Cranberry Community Hall has a new monthly music event thanks to some helpful suggestions from residents who frequent its regular Sunday coffee houses.
Cranberry Hall Sunday Song Circle host Pat Buckna hopes to see musicians of all levels come together at the new afternoon monthly gathering.
“A lot of people were saying it would be nice to just sit around and play some songs together, rather than a performance,” says Buckna, also the vice-president of Cranberry Community Hall Association. “So this was a way to get people to sit around and sing and play music, or even to come and listen.”
Buckna says the song circle allows musicians and singers to share and teach others songs, join in with their instrument or voice, ask questions about songwriting or just drop by to enjoy the music. Attendees sit in a circle and everyone has a chance to participate, he says.
Alternating Sundays with the existing evening coffee house, the afternoon song circle debuted last month with a dozen musicians attending, including several guitar players, a fiddler and a mandolin player.
“There was a real variety and people were playing different kinds of songs and using different techniques,” says Buckna.
Since then, Buckna has set up a Facebook group for participants that allows them to share songs with each other before each circle.
The monthly song circle was designed to be a family-friendly event and is open to anyone, with all donations going toward the costs of running the community space.
With the hall’s improved acoustics, after significant renovations two years ago, Buckna says it’s a great environment for accomplished musicians and beginners alike, and the spirit of communal expression in the building is tangible.
“It’s like singing in your living room,” says Buckna. “It really is nice, and it’s designed to be a warm and friendly atmosphere, and it’s non-competitive. Come share a song or join in, or just come and listen and enjoy.”
Cranberry Hall Sunday Song Circle
WHEN: 2-5 pm, Sunday, January 17
WHERE: Cranberry Community Hall
PRICE: Suggested $5 donation
INFO: 604.485.5198 or [email protected]
