For many of us, the events of 9/11 have temporarily knocked the wind out of our sails. We find ourselves in a world where happiness is even more elusive than it once was. And yet there are still opportunities for experiencing joy.

In the days following the Canada Pops Orchestra inaugural concert at the George Weston Recital Hall, I received dozens of calls from friends and acquaintances thanking me for suggesting they attend the concert. One person after another said: "I haven't had that much fun in years. It made me so happy." How could three hours of concert-going possibly make anyone so happy?

Conductor David Warrack engaged his audience. He made us feel that we were all witnessing and participating in the birth of something extraordinary. We were sharing joy: something new, something spontaneous and something that was just plain fun. Engaging ourselves in doing something that matters to us is a wonderful antidote to the blues. Being engaged in doing something differently is even better. Any experience that brings us closer to discovering our own unique abilities is good for our sense of well-being.

The feeling of finding our own talents is an exhilarating one. It is a feeling we can all experience, regardless of what is happening in the world. We can experience it in the kitchen, in our day-to-day encounters, in our art classes and in our ways of travelling. As the song says: "Forget your troubles and just get happy, You better chase all your cares away." We can all open ourselves up to the many new possibilities that we carry inside ourselves.

David Warrack's Canada Pops Orchestra keeps audience smiling

More than 700 audience members leapt to their feet and delivered a standing ovation to the Canada Pops Orchestra at their first concert hall performance on October 27 at the George Weston Recital Hall. The evening featured Juno Award Winning artists Carol Welsman and Guido Basso as well as a bubbly new singing group who call themselves Champagne. Part of the orchestra's mandate is to introduce a new, up and coming young artist at each performance. A 21 year old student at Humber College, Brandi Disterheft, wowed the audience with her rendition of Duke Ellington's In a Sentimental Mood played on the double bass.

David Warrack, the orchestra's founder and musical director, has for many years taught the Singing Broadway Showtunes class. Together with Patrick Rose, they have made the evening so popular that it moved to the First Unitarian Church, just around the corner from the school, in order to accommodate the numbers. The Toronto Star recently ran a long article on the cover of the Life/Entertainment Section describing it as follows: "This event is disguised as a night school course. What it actually is, is a sensation." (Check out the full article.)

The class has become so popular that we are adding a third class to accommodate the demand. As of January 6, 2001, the Singing Broadway Showtunes class will be offered on Monday and Thursday nights at the First Unitarian Church at St. Clair and Avenue Road.