TORONTO -- There's a special Christmas concert happening this year – but only a select group of Canadians will get to see it.
Last month, a group of high school and university students got together at a church in Richmond Hill, Ont. to pool their musical abilities for a common purpose. Keeping their distance and using Plexiglas to separate singers, they recorded an hour-long showcase of classicChristmas carols.
The result is a professional-quality video concert, belying its $3,000 budget, that is being streamed this at long-term care homes in every province.
"We hope that it will help seniors feel a little less alone during this time," Ruthie Zhuang, co-executive director of the Students for Music and Wellness group, told CTV News.
In a special twist, all 14 songs performed during the concert – covering everything from Handel's "Hallelujah" chorus to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" – were specifically requested by seniors.
The group didn't form just for this concert; during the summer they performed outdoor concerts at some long-term care homes in and around Toronto.
The group's organizers say they wanted to bring back their initiative in the winter to help bring holiday cheer to seniors who, in most of Canada, are not able to have their usual festive celebrations with their families.
"My hope for this video is that it's just going to bring joy to people at Christmastime," artistic director Julian Cimer told CTV News.
"Music is such a powerful thing."
