Conductor Cheryl Fennema leads members of her choir in the music room at Coaldale Christian School.

With arms high in the air, Cheryl Fennema takes her stance as she conducts choir practice in the musical room at Coaldale Christian School. She loves directing the Coaldale Canadian Reformed church choir she joined three years ago as they prepare for their upcoming performance.  

The small but homey choir practices a series of songs they hold dearly to their hearts. All standing side by side, they hold their books filled with sheets of music to guide them along. The wide range of singers emits a mixing of harmonies, some low and some high, all tied together to create a perfect sound.  

Fennema stands tall and confident behind her music stand, waving her hands and arms gracefully as she leads the choir note by note. She takes her 37 years of directing experience as she prepares the choir for their upcoming performance on March 28, 2026.  

“It’ll be like pushing 175 [singers] upstage,” she says. “We did it last year as well.” 

In 2017 it was reported that 10 per cent of the Canadian population participated in choirs, based on a public survey. They also found that around 28 per cent of the population had attended a choir performance within that year.   

Three rows of chairs spread across the room, filled with people young and old, tall and small. All holding their books and flipping the pages in sync as the music plays on. The sound of piano fills the air as the choir members wait for their cue to begin. 

Being a member of the choir for ten plus years, Leon Julien Diek pulls his reading glasses down again, ready to rehearse “King of Kings.” Carefully singing his parts, Diek’s very favorite thing about being in the choir is singing praises to God.  

Right beside him sits his daughter Meaghan, with his wife, son and parents slightly down the line as their glorious chorus fills the room and echoes through the long school hallways.  

“So Matthew is a bass, my grandpa is a bass, my grandma is an alto, my daughter Meaghan is a soprano,” he says. “We have quite a range of voices in our family.” 

They continue the tune “King of Kings” until Fennema calls the end of the song. As the piano fades, small talk, laughter and comments take over silence. Members turn to each other to comment on the piece or crack a joke to bring a smile to another’s face. The room feels airy and joyful. 

They will continue to practice before the time has arrived to perform for others. “There’s going to be four choirs involved ours, the Lethbridge Christian Men’s, Lethbridge Christian Women’s Choir and Exalt from the Free Reformed Church,” Fennema says. “It’s going to be at Trinity Reformed Church in Lethbridge.” 

After a brief break, the choir stands back up to practice another song, “Go Now in Peace.” The piano begins again and Fennema lifts her arms with such passion and importance as mouths begin to open, and the room fills with sound.   

“I always look forward to the performances,” says Diek. “It’s the most exciting thing once we get all the practices out of the way and then we finally get to perform.” 

The performance will be held at the Trinity Reformed Church in Lethbridge on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 7 pm.