Category: Events

Hi Everyone. A quick update – I wrapped up my class at VST on Friday afternoon, and we’re now on the road for our longest tour ever, with 21 djembes, a guitar, flute, small PA, luggage and us in in our little car! We’re enroute to the Hymn Society AGM in Northfield, Minnesota, at the moment, where we’ll be doing a sectional on congregational drumming this week. Then we make our way into southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with workshops and concerts along the route, in time for the 138th Annual Encampment in Berwick, NS, where I’ll be leading music with my good buddy Ll’yd MacLean, for the fourth year in a row. About 1000 people onsite for ten days straight, with worship, choir and many drummers to make music with – such fun! In August we start the trek back home, with workshops and concerts coast to coast, arriving back on the West Coast at the end of the month. If we’re in your area, we’d love to see you at one of our events!

As of July 1, 2009, Bruce is starting a new job, as music minister at Crossroads United Church in North Delta, BC! Royal Heights United Church, the church we have called home for the past six years, has merged with a neighbouring church, St. John’s – Strawberry Hill United Church, and so we are moving to a new church home at 7655 120 Street, Delta, BC. It is a whirlwind time for us right now: we’ve just moved our own house over the past few days, the first service at Crossroads is July 5, 10:30am, Bruce teaches at VST Summer School July 6-10, and then we hit road for a mammoth, coast-to-coast summer tour out to Halifax and back, arriving home in late August. As always, all of our events are up our events page. We hope to sing and drum with you soon, either at home or somewhere enroute across the country!

We’re off on tour today, returning home in mid June, making our way out into western Manitoba and back, with drumming workshops and concerts all along the way. In the middle of our trip we’re providing music and worship resource for the Summer Ecumenical Institute in Saskatoon, June 2-5. If you are in the Saskatoon area, this will be an amazing time of worship and learning in a wide circle of community.

Visit our events page for a full list of our host communities along the way. And please tell your friends if we’re in the area!

We’re pleased to announce that Bruce will be teaching at the Vancouver School of Theology this summer, July 6-10. Bruce and those who take his course will be tackling a critical subject for all of us in the church today: Singing in the New Creation: A Crossroads in Congregational Song, with options for credit or auditing, and for advanced degree credit. Registration deadlines are approaching, so sign up soon if you wish to join in the singing, fun and discussion. A course description and syllabus are on the Chalmers Summer School website.

Bruce has also been asked to be musician-in-residence at VST for the academic year 2009-2010, supporting the community life of the school through worship and choir leadership. We’re really looking forward to our time with the VST community, and would encourage anyone to join us, as you are able, for worship and singing on campus throughout the year.

We’re excited to announce that Bruce is touring with Neeraj Prem, one of Canada’s finest players of the North Indian sitar, from April 4-19, in the Vancouver area and beyond! Neeraj has two videos from his new album, United Voices, on YouTube: