.