Beaupre performs the last OKPAS concert
Jenn Beaupre, accompanied by local area accompanist Lewis Frere will perform the last concert of the Olds Kiwanis Performing Arts Society's 2010-2011 season.
Since first auditioning for opera coach Shelly Fullerton (of the Calgary Opera) at age 14, Beaupre was readily accepted into the world of music.
She was encouraged to pursue opera after high school graduation but Beaupre wanted to try her hand at songwriting and taught herself piano.
Many corporate events under her belt and a year of songwriting in Quebec, Beaupre tried her hand at Canadian Idol and excelled through to the night right before the top 10 were chosen.
With the help of Mr David Kean, Beaupre finished her newest album, Lullabies for Grown-ups in late 2007.
The concert is being held April 29 and tickets can be purchased online at www.oldskiwanis.org/concert.
Community chorus holds spring concert
The Olds Community Chorus is sporting a new name in time for its first offering of the year.
Formerly known as the Olds Community Choir, the chorus took a break last fall because directors were otherwise committed. It started up again in January with 45 members from Olds and surrounding area.
The chorus plans to perform a spring concert on Tuesday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the TransCanada Theatre under directors Ross Dabrushin and Anja Hamel.
Dabrusin has worked as a studio musician in New York City, founded the music department at Keyano College in Fort McMurray and has also taught at Red Deer College.
He has conducted many choruses and musical theatre productions and plays piano in a jazz trio.
Hamel has a degree in music instruction and has been a director of the chorus for several years.
She plays several instruments and also composes music. She is credited with being a driving force that has kept the chorus going.
The program this year will include classical, popular, folk styles, selections from the Beatles, Beach Boys and Newfoundland, as well as Mozart and Schubert.
Guest performers will include Voice Dance and MusiCreations.
Hamel, Lorrie Lipski and Kate Chapman form the trio Voice Dance with a repertoire that includes classical, jazz, folk, pop, sacred, mediaeval and renaissance music.
MusiCreations is a youth group of girls and boys under Lipski's direction. They learn singing, speech, movement and dance as well as play recorders, drums, xylophones, metalphones and glockenspiels.
Tickets for the May 3 spring concert can be purchased at Different Strokes across the street from the Scotia Bank.