The Friends of Leith Church invite you to participate in the maintenance and restoration of this historic 'Auld Kirk' by attending the many events and concerts planned for this year. We have purposely retained our traditional low-ticket prices in order to build an audience for The Leith Summer Festival, which continues to feature some of the finest artists performing today in Canada. From CEILIDH to CHRISTMAS we present a menu of services, performances and activities that will provide a wonderful introduction to the outstanding acoustics and beauty of our heritage church and its surroundings.

Saturday April 14th [7:30 pm] - Brian Pickell Band - Canada’s outstanding traditional music group, The Brian Pickell Band will make its fourth appearance in as many years at Historic Leith Church on Saturday April 14 at 7:30 pm, the final stop on their Ontario ‘Spring Fling’ tour. Featuring a program of Brian’s original tunes and songs, this years’s concert will also include many of his latest compositions. The Brian Pickell Band combines the talents of five widely acclaimed virtuosos of Canadian-Celtic roots music and highlights the combined fiddle-power of Mark Sullivan, three time Canadian Grand Master and Open fiddle champion and Ottawa Valley veteran James Stephens. Joining with them is Canada’s finest traditional keyboard player Julie Schryer, ‘pipes, celtic flute and whistle artist Pat O’Gorman and of course, Brian Pickell with his songs, guitar and mandolin. And look for a few surprises along the way. It all adds up to a memorable evening of music in the intimate space of Historic Leith Church.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased at Jensen Music and The Ginger Press in Owen Sound, the Annan-Way Nursery or the Muxlow Pharmacy in Meaford. They can also be obtained by ‘phone at 519-371-5316.

Sunday - May 13, 2007 [ 2:00 pm] - Donna Steinacher Bursary Concert - Emily Aquin with Peter Longworth - piano

Donna Steinacher, after whom this bursary is named, has been described as one of the foundations of the Georgian Bay Symphony Orchestra, and a renaissance woman due to her many interests and talents. She is a charter member of the Georgian Bay Symphony and the string group which preceded it, and was the first chairman of the Orchestra Board. She has played violin in the GBS orchestra for over 35 years and is now in charge of the organization’s archives. Just as important, she is totally committed to the cause of music education. The bursary, sponsored by The Friends of Leith Church, is presented on an annual basis and is valued at a maximum of Five Thousand dollars, the exact amount to be determined by a combination of concert ticket sales and donations.

The Steinacher‘Bursary Concert this year will be presented at Historic Leith Church, on Sunday, Mother’s Day, May 14, 2007 at 2 pm. Concert tickets will go on sale January 15, 2007 at a price of $25. All proceeds from ticket sales and donations are directed to the bursary fund. Recipients of the Donna Steinacher award are selected from the geographical area of northern Grey and Bruce counties and will generally be graduates, or music students soon to graduate, from a baccalaureate level performance program, with the intention of pursuing further performance studies at a post-graduate level.

Last years recipient of the Five Thousand dollar award, was mezzo soprano Susanne Hawkins of Owen Sound who, after four years study at the Royal College of Music in London, England, is now associated with the Flanders Opera in Ghent, Belgium. Susanne will be singing in Owen Sound on April 6, 2007 as a soloist with the Georgian Bay Concert Choir’s presentation of the St. John Passion by J.S. Bach

The 2007 Bursary recipient, Emily Aquin, is a young woman who is very well known in the Owen Sound area as a violinist, teacher and a member of the string section of the Georgian Bay Symphony. After studying at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, is now pursuing post-graduate studies at the University of North Texas.

Emily Aquin graduated in 2006 from the Jacobs School of Music at the University of Indiana In Bloomington and holds the degrees of B.M. (Bachelor of Music) and M.M. (Master of Music.) She is now enrolled in the Graduate Artist Certificate in Music Performance program at the University of North Texas in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The String Area of the College of Music at N.T.U. is an integral part of one of the largest and most comprehensive music schools in the world. The Graduate Artist Certificate in Music Performance is a non-degree program providing an intensive, two-year period of post-baccalaureate study in music performance. It is intended as an alternative to master’s and doctoral degrees for exceptionally gifted and accomplished performers seeking professional performing careers, but not wishing to engage in the academic studies required for graduate degree programs. Emily is currently studying with Emanuel Borok, concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 1985, who has had a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral leader. Before coming to Dallas, Mr. Borok served for 11 seasons as associate concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and concertmaster of the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Sunday May 20 [ 2:30 pm] - 9th Annual Memorial Service and Cemetery Decoration Day

The memorial service is intended for persons with ancestors, family, or friends interred in the cemetery and presents an opportunity to both honour and remember them and also to bring attention to the presentation and maintenance of the grave sites.

It has become customary for the Friends of Leith Church (the sponsors of this service) to designate the graves of those who have served in Canada's military - from the Fenian Raids of the 1860's to the Armed Forces of the 21st century - with the placement of special flags or markers. (We invite relatives or friends of these veterans to assist in placing of the flags). Historical tributes to families represented in the cemetery are incorporated into the Memorial Service - this year the Buzza family. The representative speaker for this family will be Nancy Buzza Warren. The worship leader this year will be Frank Dabbs of Annan.

We invite you to attend, and participate in this year's Service and to play a part, if appropriate, in the cemetery decoration prior to and following the service.

** Friday June 22nd [ 7:30 pm] - LEITH SUMMER FESTIVAL - Concert One - In Recital

"Soprano", Michèle Bogdanowicz, tenor Lawrence Wiliford, with Robert Kortgaard, piano