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Celebrating 65 Years : A Journey Through Time

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With bated breath, we are ecstatic to announce that  the countdown until our 65th Anniversary Show begins today !  The Chorale A Cappella South Shore , also commonly known as the South Shore Saints , is a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) , and the only men's a cappella chorus in Quebec that strives to sing songs in the barbershop style, that is, songs arranged in four-part harmony (tenor, lead, baritone, and bass).   To our knowledge, we are also the only men's BHS chorus that sings French songs arranged in the barbershop style !  As our long history of community involvement since our founding in 1960 shows, we remain steadfast in serving our communities on the South Shore and Greater Montreal Area. Most notably, the chorus coordinated the first ever Harmony eXplosion Camp this spring, a BHS-initiative to support young singers in the Northeast District, for the first time ever in Quebec (at Saint-Lambert High School), and will be doing so again nex...
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Annual Barbeque: In Memory of Don Gillespie, Founding Member

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On Wednesday, June 5, 2024, the South Shore Saints hosted their Annual Barbeque . This year’s event was special, as it served as an occasion to honor the life of the late Donald (Don) William Gillespie , the last original charter member of our organization to pass away. We were most fortunate that his wife Cathy Gillespie , who made the trip from Ontario, shared her memories of Don with us among a packed house full of kindred spirits from all across the Greater Montreal region. The more than 100 guests who filled the hall Cathy Gillespie with photos and memorabilia of Don Gillespie Don Gillespie (left) When I first heard the news from Alan Briand  (our director, who sings  Bass ) earlier in the year that "Don" (who I had never known) had been the last surviving “Founding Father,” was a tenor, and had passed away on February 13 (having just turned 92), I could not help but feel an instantaneous kinship with him, for I too am a tenor and he had passed away on non...
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A Moment to Remember: Saint Lambert Days 2024

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On a delightful summer evening on Saturday, August 24, 2024, members of the South Shore Saints came together on the premises of Saint Lambert Days , an annual festival hosted by the town of St. Lambert, Quebec, on the South Shore of Montreal. Preparations before the 6:00 p.m. prime-time performance at the Parc du Village It was one of the most memorable public performances for the chorus in recent memory.  The last time the chorus participated in this event was on Sunday, August 28, 2022, in the early afternoon.  On that day, a smaller contingent of members sang on a narrow stage tucked in between Avenue Victoria and Avenue Notre Dame along Green Street.  At the time, I recorded my impressions of that day as follows: “Went to St. Lambert festival to sing for the Saints today.  We were rushing but on pitch most of the time.  Singing outdoors takes some getting used to. …  I sang ‘Bare Necessities’ and ‘What Kind of Fool am I’ with Brian, Andre, and Pierre-E...
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Sean Henry, Host of CBC Daybreak to MC 2024 Annual Show!

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Last year’s show,  Tout le monde à bord (All Aboard) , showcased a spectacular fun-loving international-level quartet in  Daily Special , and a riveting repertoire of journey-related songs, including a fabulous rendition of  Stardust, the most recorded song in history.  If you were there, you likely recall the mesmerizing standing ovation at the end, which seemed to suspend time.  Building on that success, we are excited to inform you that our 2024 show will feature a distinguished guest as our MC:  Award-winning Host of CBC Daybreak,  Sean Henry !  How did this come about? It began in early January of 2023.   I was listening to CBC's Radio Noon with Shawn Apel. Rebecca Ugolini, Cultural Reporter for CBC Daybreak, sitting in for Shawn, was discussing topic of the day: "What are some hobbies that enrich your life?" , and was inviting listeners to call in.  Since joining the chorus in 2021, we had discussions of our need ...
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Service funéraire de Claire Garrett

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Notre quatuor, 4Give n 4Get, a été invité à chanter au service funéraire de Claire Garrett le  mardi 1er octobre 2024.  Nous étions tous heureux d'être disponibles et avons accepté avec plaisir de rendre hommage à cette amie de longue date des South Shore Saints, épouse de notre regretté membre Walter Garrett. Aucun de nous n'avons connu Walter.  Toutefois, nous avons croisé Claire à plusieurs activités de la chorale, notamment lors de nos spectacles annuels.  Néanmoins, je me sentais reconnaissant d'être présent. Le service a eu lieu à l'Église Mount Bruno United, un bâtiment sans prétention situé à Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, en banlieue sud de Montréal, Québec.  Pour ajouter au charme de l'endroit, un parc pittoresque se trouve juste en face de l'église; parc dans lequel nous avons réchauffé nos voix et répété avant de nous joindre à la célébration. Le service était touchant et émouvant.  De nombreuses personnes se sont spontanément levées pour partager ...
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2024 Spaghetti Supper, Saturday, April 13

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It was Saturday, March 25, 2023. I was in the church standing atop the stairs looking down over the lower hall. I was taking in the view of the neatly set up tables, pristine white tablecloths covering them, and cutlery placed at each seat. And as I watched the members and friends of the chorus who were preparing the spaghetti, salad plates, and rolls, as well as those helping to distribute the bowls of chips efficiently and neatly on each table, I recognized that this event was part of a long tradition. I felt a sense of gratitude, pride, and humility of being part of a classy organization. According to Alan Briand, our Musical Director, the tradition began "as a means to help our members with contest expenses. Being a small chorus, we did not want anyone to miss the experience because of money.”  ( For those of you who are  interested in or thinking of joining us, every year in the spring, we travel down to Lake George, New York, to compete at the Western Regi...
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Célébrons notre 65e année : un voyage à travers le temps

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  C'est avec une joie immense et une impatience palpable que nous annonçons le début du compte à rebours pour notre spectacle annuel de notre 65e année d’existence ! La Chorale a c appella South Shore , également connu sous le nom de Chorale Barbershop South Shore Saints, est fière d'être membre de la Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). Nous sommes la seule chorale d'hommes a cappella au Québec dédié au chant dans le style barbershop, c’est-à-dire, des chansons arrangées en harmonie à quatre voix (ténor, lead, baryton et basse). À notre connaissance, nous sommes aussi la seule chorale de la BHS à interpréter des chansons en français dans ce style ! Notre longue histoire d'engagement envers la communauté, depuis notre fondation en 1960, témoigne de notre dévouement à servir les communautés de la Rive-sud et de la Grande région de Montréal. Parmi nos réalisations, nous avons coordonné le printemps dernier le tout premier camp «  Harmony eXplosion Camp  », une ini...
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A Super Spaghetti Supper

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On a beautiful autumn evening last Saturday, September 27, the South Shore Saints (aka Chorale A Cappella South Shore) held their first and only Spaghetti Supper of the year.  Post-pandemic, we have held this fundraising event biannually, once in the spring and again in the fall, to cover registration fees for members participating in the spring regional and fall district conventions, respectively. This year, however, the chorus decided not to attend the spring regional convention in Lake George, NY, in large part because more than a few members were hesitant to travel across the border due to tensions with our neighbours to the south. And because attending the fall district convention is contingent on having qualified in the spring (which we had done for the past 3 years running, returning with the most improved chorus award each time), we had suddenly lost our justification for holding our cherished Spaghetti Suppers.  Yet every seemingly unfortunate event usually comes with...
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My Journey : Seeking Community

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It’s hard to believe, but I’m already in my 10 th  year with the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS), which is one of the pre-eminent organizations in the world of a cappella singing. In the summer of 2015, my wife and I were living in Virginia with our son. I was freelancing from home and cooking for the family, but circumstances were changing. Our son had recently been accepted to a prestigious high school, and my wife had just been offered a professorship in Montreal starting in 2017. To help our son finish high school in Virginia, I had to step up… or rather, step out… of the home. I needed to get a full time job. But having worked remotely from home for 7 years since relocating from Texas to Virginia, I had lost my social skills. I needed to get involved in my local community again. One summer evening, after pondering the most joyful activity I could imagine, and how I might best contribute to the local community, I had one of the clearest eureka (a-ha!) moments in my life. Tatsu...
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