Submitted by Paulette MacNeil –
In 2017, Canadians everywhere will be celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. Our group plans to be a big part of these celebrations.
In the late 1960’s, 10 retired ladies from Ottawa and the Outaouais region, who had been singing together, decided they wanted to entertain the seniors of the area. It wasn’t until 1978 that the singing group, “The Ladies of the Day” (we practice and sing by day) was officially formed. Over the following years, we have entertained residents of approximately 50 retirement residences as well as associations of retired seniors in the Ottawa region. Our group of 35 members feels very fortunate to have directing us, the very talented and enthusiastic, Anne Axworthy, who is also the director of Voices in Harmony (formerly the Orpheus Choral Group).
The type of music we sing can be described as barbershop-style, unaccompanied (acapella), four-part harmony. Most of our repertoire consists of uplifting pieces to ensure that we bring fun and laughter to the lives of our audiences. All the Ladies of the Day really do enjoy singing but above all, our biggest reward is to witness the happy, smiling faces in our audience during our performances.
Each Monday afternoon, from September to the end of May, we hold practices at Unitarian House of Ottawa. In return for being allowed the use of their entertainment lounge for our practices, we entertain the residents of Unitarian House two or three times annually.
Over the past several months, we have added a medley of several songs about Canada to our repertoire and are polishing it up for the celebrations in 2017. It is with great pride that we look forward to performing for you, the people of Ottawa and the Outaouais region, and celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary.
As you may be aware, music and singing have been shown to lighten the lives, and hearts of people of all ages. This is surely the case for all of us.
For more information about “The Ladies of the Day,” please call Dorothy Phillips at 613-722-3898.