Brant County Singers celebrated their 55th anniversary with their spring concert, Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, in Brantford on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
Cyndy Kirk, President of the Brant County Singers, told audience members the group was formed in March 1971.
“The chorus was originally organized by family members of the Brant Men of Song who wanted to provide a women’s choir in Brant and to support the community,” she said. “They were originally called the Brant Belle-A-Deers for many years, and they later evolved into the Brant County Singers. Over the years, the choir has traveled with the Brant Men of Song and performed many solo concerts as well, and in addition, we do concerts every year to support local charities.”
Given that they were celebrating such a special anniversary, Kirk said they decided to invite another choir to participate in the occasion.
“We’re very excited to be joined this evening by the Addison Women’s Choir from Cambridge,” she said. “The chorus has been performing in the Cambridge area for thirty-six years under the direction of Dr. Laura Curtis, along with accompanist Justyna Szajna, and we hope you’ll enjoy our program this evening.”
The two groups kicked off the event together with the song “Lollipop,” arranged by Roger Emerson.
The Brant County Singers then went onto perform the Beatles’ “Yesterday,” George and Ira Gershwin’s “Love is Here to Stay,” Fred Ebb and John Kander’s “New York, New York,” and John Denver’s “Today.”
The Addison Women’s Choir then took the stage to perform three songs, all of which fell under the chosen theme of sisterhood.
It was explained that Curtis chose the theme because she was inspired by the meaningful bond between herself, Szajna and the singers in the group.
The selections, including Kim Baryluk’s “Warrior,” Joan Szymko’s “Nothing Short of Grace,” and Dolly Parton’s “Nine to Five,” addressed a range of challenges faced by women including issues highlighted by the #MeToo movement, violence against women, and inequality in the workplace.
During a short intermission, Charlene Meade, a former member of the Brant County Singers, said she was enjoying the performance.
“It’s just wonderful. I wanted to come see them so badly because I know some of the members and because I just love the productions they put on,” she said. “Of course, I know all the songs the Brant choir is singing and they’re great as always, and while I’ve never heard of any of the songs from the Addison choir, I’m really impressed by the empowerment of women.”
After returning from the break, the Addison Women’s Choir returned to the stage for another three songs.
Kirk later took to the microphone to recognize several past members including the late Sandy Surette.
“Sandy was a member of our chorus for over 40 years and had just retired not long before her passing in December, and we miss her very much,” said Kirk. “Sandy’s husband, Gary, is in the audience with us today and Sandy’s granddaughter, Julia, is now a member of our choir and carrying on her grandmother’s legacy.”
The president then honoured Surette’s memory by gifting her granddaughter with a yellow rose.
Kirk went on to recognize two sisters, Lois White and Marilyn Wilson. White was with the chorus for roughly 23 years while Wilson spent over 40 years singing with the group, and both were in the audience that evening.
She also acknowledged accompanist Amy Groleau, assistant artistic director Sylvia Jarvis and artistic director Bill Schatz before getting the second half of their performance underway.
The program later concluded with both of the groups coming together to perform a medley from the movie Sister Act.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
