A very happy, safe and inspiring new year to all ...

... and in particular to those who have enquired about booking spring 2008
dates for the "HOLY SONG" Tour.

The page reference upon www.sicm.ca for information on the "Holy Song"
initiative is here...

http://orgalt.com/sicm/help_sicm/holysong.html

Thank-you, so much, for having pursued this idea. I apologise not to have
pursued you in return more ardently in the past several weeks, but I have
one mundane and one extraordinary excuse to offer. The first (mundane) is
that which any of you could (and perhaps have) used... it has been a busy
several weeks spent in the service of music and the church, and often both
at once. I have now spent a delightful week of quiet time with my family,
and expect a little less than one more (this is great luxury and a
heaven-sent gift).

The second is perhaps what more pointedly has held up my pursuit of spring
bookings for "Holy Song"... Marcia and are expecting our third (and we
believe firmly, FINAL) baby this coming mid-May, and the vagaries of
pregnancy diagnosis have made me a bit tentative to proceed with bookings in
the time initially proposed for the HOLY SONG western tour. We are now
satisfied that until about the end of April I can freely plan to travel and
perform, particularly with what I'm sure you will all agree is a very early
Easter - with all of the challenges and benefits attached thereto!

I really must settle any further western (and to this I must include the
current interest in Thunder Bay in my own province!) bookings as soon as
possible. I am currently keeping just Monday the 21st until Saturday the
26th clear for this purpose, and so I would urge our current inquiries from
north Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and BC to move now, or wait to some future
tour. The 2008 western tour is anchored on my appearance in the "Sundays at
Three" series in Edmonton at 3pm on April 27 with my saxophonist friend
Daniel Rubinoff (who may be able to take part in other spring bookings of
mine).

A special thank-you to those who are holding tentative dates pending any
shufflings needed for geographical reasons - we will settle these very
shortly.

For enquiries within southern Ontario I have some more flexibility, but for
reasons you can probably now guess I will be hoping that any of these that
pan out will fall prior to April 21... post-Easter and Lent are both fine,
if we can confirm soon.

To our inquiries from Québec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland...
circumstances urge me to encourage you to consider fall 2008 or spring 2009
bookings: I apologise for any disappointment or inconvenience this may
cause, but on reflection am both overwhelmed with the interest west of the
St. Lawrence River and feeling that the next generation of "Holy Song"
performances will no doubt benefit from the experience of the first. Please
give this a bit of thought and consult as needed: I have traveled east of
Toronto far too rarely in recent years, and I eagerly look forward to
bringing this particular program to your churches and communities.

We're still awaiting our first inquiries from PEI, Saskatchewan and the
north...

A big thank-you to the congregations of St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church in
Ottawa, Hebron Christian Reformed Church in Whitby and Holy Trinity Anglican
Church in Barrie for having hosted the first performances in 2007 - for me,
in particular consideration of my work with the Summer Institute of Church
Music, the pan-denominational interest in this event and this ministry is
both exciting and inspiring. In addition to you whose denominations have
already experienced "Holy Song", we have inquiries from Lutheran, Baptist
and United Churches, and hope that beyond denominational ranks many more
will seek God through music in this particular way, especially thanks to
publicity we have enjoyed recently in "The Anglican Journal" (General Synod
of the Anglican Church of Canada), and Faith Today (Evangelical Fellowship
of Canada). Anne Mizen-Baker and I will be pursuing more publicity avenues
in the coming year.

For anyone on this copy list who has enquired about "Holy Song" and is not
planning to proceed with a booking in spring 2008 - many thanks for your
interest, and we hope you might be able to host one sometime in the
future... but would you please now confirm that you will NOT be seeking a
booking in spring 2008 to allow us to give final confirmations to those who
are?

Wishing an inspiring year of music and ministry to you and your communities;

Sincerely,

Christopher Dawes
Director, the Summer Institute of Church Music
(416) 356-3138
sicm@...