When the Times Darken – A Combined Band and Choir Concert

On Saturday, April 1, St. John’s Anglican Church in Lunenburg will host a combined concert titled “When the Times Darken,” featuring the Stadacona Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, the Acadia University Wind Ensemble, and the Acadia University Singers. Bertolt Brecht, a noted German poet and playwright, wrote in 1939, “When the times darken will there be singing even then? There will be singing even then. Of when the times darken.” Inspired by this famous quotation, which still resonates deeply with us today in 2023, this concert program presents a diverse selection of music, inviting audiences to reflect on the gravity but also the hope that still exists within dark times. The program will feature individual performances by the Stadacona Band under the direction of Lt(N) Brad Ritson, the Acadia University Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Mark Hopkins, and the Acadia University Singers under the direction of Dr. Michelle Boyd. Program highlights will include “Gaelforce” by Peter Graham and Alfred Reed’s “Armenian Dances” for wind band, and Canadian composer Marie-Claire Saindon’s choral work “Imaginary Garden,” set to the poetry of Mahvash Sabet. The program will culminate with a combined performance by the Stadacona Band and the Acadia Wind Ensemble of Karel Husa’s Music for Prague 1968, an epic meditation on war and freedom. The concert begins at 7:00pm at St. John’s Anglican Church, 64 Townsend St., Lunenburg. Admission is by freewill donation at the door. (The Stadacona Band and Acadia Wind Ensemble will reprise their performance in Wolfville on Sunday, April 2 at 3pm in the Festival Theatre. The Acadia University Singers will present a full program of music by Canadian composers in Wolfville on Tuesday, April 4 at 7:30pm in University Hall. For more details, visit https://music.acadiau.ca.)