You can count on First Capital Chorus' annual Remembrance show to bring back songs that evoke the eras of the First and Second World Wars.
And this year's 27th edition, We'll Meet Again – coming to Langley's Willoughby Church (20525 72 Ave.) on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. and South Surrey's St. Mark's Anglican Church (12953 20 Ave.) on Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. – is no exception.
Songs like Pack Up Your Troubles and It's a Long Way To Tipperary, or Sentimental Journey, The White Cliffs Of Dover, I'll Be Seeing You and the title tune, in the hands of the 20-member-strong barbershop-harmony-based mixed chorus, still provide an instant emotional link to the service and sacrifices of those years.
"These are the songs that people have always wanted to hear," noted longtime chorus member Denny O'Donovan.
But, as with all Remembrance concerts, the emphasis is not just on the past, but on the way forward, through a commitment to shared human values and the quest for global peace, as evidenced by such numbers as Let There Be Peace on Earth and What a Wonderful World.
Musical director Tiffany Chen, who came to the choir just after COVID, is continuing to exert a positive influence in growing the chorus' technical skills, O'Donovan said, while Clint Hall, who joined the singers just before COVID, is proving himself through yeoman service, including penning this year's script as well as taking on the role of master of ceremonies.
The six member sub-group of the chorus, Memory Lane, will also be featured on the songs Water Is Wide and Love At Home.
And, as this year's show co-ordinator, and Memory Lane member Derek Sanft explained, the overall theme has veered toward including more Canadiana, in addition to one of the perennial favourites of the concert, Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson's Hymn To Freedom.
"We have a Canada Medley that was created 20 years ago by Joey Minshall, who was one of the pre-eminent Sweet Adeline directors," said Sanft.
The angelic-voiced Uppa Tones female close-harmony folk trio, special guests for the Langley show, will also be introducing some Canadian content, he added.
And, well-known multi-talented pianist, singer and theatre director Kerry O'Donovan – Denny's son and special musical guest for the South Surrey performance – will perform a Leonard Cohen song as well as one of his favourites, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.
Choir member Boris Kraovec's two evocative solo contributions, Farewell to Nova Scotia and The Soldier, also emphasize the Canadian theme, Sanft and O'Donovan noted.
"We've been doing versions of this show for 26 years and we thought it was time we had a Canadian focus to it," Sanft said.
"It's not that we don't love and value the big picture, but we are in Canada and we're of Canada.
"The country seems to be in a bit of turmoil, changing the way we have operated after 100 years. We felt the need to focus on who and what Canada is; what we have become and what we are going to be on the world stage."
In that context, a newly added piece, When The Lights Go On Again (All Over The World) is not just a song marking the air-raid blackouts of the Second World War, but also a metaphor for the present day and our hopes for the future, Sanft said.
There's also a strong Canadian presence in the spoken-word portions of the programme, including John McCrae's immortal First World War poem In Flanders Fields, and the poem High Flight, written by Second World War RCAF airman John McGee.
The latter, also a nod to the 100th anniversary of the air branch of the Canadian Forces, will be read by choir member Bill Findlay, himself a former RCAF reserve pilot who spent the rest of his career flying for Air Canada before his retirement five years ago.
Tickets for We'll Meet Again ($25 for all seats, complimentary admission for veterans and peacekeepers) are available at www.eventbrite.ca/o/langley-first-capital-chorus-65047375463 or at Pelican Rouge Cafe in White Rock, or Westland Insurance at Willowbrook Mall, Langley.
