The Canadian Staff Songsters held a good weekend of celebration as they acknowledged 10 years of singing. The origin of the CSS goes back to the early 1900’s when a group was initiated They stopped operating somewhere around 1914 but when I came into the office of the Secretary for Program Services there was a file and it was clear that while there had been a conversation about forming a modern version, the conversation had been dormant for some time.
I raised the subject with Colonel Mark Tilsley and he enthusiastically responded with agreement to move the file forward, which included our putting together a terms of reference, he approached a potential leader, and I engaged the music department. It was the usual kind of development
i raised this because I hear individuals taking claim for the CSS coming into existence. There was no single individual, but I would place the current group’s success squarely upon the quality of those who auditioned to be part of the group. There were some who were accepted because of who they were related to, to me that seemed obvious, but for the most part the character of the group was admirable.
It was Colonel Tilsley’s hope that we would hear the Gospel sung, and that the group would not become another group focused firstly on musical excellence, but primarily focused on getting people singing The Gospel.
As I have written before, I believe a sung Gospel is a remembered Gospel.
And if I am to praise any one single person it would be Wendy. My wife yes, but her work to bring the group together was exceptional. There was lots of heaving lifting to be done in THQ, communicating to divsional leaders, building a budget, making sure that applicants were supported by their corps and developing a schedule of meetings for a leadership team to go forward together.
Her name doesn’t get the mention it should, and so I say well done Wendy!
Her work to get the CSS on planes or buses or even towards a weekend somewhere is unseen but without it this group would have gone no where. Bermuda, Calgary, all across Ontario the group sang The Gospel in many places.
