Our Christmas Market is an event that we always look forward to each year, and so much work happens behind the scenes months and months in advance to make it all happen. We want to thank all of you for joining us on Saturday, November 23rd 2024, and to all of the organizers, staff, volunteers (bakers, chefs/cooks, greeters, jam, jelly, pickle & chutney makers, knitters, counters, decorators, etc. etc.), vendors, and sponsors for making this event such a success. Extra special thanks to Mary Anne and Pat for leading the way!
Here are just a few snapshots from the day
We also wanted to send a big thank you to Fearless Meat for donating some ground meat for our savoury pies, What a Bagel for contributing to our Bake Table, and Starbucks at 1960 Queen St. E for donating two gift baskets!
And thank you to all the realtors who donated Gingerbread Houses for our raffle:
The Barbara Best Group The Bryce Group Desmond Brown Re/Max Real Estate Team Judy Robinson Royal LePage Nicola St. John from Bosley The Richards Group The Wright Sisters
Beach United Church is excited to present celebrated organist David Simon, as he shares a modern Advent and Christmas-themed concert for the Holiday season, including works by Derek Holman, Adolphus Hailstork, and Melissa Dunphy on Saturday, December 21st at 4:30pm. Let the majestic sound of the Beach United Church organ wash over you and fill you with the spirit of the Holiday season at this ‘not-to-be-missed’ Christmas concert.
David Simon is an organ recitalist, liturgical musician, and music instructor. He is the Director of Music at the historic Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto where he directs the Gallery Choir, accompanies the liturgy, and maintains the musical tradition made famous by the work of his predecessor Healey Willan. David also has the privilege of teaching organ, piano, and music theory at St. Michael’s Choir School, having grown up there as a chorister himself. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University and has studied with Thomas Murray, Jeff Brillhart, and Patricia Wright. He is a Fellow of the RCCO, winning prizes for top national achievement.
A prize-winning recitalist and improviser, David won first prize in both the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO) national competition and the University of Michigan’s organ improvisation competition. David has performed across North America, the UK, Europe, and Russia, and he maintains a busy concert and teaching schedule. He is in particular demand as an organ improvisation teacher, giving lectures for Organ Festival Canada, instructing at the RCCO Summer Organ Academy, and giving masterclasses for various centers of the RCCO; David also maintains a private studio which includes students from across Canada.
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Beach United‘s warm, inviting hall serves as the perfect backdrop for this concert – the concert is pay-what-you-can, and proceeds support our year-round community programs
Join family, friends & community as we celebrate the magic of the season!
Sunday, December 1st at 10:30am Advent I: Hope. Together we begin the journey toward Christmas! As the song goes, ‘We need a little Christmas right now’ – and this is where it starts.
Sunday, December 8th at 10:30 am Advent II: Peace. With all that’s going on in the world, let’s take a moment to find the quiet centre, and embrace the peace and calm that restores us.
Sunday, December 15th at 10:30am Advent III: Love. Christmas is for kids, and today we tell magical stories of this special season. And the Hand Bells will be playing! Feel free to wear your PJs, Christmas sweaters, or comfy clothes, bring your favourite stuffie and maybe a cushion, and we’ll have cookies (baked by the children!) and milk.
Saturday, December 21st at 7:30pm This is the Longest Night of the Year, and we mark the winter solstice in candlelight and song. Christmas is a difficult time for many, especially those who may be grieving, alone, or struggling. This is a time to recentre and reflect amid all the hubbub of the season.
Sunday, December 22nd at 10:30am Advent IV. Our annual Christmas Cantata, a musical celebration of “This is Christmas” by Mary McDonald performed by the Beach United Choir and guests.
Tuesday, December 24th at 4:00pm Family Christmas Eve celebration as we tell the ancient story of Christmas with a fun twist.
Tuesday, December 24th at 10:00pm Traditional Candlelight and Carols Christmas Eve with Communion
Sunday, December 29th at 10:30am We continue our celebration of Christmas with a holiday sing-a-long, muffins and cider, and surprises. Wear your Christmas jammies or ugly sweater.
We are excited to present acclaimed Canadian Jazz musicians Joe Sealy, Paul Novotny and Heather Bambrick on Saturday, December 14th at 4:30pm as they celebrate the season with original songs and holiday favourites. Performing songs off their recent Christmas release, ‘The Man in the Red Suit’, as well as well-known holiday classics, this is not a concert you’ll want to miss!
Entry is pay what you can, with a suggested minimum donation of $10. All proceeds go towards Beach United’s year-round Community Programs.
About our Performers
Paul Novotny In his 40-year career, Canadian bassist, composer, music producer, author, educator, and innovator Paul Novotny has performed with such eminent international jazz artists as Kenny Wheeler, Geoff Keezer, Cedar Walton, Junior Mance, Jo-Anne Brakeen, and singers David Clayton Thomas, Roger Whitaker, John Findley, Jackie Richardson, Ranee Lee, Aida Lee, Barbra Lica, and Holy Cole.
A multiple Juno-nominated co-leader with pianist/composer Joe Sealy, Novotny produced five recordings, including Sealy’s 1996 Juno-winning Africville Suite on his Triplet Records label. In addition, he has co-written songs with singers Dan Hill, and Molly Johnson.
In 1994, he produced singer Carol Welsman’s Juno-nominated recording Lucky to Be Me, which led to a performance at Club Blue Note in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 1993, he performed with the Holy Cole Trio at the Japanese Grand Prix Golden Disc Awards as the Trio won awards for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Album. In 2012, he produced, performed on, and released Barbra Lica’s first album That’s What I Do, which debuted at #1 on the Canadian iTunes jazz chart and was released in Japan by Universal Music.
As a composer and performer, Novotny has created music and sound design for commercials, feature films, television franchises, and video games including: The Canadian Broadcasting Company’s The National (2021) and The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos (2004), Newsworld’s News Now (2005), the (2016) film short Mishka, and the soundtrack for the internationally acclaimed, multi-platinum award winning Cuphead video game in (2017).
Novotny is on the faculty of Centennial College, Toronto, and the pedagogical educational advisory committees for Neumann, Eventide, The Les Paul Foundation, OekSound, Bettermaker, and Sonarworks.
Joe Sealy For more than five decades Joe Sealy has enjoyed a successful career as a musician, actor, composer, music director and recording artist. Tours have also played a significant part in Joe’s career. Some of the more notable ones include:
6 months on the road with Blood, Sweat and Tears;
19 concert tour of Africville Suite(including an appearance at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.);
20 city national tour of Timothy Findlay’s Piano Man’s Daughter(along with Veronica Tennant and Sylvia Tyson);
2 week tour of Norway and Denmark including a performance at the world famous Jazz House in Copenhagen.
4 Time Juno Nominee and 1 juno Award Winner
All of this work and success has not gone unnoted. Joe is both proud of, and humbled by, the acclaim he has received. Major awards include: a Juno Award for CD, Africville Suite; the Dora Mavor MooreAward for music direction in the Toronto production of Ain’t Misbehavin; and a GeminiAward nominationfor his musical score for the documentary film The Road Taken.
In 2010, Joe was invested in The Order Of Canada.
Heather Bambrick JUNO-nominated vocalist Heather Bambrick prides herself on being an entertainer through and through. From her skillful, effortless interaction with audiences, to the variety and breadth of her material, Heather approaches every aspect of her performances with the goal of leaving audiences feeling far better after her shows than before they arrived. This is why her concerts have been described as what happens when “Ella Fitzgerald meets Carol Burnett at a Newfoundland kitchen party”.
It’s not only audiences who appreciate Heather’s talent. Critics and industry professionals place Heather on the top rung of the musical ladder. “Heather hits every right note”, says Mark Rheume of CBC Radio. WholeNote Magazine calls her “one of the finest jazz singers in this country”, and All About Jazz says her voice is a “paragon of clarity” and that “she’s the real deal in every way”.
As one of Canada’s top Jazz vocalists, Heather has collaborated with some of the best around, including Phil Nimmons, Fred Hirsch, Gene DiNovi, Guido Basso, Anne Hampton Callaway, Carol Welsman, Jackie Richardson, Ian Shaw, as well as the late Rob McConnell and Peter Appleyard. She’s a founding member of vocal ensembles The Beehive Singers and Broadsway, and has appeared as a guest performer with numerous Jazz ensembles, as well as with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic, and the Windsor Symphony Orchestra.
