Maple Ridge Secondary choir honour veterans in a virtual Remembrance Day performance

Maple Ridge Secondary School’s (MRSS) Remembrance Day Ceremony had a musical element with the MRSS choir recording and honouring the fallen heroes virtually.

The MRSS choir group sang together for the first time in 20 months, said Claire Oliverio, the choral director at MRSS.

“The experience was exhilarating. Over the past year, the students have worked hard in their homes to keep up their vocal development with zoom choir rehearsals. Since September, we have had the great joy of rehearsing in-person, socially-distant, and masked at MRSS,” she said.

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While singing with a mask on is incredibly difficult, not singing at all was harder on the students. And while the in-person singing aspects were suspended in the past months, the group has explore a variety of different skills, said Oliverio.

“These talented students have taken on great independence in their practicing, humble confidence in leadership roles, and kind collaboration in sharing music with meaning,” she added.

The students sang “O Canada” and “Make Them Hear You”, and the complete performances are available on YouTube.

“They were honoured to share their voices at MRSS to highlight the importance of hearing the stories we all have within us,” Oliverio said.

QUIZ: A time for remembrance