Music at Bedford

Come and join us!

The Choir is one of the great institutions of Bedford United Church. Though small in number, they often give the impression of a choir much larger in size. The commitment is one Sunday service of less than an hour's duration and one Thursday rehearsal for 90 minutes. A choir practice sounds like a tough grind, but it goes by quite quickly, and you would never believe how many laughs get generated.

Most visitors to Bedford share a similar observation: "The music here sure is different than at our church." If any one word characterizes our music, it would be eclectic. Expect to hear a hymn with a polka or samba beat. Pipe organ and drums. MIDI jazz arrangements of anthems and hymns. Pan pipes, harp, woodwinds, brass - the congregation has grown accustomed to a variety of sonorities beside the ubiquitous organ tones. There are plenty of organ sounds to be heard, but they seem much more pleasant when shared with piano and other instruments.

Traditional praise, spiritual, jazz, latin, blues, and gospel styles regularly work themselves into the service.

Ron runs a light-hearted rehearsal aimed at learning the upcoming Sunday's music and also looking at music for the upcoming several Sundays. Among the laughs, he tries to maximize the choir's potential. Tighten up those attacks, rhythms, blends. Watch the director, not your notes! Not so loud. Louder. Feel the tempo. Enunciate!

And on it goes. Ron has been an organist and choir director for over 30 years. He earned a music degree from the University of Windsor with additional conducting courses. He utilizes a wonderful Gabriel Kney tracker action pipe organ, a piano, a keyboard and sequencer. Using MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) he is able to create multi-track sequences to help accompany the music. There are times when you would swear that there is a flutist, or a saxophonist, or a bass player hiding among the pipes. Organ and piano preludes often are jazz arrangements of hymns that appear in the service. Improvisation is used in the service, which enhances the sense of a live event. As well, more standard arrangements are used. And everything in between. Eclecticism.

The most important factor is each individual choir member. They form the heart of all things musical at Bedford. They all contribute significantly in their own way. But we need more members. Call Ron at 972-8435 or e-mail him. Why not try a trial stay with us? All you have to do is show up!