Youth and adults are working on pieces for a community performance slated for Sunday, Feb 26 at Unchagah Hall.
The concert is the brainchild of Adam Da Ros, a stage and musical director for opera and musical theatre from Dawson Creek. Growing up in Mile Zero, Da Ros was active in dance, piano, and the Dawson Creek Symphonette and Choir in addition to three years of the Musical Theatre program at South Peace Secondary with Debbie Longley, including roles as The Baker in Into the Woods (2003) and Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose (2004).
“This concert will feature not only the two choirs, but also the Kiwanis Band, the Dawson Creek Secondary School Musical Theatre class, dancers and other community musicians,” he says.
“It will be good to get people out to connect, have a good time and good afternoon.”
Most recently, Da Ros made his Kennedy Center debut assisting on Verdi’s Il trovatore at Washington National Opera, and spent the past two academic years as the director of the Opera Theatre program at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
Da Ros has maintained a connection with the Dawson Creek community by producing two musicals (Chicago in 2007 and A Chorus Line in 2010) and assisting with vocal coaching and playing in the band for Dawson Creek Secondary musical theatre for six years.
Tickets are by donation and all proceeds from both the concert and from registration for the choir workshops go directly to the Jackie Da Ros Award for Resilience and Academic Rigour at DCSS. Da Ros says the idea of an annual concert is something he has been thinking about for awhile now.
“Ideally the concert will be an annual thing. The award was conceived by my mother after her terminal cancer diagnosis in the fall of 2018.”
It is awarded annually to a student who demonstrates resilience and commitment towards their academic goals regardless of the challenges they may have faced.
“This will be the award's 5th year and with the help of friends, family, and generous donors we have given out $16,000 so far,” he says.
Donations can also be made on GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/jackie-da-ros-memorial-scholarship) or directly at the School District No. 59 office.
The concert goes at 2pm Sunday, Feb 26 at Unchagah Hall. Admission is by donation.
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