A New Era

Welcome to a brand new era for the Victoria Gaelic Choir! So many changes in such a short time, but all of them are leaving me with a wonderful sense of productivity and positivity.

Change #1: As simple and as obvious as it sounds, it's a new year. We're now two weeks into 2013, despite some expectations of an apocalypse in 2012 that, just like Y2K doomsday predictions, turned out to be complete bunk. Surprise, surprise. Thankfully, this means that we get to continue on singing away! January also means Burns season, so we are gearing up for three upcoming Burns performances. Our first performance of the season and of the new year is coming up this Saturday with two more following next Friday. Check out our Upcoming Events page for more information.

Change #2: We held our AGM in early December and shook up our Executive, welcoming three new members, allowing one member to take some time off and rest, and shifting some positions around. This year's Executive is as follows:

President - Elizabeth Bennett
Vice-President - Jean Layland
Secretary - Margaret Chapman
Treasurer - Thelma Bell
Members-at-Large - Bonnie Boulter, Irena Jazwinski and Lois Theaker
Past President - Sharron Gunn

As you can probably guess from the "Past President" position, I am one of the changes! I've given up my position as member-at-large in charge of media and public relations and taken on the presidency. I am joined by a fantastic team of wonderful individuals and am looking forward to a successful year together. We've already had our first Executive meeting and have made ourselves some lofty and much-needed goals, which leads to...

Change #3: Inverness! We've been throwing about plans for a trip to Scotland and the Royal National Mod for some years now and have come to the conclusion that Inverness in 2014 is a go. We've already begun to plan, beginning with booking accommodation. Yep, it's really happening! There's plenty to do to prepare for the competition, so it's a good thing we've got a few months to organize ourselves! Accommodation is the first and most important step. From there, we'll be figuring out which choir members are committed to going, how many of those members have Gaelic language cards and how many more we'll need to meet the quota, arrange flights, fundraise, talk subsidies... the list of tasks goes on and on. One step at a time, though, and we're underway!

Change #4: Our online presence has been somewhat limited over the last few months, and we're making big strides to change that and move ourselves into the big scary world of social media and more. To that end, welcome to our brand new website! We also have a brand new and shiny Facebook page to add to our existing YouTube channel. Twitter will be coming soon. So you can bookmark us, like us, subscribe to us, follow us, email us... basically any verb you could possibly want to achieve online! It's an exciting new venture for us, so be sure to check our various sites for updates and more entertainment.

Change #5: I've changed our email newsletter, the Guth nan Eilean Chronicler, to a blog for more convenient distribution and updating. Of course, you've noticed that, since you're reading the blog... The website will also be used for uploading and distributing the audio files we used to burn onto CDs and the translation and pronunciation guides we've been printing and giving to choir members. Yes, this means we're moving more into the digital world and, in turn, saving the environment!

I think that sums up all the changes so far. No doubt there will be more in the coming months.

In other news, I'm going to take this opportunity to remind everyone that January is not only Burns month, it is also Alzheimer Awareness Month. As many of you know, I'm heavily involved with the Alzheimer Society of BC and Chair the Investors Group Walk for Memories in Victoria. The IG Walk for Memories is an annual fundraiser for the Society and is held on the last Sunday of January in various locations across BC as the culmination of Alzheimer Awareness Month. This year's Walk is on January 27 and will be at the Edelweiss Club in Victoria. Registration opens at 9 am and the Walk begins at 10 am. You can register at www.walkformemories.com or just show up and register on the day. Collect donations and support a wonderful cause - it is estimated that 1 in 3 Canadians know someone with Alzheimer's or related dementia... who do you know? You can also join my team here or donate to me here.

And in yet more news, I've just accepted the role of the Honourable Gwendolen Fairfax in the upcoming Peninsula Players production of The Importance of Being Earnest. The play will be running in April and I will keep you all updated so you can come see the show. I'll be working with a fantastic cast and a director with a lot of fun ideas, beginning with setting the play in the '60s Mod era. Yep, that means amazing geometric and colourful dresses and, potentially, a crazy 5-point haircut for me! Ah, the things we do for art...

That's it for now, folks. I'd love to hear your feedback on the new website and Facebook page, so feel free to contact me or leave comments on the blog.

Happy singing, and I hope to see you at the Walk on the 27th!

Liz