In Praise of Music
In June 2003, the Richard Eaton Singers produced its first compact disc, In Praise of Music. The title is from the featured work on the CD, composed by Mark G. Sirett on a commission from RES, and based on a poem, A Song for St. Cecilia's Day, by John Dryden.
This CD, directed by Leonard Ratzlaff, features the Davis Concert Organ of the Francis Winspear Centre of Music, Edmonton, Alberta. Besides RES, performers on the CD include the Greenwood Singers, Robert de Frece, conductor; University of Alberta Madrigal Singers, Leonard Ratzlaff, conductor; Jeremy Spurgeon and Marnie Giesbrecht, organ; and the Ergon Brass Ensemble. The music was recorded in the superb acoustics of the Winspear Centre on two occasions - the inaugural concert of the Davis Concert Organ (September 14, 2002) and the first RES concert to feature the organ (November 10, 2002).
The compact disc program includes:
- I Was Glad - C. Hubert Parry
Richard Eaton Singers; Jeremy Spurgeon, organ. - Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 - J. S. Bach
(Marnie Giesbrecht, organ) - Communion Hymns, Opus 25 - Pavel Chesnokov (Richard Eaton Singers performing Ne imami iniya pomoshchi and Spaseniye soldelai
To order: In Praise of Music is available for $20 plus $3 shipping & handling (in Canada) from: Richard Eaton Singers (info@richardeatonsingers.com), #6-06 Stanley Milner Library, #7 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 (phone 780.428.3737)
The Groaning Board Cookbook
For decades, RES has been known for its post-concert Groaning Board receptions. Many of the recipes for the dishes served there are collected in The Groaning Board cookbook - including the appetizers and desserts for which the choir is justly famous. Chorus members have also contributed favourite dishes ranging from small breakfast feasts through to supper entrees, as well as special diet offerings and speedy meals for the chorister-on-the-go. Several tasty examples may be found by clicking below. llustrated by Ruth Krahn and accompanied by photographs of receptions, the cookbook makes a lovely gift for music- and food-loving friends. All proceeds help defray the choir’s concert costs.
Click here for sample recipes.
To order: The Groaning Board is available for $12 plus $3 shipping & handling (in Canada) from: Richard Eaton Singers (info@richardeatonsingers.com), #6-06 Stanley Milner Library, #7 Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB T5J 2V4 (phone 780.428.3737)
A Passion for Music
In 2001, Edmonton publisher Spotted Cow Press released Margaret C. Matheson's biography of Richard S. Eaton, A Passion for Music. The book profiles the University of Alberta choral music director and music department's first Chair from his entrance to Edmonton academic and artistic life until his death in Greece in 1968.
A chapter from the book, Formation of the University Singers, discusses the chorus that was the forerunner of RES, and is reprinted by permission of the author.
To order: Online from Northwest Passages (www.nwpassages.com), or directly from Spotted Cow Press (www.spottedcowpress.ca), 4216-121st Street, Edmonton AB T6J 1Y8 (phone 780.434.3858)
