Accent Women's Ensemble is back and excited to perform

After a few years of being unable to perform publicly, Meredith Hutchinson of Accent Women’s Ensemble is excited to be back.  

For those unfamiliar with Accent Women’s Ensemble, they are a local community choir made up of women ages 18 and up. 

“We've got quite a span of women of all ages of all abilities of all walks of life, and we're just coming together and it's great that music sort of binds us,” says Hutchinson, adding that the group meets twice a month and puts on approximately two concerts a year. 

They will have a concert on Sunday, January 22, at 2 PM taking place at the Mennonite Heritage Museum's auditorium. Tickets are $12, $5 for students, and kids 12 and under receive free admission. Hutchinson adds that no physical tickets will be circulating. Those interested in attending can show up on the day of the concert. 

“Bring the little kids. It's a whole family affair. We like to kind of establish a pretty informal environment so that people can come and listen and enjoy themselves. Laugh, cry, who knows,” says Hutchinson.

Over the past few years, she has recognized the desire for opportunities to join a community and sing.  

“We live in a very musical place here. And every year and gaining more and more singers that are reaching out, that are hearing about these choir opportunities. I mean, Steinbach is growing and they're looking for stuff to do,” 

For Hutchinson, she misses performing and receiving the “energy you get from the audience.” 

“The smiles on their faces, chatting with them later, and just knowing that we played a little part in making their day better. It's special,” 

The concert will include a diverse range of styles. There will be classical, sacred, contemporary, pop, broadway, folk and jazz. Small groups will be performing their numbers, and there will be instruments such as violins and guitars to accompany the choir. 

“Come peek in on what we do. We'd love to have you listen for a change instead of just singing for ourselves," Hutchinson says. "It's nice to share that gift, and these women work hard, and they're committed. It's time to put on another show.”  

With files from Michelle Sawatzky.