An archive of videos and performances that allowed our community to stay connected during the pandemic
“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind, and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole.” — Anonymous
Easter Anthem: And Can It Be?
Be Still
The choir invites you to share in a moment of stillness with them. Composed by Mary McDonald, this beautiful piece speaks about the desire for peace, and ensures the listener of God’s closeness in those moments of silence and stillness.
Song for a Winter’s Night
A Canadian classic by Gordon Lightfoot, ‘Song for a Winter’s Night’ is a beautiful piece about love, loneliness, and of course, the coldness of winter. As we all get through this long, dark winter together, the choir hopes that this rendition brings warmth and light into your home.
Christmas Anthem: See Amid the Winter’s Snow
The Beach United Church choir wishes you all a very Merry Christmas with their rendition of the beautiful Christmas Carol, See Amid the Winter’s Snow.
Advent Anthem: Winter Song
Winter Song is a the result of a collaboration between two top indie vocalists, Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. The result is a simple, yet powerful song about finding love during the cold, dark months of winter. The choir has put together a beautiful arrangement for their Advent Anthem this year. Bundle up and take a listen!
Remembrance Day Anthem: I Dreamed of Rain
I Dreamed of Rain by Composer Jan Garrett describes the great comfort she finds in the images of rain, clear-running rivers, moon-rise, guardian stars, and flowers blooming in the desert.
When she wrote the piece in 2002, it had been a particularly hot dry year, and wild fires were raged across much of the western US. In her words:
“[At the time] The political scene felt equally troubling and out-of-control to me: The American government seemed intent on invading Iraq. It was as if the whole world was on fire. In the midst of all this unrest, I began to have dreams of rain; the kind of luscious healing rain that comes to renew the natural world and the human soul after a long drought. The words and music for this song are a direct translation of that exhilarating feeling. We no longer have to repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. We are free to forgive, release the pain, and start over again with a clean slate.”
Thanksgiving Choral Celebration: Thank You for the Music
Members of the choir are excited to share a cover of the ABBA song, ‘Thank You for the Music’ for this year’s Thanksgiving Anthem. An old favourite, the lyrics discuss a deep gratitude for music and its role in our daily lives. The choir wishes everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
“What would life be?
Without a song or a dance, what are we?
So I say thank you for the music
For giving it to me.”
New Choir Anthem: Down to the River to Pray
The Fall is here, and that means the choir is back at rehearsals! While we’re not quite back to full strength after the summer, a few members of BUC’s Choir put together a beautiful performance of the Appalachian spiritual, ‘Down to the River to Pray’. (You might even hear a bit of Gospel organ) We hope it brings you peace and happiness!
— Steven Webb
Candle in the Wind
Candle in the Wind has always been one of my favourite Elton John pieces. I’ll never forget hearing him sing it at Princess Diana’s funeral as a child, and the impact the song left on me. I hope it brings you peace and joy during these difficult times.
Hold Me, Rock Me
For our Mother’s Day service, our choir has prepared this beautiful work by Brian Tate, which makes clever use of texts from a variety of popular spirituals. Enjoy the feeling of being rocked to sleep as the music washes over you.
Gymnopédies No. 1 and No. 3 – A Piano Meditation
Trois Gymnopédies are three piano compositions written by French composer and pianist Erik Satie in 1888. I find the pieces to be both incredibly calming, while also being tinged with melancholy. Try listening to them while meditating or relaxing at home.
Make You Feel My Love
This beautiful love song composed by Bob Dylan, and more recently made famous by Adele, is a beautiful song of someone’s love for another person. I hope that it reminds you of your own loved ones, and how love and compassion for one another will help get us through these difficult times together.
Walk With Me God
“Walk with me God when troubles haunt me
Walk with me God when worries mount.
For nobody else can ease my burdens
Nobody else can still my doubt.”
Let It Be – Late Night Beatles Performance
“And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be“
Just a short, late night piano performance of one of my favourite Beatles pieces, ‘Let It Be’. The lyrics bring me comfort in times like these, and I hope they do the same for you.
-Steven Webb
Winter Snow
“Jesus came like the Winter Snow, quiet, and soft, and slow.”
Our choir performs a beautiful rendition of Audrey Assad’s piece, ‘Winter Snow’, which speaks of the unexpected way that Jesus came into the world, and how the gentle touch of God can be felt in the smallest of things, including the snowflakes, falling from above.
The Winter Lakes
In this cold and dark time of year, take a listen to ‘The Winter Lakes’, composed by our music director, Steven Webb with text by Canadian poet William Wilfred Campbell. It speaks to the hidden beauty found within the harsh landscape of Southern Ontario and the Great Lakes in wintertime.
Performed by the Exultate Chamber Singers, May 2017
“Out in a world of death far to the northward lying,
Under the sun and the moon, under the dusk and the day;
Under the glimmer of stars and the purple of sunsets dying,
Wan and waste and white, stretch the great lakes away.”
Silent Night – Beach United Church Choir
Take a listen to our choir singing a beautiful arrangement of Silent Night. May it bring you Peace, Hope, Love, and Joy in this Christmas season.
A gift from Alana Bridgewater to Beach United Church
One Day – Beach United Church Choir
Take a listen to our choir singing the hopeful and inspiring piece, ‘One Day’. Together, we truly can inspire change and move to living in a better world.
We Rise Again – Beach United Church Choir
Our choir is back, and sounding lovelier than ever! Take a moment to listen to this wonderful rendition of Leon Dubinsky’s We Rise Again, sung by members of the choir from living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and more!
A Musical Reflection on Planet Earth
Throughout history, musicians have been responding to the world around them through their artwork, and a response to the natural world through music stretches across the centuries.
In response to the current global climate emergency, I’ve put together a collection of pieces from musicians from various backgrounds and genres, that I hope serves to both remind you of this incredible planet we call home, as well as putting a potential fire in your belly to bring about personal changes in your own life to benefit our planet. Systematic changes in our society are needed to help stave off both a climate and extinction crisis before it’s too late. I hope you enjoy this collection of music about our planet earth and the creatures that live on it.
Weekly Musical Meditation #3
For this week’s Musical Meditation I’ve arranged two favourite blessings from our regular BUC Sunday Services. I hope they bring you peace and solace this week!
-Steven Webb
My Love Colours Outside The Lines
Here’s a very special arrangement of the More Voices hymn: ‘My Love Colours Outside The Lines’ I did a few years ago. I hope you all enjoy it!
-Steven Webb
Weekly Musical Meditation #2
Featured on this week’s Musical Meditation is a favourite from More Voices: Spirit, Open My Heart. I hope it brings you peace and joy this week
– Steven Webb
Weekly Musical Meditation
Sit back and listen to some piano improvisation by our music director, Steven Webb, over two beautiful hymns for this week’s Weekly Musical Meditation. Check back weekly for new videos!
Precious Lord
Listen to this virtual performance of a beautiful version of Precious Lord, arranged and edited by our music director, Steven Webb.
Listen to our hearts
“Listen to our hearts” Words and music by Steven Curtis Chapman and Geoff Moore.
About the artist
My name is Michael Eldridge. I’m a pharmacist by trade with a passion for singing. I’ve been blessed by God with the opportunity to share my love for the classic acapella hymns I grew up singing, and still sing today.
A gift of music from Steven Webb
Click link below to listen
https://foreigncity.bandcamp.com/track/spring
I wrote and recorded the song “Spring” with my friend Shannon a few years ago; it’s about looking for hope in a difficult time and I would love to share it with the BUC community. We originally wrote it about the difficulties of long winters in Winnipeg and emerging from that time into the wonder of spring, but the words work well during these difficult times.
Steven Webb , Composer | Collaborative Pianist | Audio Engineer
Steven Webb: Piano Moods While Self-Isolating
Our music director, Steven Webb has shared some beautiful piano music while self-isolating from home. He had the following message: “I so miss playing piano for all of you on Sunday mornings that I put a short video together of some songs I thought would be appropriate during this crisis. I hope it brings you some peace and joy during these difficult times. I hope to see you all again very soon! Stay safe.”