After the Opus@12 Chamber Concert Society performed a fundraising concert on Sun. May 24 at the St. Paul Cathedral Parish, and the town's UFO Landing Pad, the organization's founder Rock Larochelle emailed Fr.
After the Opus@12 Chamber Concert Society performed a fundraising concert on Sun. May 24 at the St. Paul Cathedral Parish, and the town's UFO Landing Pad, the organization's founder Rock Larochelle emailed Fr. Gerard Gauthier to find out how well the fundraiser had gone.
The response he received back shocked him.
“It really did stun me. When he sent me an email saying we raised $9,238, I said ‘Excuse me?' It is the most money a concert of ours has ever raised.&”
Gauthier later confirmed that a total of $9,303 was in fact raised, which will go towards assisting Development and Peace's efforts in Nepal. Development and Peace is an organization affiliated with the Catholic Church of Canada that aims to foster international development.
The Government of Canada also agreed to match the proceeds of this concert, so a total of $18,606 will go towards assisting the people of Nepal, who were devastated by major earthquakes on April 25 and May 12.
Gauthier says the total is made up of the funds raised through the concert, with well over 100 people attending, and of personal donations made by community members prior to the concert.
According to the Development and Peace website, the money donated towards this cause can provide water for a Nepalese family for two weeks, 15kg of rice to feed a family for two weeks and a tent to shelter up to three families.
The Concert
The genesis of the Opus@12 Chamber Concert Society deciding to host a fundraising concert in St. Paul came after Larochelle and his wife were well received at a small concert at Sunnyside Manor last summer.
“I said after that concert that I would return to St. Paul with friends,&” says Larochelle, who is from Edmonton. “I approached Fr. Gauthier and said, “We would love to do a concert here but we would like it to be associated with a cause.&”
Gauthier suggested that Development and Peace would be a great organization to support.
The concert began with a performance of Pierre Baubon's (1910-1995) Jamais Je Ne T'oublierai from flautist Alison Grant-Preville and pianist Natalie B éland.
B éland was the lone local performer. Most of the ensemble hails from Edmonton.
“You really do get a lot of joy from playing in front of the community,&” says B éland.
“Everyone in this ensemble are amateurs,&” says baroque oboe player Stephanie Wong. “The meaning of the word amateur is to be a lover of something. All of us really do love playing this music together.&”
“We as musicians work really hard together to perfect our pieces,&” says Larochelle. “Performing in front of an audience helps that process come along.&”
A large ensemble closed out the concert at the mass by performing three pieces, which were Karl Jenkins' (1944-) Palladio, Ennio Morrocone's (1928) Cinema Paradiso and a traditional arrangement of A la Claire Fontaine.
“It really was a great concert,&” says Gauthier. “Buying a CD and listening to this music does not compare to hearing it live.&”
The fun did not end at the church. One more song was performed at the UFO Landing Pad. Appropriately it was Jupiter by Gustav Holst.
