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| Wader Holdags Begin Hore!. Among Christians, Advent â€" those weeks leadâ€" ing up to the annual celebraâ€" tion of Christ‘s birth â€" is a necessary and distinct seaâ€" son of the church year, a time when waiting is meanâ€" ingful and â€" anticipation becomes a precious spiritual journey. The occasion also marked the release of their latest CD, See Amid the Winter‘s Snow. s retailers and adverâ€" A;isers frantically count own the shopping days until Christmas, it seems the whole world is caught up in a commercially orchestrated rush to the December 25th finishâ€"line. Who stops anymore to reflect on what really comes before, and after, the "big day?" For a large Sunday gathâ€" ering at St. Peter‘s Lutheran Church _ in _ downtown Kitchener, the 50â€"voice Menno Singers (directed by Dr. Peter Nikiforuk and accompanied by organist Jan Overduin}, memorably captured and shared the essence of Advent in an hour of sacred concert and worâ€" ship. Like the album, which comes just in time for those Menno Singers‘ serene music slows down the seasonal rush Recapturing Advent: is relocating it‘s Westmount Place Plaza Office to UPTOWN WATERLOO | Same great service â€" came great etaff{!!! / 1 Pat, Vicky, Nita, Carol, Donna & Elizabeth 1 invite you to visit them in : By Pavume FincH For The Chronicle January 2001 at 22 King Street South Among choirâ€"only selecâ€" tions {covering about half the recorded program) a litâ€" tleâ€"known Peruvian carol, Los Negritos, by _ the eighteenthâ€"century Spanish emigre Juan de Araujo, was a standout with its lively evoâ€" cation of Christ‘s nativity, as seen through the eyes of native children. It featured dynamic vocal dialogue between wellâ€"matched sopranos Timea Goulding and Linda Janzen, to which the rest of the ensemble responded with a dialect Unlike _ many â€" similar events, the central incarnaâ€" tional message of both spoâ€" ken and sung Word was preâ€" sented with clarity, artistry and care. The congregation was also included in four hymns chosen to emphasize the journey to Christmas, as opposed to the more comâ€" mon music of premature An added bonus (besides the generosity of free admisâ€" sion) was a series of interâ€" spersed readings that mirâ€" rored or contrasted with choral gems spanning nearâ€" ly three centuries. seeking meaningful alternaâ€" tives to seasonal gadgetâ€"givâ€" ing, Sunday‘s live experience brought together â€" joyful, tasteful, _ reflective _ and unusual music from near and far. Across from Waterloo Town Square Same phone number " as always I 886â€"7570 And right from the musiâ€" cal roots of Mennonite comâ€" munity singing came three Christmas motets (Song of the Angel, Song of the Virgin, Songs at the Stable) full of challenging, vigorous rhythms and contrasting luminous melodies. Everything on this allâ€" tooâ€"brief program "worked," not only as a muchâ€"needed return to seasonal signifiâ€" cance and sanity, but also as the enduring spiritual signaâ€" ture of an ensemble that has weathered difficult times and come back better than ever to reclaim its true musiâ€" cal voice. The Menno Singers‘ latâ€" est CD, See Amid the Winter‘s Snow, was recorded locally at St. Matthews Lutheran Church and is available at Music Plus, 5 Michael St., Kitchener. Highly recomâ€" mended. Both concert and recordâ€" ing have done fine justice as well to Hugo Distler‘s Lo, How a Rose E‘er Blooming, arguably one of the finest twentiethâ€"century _ treatâ€" ments of this classic German nonsense refrain, "gulumbe, gulumbe..." â€" easier said, than sung at lightning On 15 and 16, the Menno Singers again host the popular Mennonite Mass Choir, with the Kâ€"W Symphony, in â€" Handel‘s Messiah, 7:30 p.m. each evening at Centre in the Square. Soloists include Sharla Nafziger (soprano)}, Anita Krause (alto), Dennis Giesbrecht â€" (tenor) _ and (Pauline Finch is a local amateur musician and fullâ€" time student at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.) Daniel Lichti (bass}. M YORK NURSERY since 1946 1541 Highland Rd. W., Kitchener, Ont. 745â€"9876 December Hours: Mon.â€" Fri. 9â€"8; Sat. 9â€"5; Sun. 12â€"5 FOR YOUR FAVOURITE GARDENER * Copper Garden Art * Butterfly Houses * Wind Chimes * Sun Dials * Lanterns * Wrought Iron Trellises, Obelisks & Stands * Garden Sculpture * Birdbaths & Feeders * Pottery * Tree Ornaments ARTIFICIAL GREENS & BERRY STEMS 30% OFF GIFT IDEAS Brighten your holiday season with POINSETTIAS beautiful bushy poinsettias Available in wide range of colors géf? 5 â€" 8 blooms, 6" pot fl & m T ~ O y â€" from 6.49 4‘ â€" 9‘ sizes Hanging indoors for easy viewing * Scotch Pine « White Pine * Spruce * Balsam * Fraser Fir CHRISTMAS TREES