FERGUS – A new musical event will make its debut on Nov. 16 at noon at Melville United Church in Fergus, where pianist Brad Halls will present Mid-day Music at Melville.
This series of performances will take place each Wednesday from noon to 1:30pm, providing audience members with the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing music in the middle of what might otherwise be a busy day in the middle of a busy week.
Halls will draw from The Great American Songbook – compositions by the great popular songwriters of the previous century, including Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen and many others, and music written for the Broadway stage and the Hollywood musical.
Each Wednesday performance will feature the songs of a particular songwriter and some introductions to that composer’s biography and the origins of the songs.
The debut performance on Nov, 16 will feature songs by George Gershwin.
Admission is by donation with all proceeds going to Melville United Church.
Halls was born and raised in Fergus, and returned to live in his home town a decade ago after living and practising law in Cobourg, Ontario for 35 years.
Throughout his career, he has lived a sort of double life – as a lawyer by day and pianist, singer and songwriter by night.
He was the producer of and principal performer of Words and Music at Cobourg’s historic Victoria Hall for more than 25 seasons and was the frequent music director of musical productions by The Northumberland Players.
Since returning to Fergus, Halls sings with the Guelph Chamber Choir, has played jazz regularly at Manhattans in Guelph and has been the music leader at Bethany and Barrie Hill United Churches He has been a featured performer at the concert series at the Wellington County Museum and will be appearing there in concert in January 2023.
