[Ken Gray] One of the highlights of my time as a music student at London's Royal College of Music was singing in Britten's War Requiem conducted by David Wilcocks in the spring of 1979. There are simply no words to describe the experience, something I recall as the 50th anniversary of the work's first performance... Continue Reading →
I don't know about you, but I think we all need to listen to our “happy song” even when we are not happy. It could lighten our day. My own happy song, “Gentle on my mind” performed by Molly Tuttle is my goto music. Filmed at the Augusta Heritage Center's Bluegrass Week the center of... Continue Reading →
With thanks to Jan Richardson whose lovely blessing I share here, I hope this time in our Church calendar provides both comfort and sweetness especially to those who cherish the memories of loved ones. Admittedly, I take things in a different direction in tomorrow's All Saints Day sermon, so come on back and see what... Continue Reading →
Both authors, Louise Penny and Barbara Kingsolver, are doing the rounds of book festivals and online broadcasts presently. I will say something about Louise Penny later, but for now, my focus is on Barbara Kingsolver whose recent novel, Partita intrigues and delights me. A classically trained pianist herself, Kingsolver opens up the world of aspiring... Continue Reading →
The cello in the image above IS NOT the instrument featured in this the video below. While similar, it is a later instrument housed in Musical Instrument Bank of the Canada Council for the Arts. With apologies, no pre-US Midterm election claptrap today. No Alberta politics. No AI grumbles. Today, something quite different, very much... Continue Reading →
So here’s the good news. Great effort and tremendous expense are not required to create beautiful photographic images. A high school friend has just returned from a majestic trip to Iceland. I would love to follow in his steps but circumstance and funds do not presently allow for such travel. A professional friend from Kamloops... Continue Reading →
Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief, The Guardian Last month, the documentary movie NAZA, produced by the Guardian, received the longest standing ovation in the history of the Venice international film festival, where it had its global premiere and won the special jury prize. Filmed on the rooftops of Tel Aviv, the documentary features interviews with 24 Israeli... Continue Reading →
A sermon for the congregation of St. Stephen, SummerlandSunday, October 18th, 2026 | The Twenty-First Sunday after PentecostThe Very Rev. Ken Gray Names are important. I like to be called by my name and I expect you do also. I have no idea why I am named Kenneth John. Kenneth Reid lived across the street... Continue Reading →
Ansel Adams (1902–1984) was a renowned American artist and one of the most influential landscape photographers of the 20th century. He is best remembered for his stunning, high-contrast black-and-white images of the American West, particularly the wilderness of Yosemite National Park. Adams was a master of technical precision. In 1932, he helped form Group f.64,... Continue Reading →
Andrew Scott With thanks to Kathie Gray I offer the conversation below between a young actor who asked actor Andrew Scott how to develop their acting career in light of mental health challenges. The conversation occurred after a recent HUMEN charity event. [Andrew Scott] I think we are in the embryonic stages of understanding mental... Continue Reading →
