Balmoral Hall School - Optima Anni Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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26 'wsu il n I 49 . ig: v - I V 6 : 7 5 . ml. ri. Lf 'V 1 as Singing at Balmoral Hall Great emphasis is placed on singing at Balmoral Hall and greater enthusiasm than ever before has been indicated this year by the waiting list for a position in the School Choir and by the formation of a Choral Group. The Choir has had a busy year, beginning in November when they joined the Choir of St. Johns College for their Commemoration Service at the Cathedral. Special preparation for the Christmas Service was very worthwhile and the carols created the musical background for the acting and reading of the Christmas Story. Outf standing was the effort made by the Choir on that occasion. At intervals during the year they have sung anthems including, Awake Thou Wintry Earth , a Dutch carol of the seventeenth century, O Sacred Head , a Bach Chorale, and Doubt Not Thy Fatherls Care , by Elgar. The Choral Group was a new venture. A group of sixteen senior girls meets with Mrs. Birse each Tuesday after school for sightfreading and special singing. This group sang Lo How a Rose at the Carol Service and since then has had great fun preparing, among many others, The Glenlyon Lament and Little David, Play on Your Harp for the May Recital. This has been an exciting year for all who were fortunate enough to be in the Choir or who joined the Choral Group. Weekly singing classes continue, with emphasis being placed on diction, colour and shape. What a Choir Balmoral Hall will have some day, and we say a very real thank you to Mrs. Birse who, we think, has performed miracles. PAMELA MACCHARLBS, Grade X The Carol Service The gymnasium was quiet, lighted only by the Christmas trees on the walls, and in the air there was a faint trace of incense. It was December 18, and the scene was set for the Carol Service. Each girl in the choir carried a candle as they led the school in procession singing Once in Royal David's City and Harkl The Herald Angels Sing. After a short opening prayer by the Reverend G. F. Dyker, the story of the Nativity was pref sented in the traditional way. The Carol Service has become the heart of Balmoral Hall's observation of Christmas, and it is a muchfcoveted privilege to he one of the small group of senior girls who have an active part, either as a reader, or in one of the simple but moving tableaux through which the Christmas story is unfolded. The singing of the Choir and the School, which links the episodes in the story and reflects their moods, added greatly to the beauty of the service, and as the school and the choir left the gymnasium during the recessional, The First Nowelln, every' one felt once more the wonder and joy of Christmas. BETTY MCRAE The Celebrity Concerts During the winter we have enjoyed tastes of many varied forms of musical art. There was the spirited dancing of the American Ballet Theatre, the thrilling performance of Carmen by the Wagner Grand Opera Company, and in contrast, a relaxing evening of singing by Thomas L. Thomas. Among the solo instrumentalists, some of us preferred Berl Senofsky, the violinist, others especially liked Jose Iturbi, but we were all ex' tremely impressed by Glenn Gould's masterly per' formance of Bach's Goldberg Variations for which Mr. Gould has become justly noted. One of the highlights of the season was the concert by the Obenkirchen Children's Choir. Their singing of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was particularly captivating, and their departure with The Happy Wanderer made a delightful ending. The last concert was the Roger Wagner Chorale performance of Oklahoma This was in a decidedly lighter vein, but made a very popular conclusion to a season of good music. SHIRLEY DONALDSON, Grade X

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25 A Little Rabbit I have a rabbit His fur is nice and white, He plays all day And sleeps at night. CATHERINE Nizwcoivisn, Grade I The King's Weakness Once upon a time, far, far away, there lived a king. His name was King Motteran and very wicked he was. Any time the king went walking, which was very often, the people of the town would run into their houses and shut and bolt the doors for fear he would cut off their heads. The king had reigned now for two years and the population of the town had been reduced from seven thousand, eight hundred and eighty' two, to six thousand, seven hundred and eighty' one. The townspeople were becoming tired of always running away, so they gathered together one dark night to decide what they could do about it. They were talking and debating when a very elderly man said, The King must have a weakness, everybody has. But, what could it be? said one. What do most wicked kings hate? said another. I have it, said a third. Flowers! But how can we be sure? said another. Well, he seems to hate anything nice, so let's try the nicest thing there is, said the elderly man. We can ask the kitchen maids to decorate all the plates with flowers. We will ask them to put flowers in every vase in the castle, said the leader. We shall make him sneeze so much that he will be glad to be a pleasant king, great for his kindness, said one. And so they began. Everybody wore flowers. They put flowers in their houses. Flowers were planted everywhere. In the castle the king was sneezing and becoming quite furious, until almost in a split second it happened. His eyes got bigger and the frown turned to a smile. He stopped sneezing and it was as if a spell had come over him. Then he said, Everybody celebrate! I feel so happy. Everybody did celebrate and they too were very happy. From that time on the king had a new weakness-seeing that his subjects were always happy. MARGOT BROWN, Grade VI My Trees I walked along a tree filled lane, I smiled a happy smile, I thought of how l'd grown those trees That stretch from mile to mile. I walked along a treeless lane, A tear was in my eye, I thought of how the iire destroyed My trees that towered so high. MARGARET ARNo'rr, Grade VI The Bold Bad Pirate The bold, bad pirate of Huckerdydee Was a mean and fearless man, He killed many men while on the sea, With a cutlass in his hand. He had a ship called the Dragondondee, And a rough and scurvy crew, One night, while on the stormy sea, His ship was sunk in the blue. GWEN SIEMENS, Grade VI - GIFTS TO THE SCHOOL We are pleased to acknowledge many interest' ing and useful gifts to the school this past year and are also grateful to the parents and friends of Balmoral Hall who have contributed to the Prize and Scholarship Fund and to the Bursary Fund. We gratefully acknowledge the following gifts: Encyclopaedia Ganadiana - for Senior School Library. Encyclopaedia Ganadiana - for junior School Library. Filing Cabinet for Music. A very much needed new flag. Books for Junior and Senior Libraries. Subscription to Metropolitan Seminars in Art. Record holder for junior School Library. Rug for the Boarders' SittingfRoom. Playground Equipment - the gift of the Mothers' Auxiliary and Graduates of l954fl956. Special Shield for recording names of School Captains - gift of Graduates of 1957.

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THE DASHING WHITE SERGEANT 27 SENIOR PIANOFORTE AND SINGING RECITAL May 30th, 1958 O CANADA junior High School Choir THE MOON I . Schubert MARIANINA ,....I, , Italian Folk Song Duet-Nora Baker, Linda Leach Theme from THE UNFINISHED SYMPHONY , Schubert Solo-Marged Thomas I ,ITOOCATINA ., .Kabalevslqy Solo-Marilyn Gleshy The School Choir , . LIFT THINE EYES ,h,.. . I Mendelssohn Solo-Anne Sellers I AWAKE, THOU WINTRY EARTH ADAGIO ....n S, Dutch Carol 17th Century ,S,....,..I.Kuhlan Duet-Joan Gallie, Linda Pitt . . MINUET from SAMSON ,,ll,t Handel Solo-Lori McDougall . ECOSSAISES .. Beethoven The Choral Group ,,THE GLBNLYON LAMENT ,O ., LITTLE DAVID, PLAY ON YOUR HARP AI-Iugh S. Roberton . , Negro Spiritual Solo-Margaret Kosinski I VALSE in G Flat, Qpus '70 . . Chopin Duet-Carol Ann Fields, Penelope Shoemaker SPANISH DANCE . ,, Moszkoufslqi Solo-Valerie Saul... I ,S SONATO'1S1Z Movement, Opus 120 . Schubert Junior High School . , CONDUCTED ROUNDS Solo-Jacqueline Duncan .S FANTASIA IN D MINOR ..Mozart Solo-Diane McNaughton NOOTURNE . , Y.4., Grieg Solo-Heather Miller , MALAGUENA H S. .... Lecuona Senior High School Choir , THE GRACEFUL SWAYING WATTLE . I I , .Frank Bridge Hugh S. Roberton THE QUEEN A SENIOR DANCE GROUP A M. Fisher, E. Glena, D. D. Washington, M, Gooder. Results of Royal Academy of Dancing Examinations-May, 1958 ELEMENTARY O O I it MARGARET FISHER INTERMEDIATE . MARGARET FISHER ELAINE GLENA MARGARET GOODER MARGARE GOQDER DONNA DAY WASHINGTON T ADVANCED DONNA DAY WASHINGTON