2018

The 13th Sing Fires of Justice program was held Sunday September 30, 2018 at First United Church, Waterloo, Ontario.

Theme: Sing Fires of Justice For Earth, Our Home (The Earth Charter)

Participants Included:

Kim Davids Mandar, Video by Nathan Stretch, Peter Nikiforuk

Press Release SEPT 2018:

Waterloo – Martin Luther University College, Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Music, and various university and community groups will present Sing Fires of Justice for Earth, Our Home, an interfaith celebration of song and word to promote environmental justice and support for the Working Centre in Kitchener.

The event will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30 at First United Church, 16 William St. W., in Waterloo.

Lee Willingham, director of the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community, says that for the past decade the annual festival has brought community together through music to find ways to enact justice and to focus on social challenges.

“The Sing Fires of Justice festival, now a community tradition, shines a light on the power of community as it focuses on an aspect of social justice,” said Willingham. “Our responsibility as stewards of the Earth, both locally and globally, is underscored through the profound experience of music and the arts.”

Debbie Lou Ludolph, director of the Kanata Centre for Worship and Global Song at Martin Luther University College, says that music is a medium well suited to promote the event’s theme of environmental justice.

“The festival’s programming is inspired by the Earth Charter and emphasizes the interconnectedness of nature, human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace,” said Ludolph. “We are grateful to engage the gifts of all of our collaborators through this event.”

The festival includes performances by MT Space Theatre Company, Mino Ode Kwewak N’gamowak (Good Hearted Women Singers), Laurier choirs, Conrad Grebel University College choir, University of Waterloo choir, community mass choir, singer-songwriter Dawud Wharnsby, and more. A video showcasing the efforts of the Working Centre in relation to eco-justice and their philosophy of “towards a common work” will also be screened.

The annual festival, in its 13th year, is open to the public. A free-will offering will be gratefully accepted in lieu of admission. Funds will be donated to the Working Centre in Kitchener.

Sing Fires of Justice for Our Earth, Our Home is co-sponsored by the Kanata Centre for Worship and Global Song at Martin Luther University College; the Laurier Centre for Music in the Community; First United Church in Waterloo; and the Royal Canadian College of Organists.