Copyright 2000 by Edward Willett

Despite its title, Hart Godden still gets people asking him when the Sundays at Seven concert series is.

Let's clear up the confusion right away. Sundays at Seven is held Sundays. At seven. (And that's p.m., not a.m.)

With that out of the way...

Hart, music director and organist at Knox Metropolitan United Church, started the Sundays at Seven concert series last year as a fund-raiser for a major effort to repair and refurbish the organ at Knox Met. $230,000 are needed; so far $75,000 have been raised and spent on the organ.

Beyond that, Hart says, Sundays at Seven is also intended to raise awareness in the community of the quality of the Casavant Organ at Knox Met, and to highlight the fact that Knox Met "is a great place to perform."

That's not exactly a secret, of course. After all, next year the Regina Symphony Orchestra will be presenting its Baroque concert series at the church, and the children's choir Juventus rehearses there, as does the Regina Male Voice Choir. The annual Rotary Carol Festival is held there, and the Regina Philharmonic Chorus often performs there--as it did last Sunday, presenting Mozart's Requiem.

However, some people tend to think of the church only in terms of large ensemble concerts, Hart says. Sundays at Seven highlights the fact that Knox Met is also a great place to hear--and perform--solo recitals. "I think this is a wonderful acoustic for solo work," Hart says.

Hart contacted performers he knows (and some contacted him) about participating in the series. "It's really intended for local talent, as well as some selected guests from outside," he says. It's an opportunity for them to perform, and an opportunity for local audiences to see and hear both up-and-coming students and young professionals. "It's quite an eclectic set of concerts," Hart says. "I think there's something there that might appeal to just about everyone."

The first Sundays at Seven concert, held Easter Sunday, featured organist Hyo-Young Park and tenor Michael Harris, who performed everything from French and Italian art songs to folk songs and Irish tunes.

The next one is coming up this Sunday, May 7. Called "Pipes of Splendor," it features Becki McMurray in a solo recital on both piano and organ (not, presumably, at the same time).

A week later, it's "Such Beautiful Music," a special Mother's Day concert featuring two groups from Campbell Collegiate, the Wind Ensemble, directed by Brent Ghiglione, and the Chamber Choir, directed by Hart Godden. The two groups have just returned from a tour to Vancouver, Hart said, "and we've been asked by many people to do a concert here featuring all the music we're working on. I think it's going to be a stunning performance. These are great groups."

A week after that, Renée Brad takes the stage, accompanied by David McIntyre, for an eclectic program of music ranging from classical to Broadway. The recital is called "Half A Diva" because Renée figures, being a mezzo-soprano instead of a soprano, that's the best she can do. (The word "mezzo" means "half" in Italian.)

The June 11 recital "Piping Hot" is designed to highlight the organ that's the ultimate beneficiary of the series. Michelle Martin, the guest artist, has her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, and is now taking her Master's degree at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York--and Hart taught her when she was 12 years old in Saskatoon. "She has a real spark, and it's really exciting to listen to her play," he says.

The final concert of the series, on June 18, is "Strawberries and Song." This was a big hit in last year's series, as you might expect, considering it combines a concert of beautiful music with an after-course of great strawberry desserts. Hart himself is playing the piano for this concert, as part of a trio also featuring Tara Semple on flute and Cameron Lowe on cello. Guest vocalist is Leora Joy (Hart's daughter).

The crowds that come out for the series are as varied as the concerts themselves, Hart says. A certain crowd might come out for a solo vocalist, for instance, while an organ concert might draw out a quite different crowd full of "organ aficionados." And the "Strawberries and Song" concert also brings out people who really come for the desserts--"which I highly recommend," Hart adds.

The concerts are a fund-raiser, so there is a slight admission charge of $5 for adults and students (children get in free). The exception is the Strawberries and Song concert, for which admission is $10 (since desserts are included).

"They're not long concerts," Hart says. "They're just a nice way to spend a Sunday evening at a great place."

Posted February 3, 2004