“Touched By a Child, Touched by a King”

By Joan Janzen

The Kindersley Community Choir held their Christmas cantata, “Touched By a Child, Touched by a King,” on Sunday afternoon, December 11th, at the United Church. The cantata has been a tradition in Kindersley beginning in 1980. Clayton Braybrooke has been leading the cantata for the past 22 years, starting in 2000.

The Kindersley Community Choir’s annual Christmas cantata has been a local tradition since 1980. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

“We produce two programmes a year, at Christmas and Easter, with some secular tunes for added flavour and fun,” Clayton said. The choir practices every Wednesday night, with extra practices taking place closer to “crunch time,” Clayton noted.

He chose “Touched By a Child, Touched by a King” as this year’s cantata because he likes John Purifoy’s writing style. “The title song is a lovely, rich lullaby-like melody with a simple but powerful message,” he explained. He added that the up-tempo rhythm of “Run Shepherds” gives an adrenaline rush of breathless excitement.

“And, of course, we have to have a hint of tradition throughout, with some nifty arrangements of familiar carols,” he explained. “It has proven to be the perfect balance of enjoyment and challenge for the choir this season.”

Choir members performing at the cantata were - soprano: Cheryl Glass, Arleen Gooseneck, Doreen Hewitson, Mandy Ralph, Julia Ramos-Stankman, Glenda Watson and Luda Wrage. Altos included: Glenda Giles, Jean Heese, Carol Shauf, and Kathy Strutt. Basses were: Bryan Greer, Laurie Thompson and Dave Hewitson, and tenors included Brian Shauf and Bob Watson. Elizabeth School Interact Club was on hand, providing refreshments.