Hillhurst United Church Choir
From September until June, The HUC choir meets regularly on Thursdays, from 6:45-9pm in the church sanctuary. We come together on Sunday mornings at 10am to rehearse the service's anthem and hymns. New choir members of any age are always welcome, even on a short term basis. If you like to sing and have fun, join us on Thursdays and Sundays (except the last Sunday of the month, when our house band Junket plays). Experience and an excellent singing voice are not required. Contact us or just show up!
In addition to providing special music for Sunday worship services, the choir puts on an annual cantata at Hillhurst with special guests from the community. Most recently the choir performed "Singin' in the Spirit!", a celebration of African-American spirituals.
There are also several opportunities to become involved as an instrumentalist. If you play guitar, bass, drums or any other solo instrument, we'd love to hear from you! Please contact our choir director for more information.
Our music is a blend of traditional and contemporary, from Bach to Leonard Cohen. We are sometimes accompanied by our excellent pipe organ (one of the few of its kind in the city), piano, guitar and many other instruments. The last Sunday of every month, the choir takes a break and the congregation enjoys a more contemporary sound with a five piece band and soloists (Junket).
Justin Macosky is the Director of our choir. He comes to us from his position as Music Director at Forest Lawn United Church, where he began to appreciate choral music at a very young age, singing with the adult choir at practices at the age of four. A few years later he joined the Mount Royal Family of Choirs, including the Junior Childrens Choir, Childrens Choir (with which he toured to Vancouver and the Maritimes), and seven years in the Youth Choir, where he toured to Mexico and was part of the 100 Voices Up Highway 2 Tour in the spring of 2010. Justin also has sung in the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus Chamber Choir, and directed the Womens Chorus for the performance of Holst's “Planets” in February 2009. In September of 2006, Justin started a children's choir at Forest Lawn United Church with 10 members, who are featured with Justin on his album “Past, Present & Future” produced in August of 2007. Justin is also currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Ismaili Muslim Youth Choir of Calgary.
The Band
The last Sunday of each month, the Hillhurst house band Junket plays relevant music; everything from Elton John to Michael Buble. Band members Paul Lung, Jeff Meszaros, Gregor Schoenberg, Ron Cortes and Doug Murphy are some of the people who might be playing or singing. Their music is energetic and contemporary. You won't want to miss them!