Who’s Who: Shelley Moore, The Moore the Better
By Mike Butler
I truly believe there are three Shelley Moores out there, because she’s everywhere, and always doing so much for the community. I know, that’s a funny statement for me to make considering all the lakes my toes are dipped in, but I’ve known Shelley for about nine years and she is all over the place! I met Shelley during my very first show in December 2009, Brand New Year, when I was fortunate to share the stage with her daughter Meredith. It was evident early on how involved Shelley was in community events.
Shelley taught at Wolfville school for thirty-seven years: twenty-three years as the music teacher and then fourteen years greeting the children as they entered the school system in Primary. As one person has said about Shelley, “those of us who were lucky enough to have crossed her path know that there isn’t a more dedicated, cheerful, and caring person. Shelley literally sang her way into our hearts as she walked through the hallways of the school.â€
And if those first educational impressions weren’t enough, Shelley continued to spread her love for choral singing throughout the community. Thirty years ago she was one of the founding directors of the (then) Kings County Honour Choir with Ross Thompson, Marilyn Whiteway, and Heather Regan. The choir was born out of a need for children to have a musical outlet in addition to school band programs. The choir eventually became the Annapolis Valley Honour Choir and it has had a huge influence on the lives of over 650 students in our area. Have you ever attended an Honour Choir concert? If you have, then you know how amazing this group is.
One of the highlights of Shelley’s time with the Honour Choir was traveling to England and Wales for their fifth anniversary. They performed at churches and cathedrals and participated in choral competitions. She remembers the importance and enjoyment of seeing other choirs perform. It was also a special trip for her since Shelley and her husband Terry took their two year-old son Alexander on the trip, and he was a big hit with the teenage choristers.The choir continues to take students overseas every 5 years to expand their musical horizons.
The Honour Choir has also been performing at the annual Fezziwig Christmas Frolic since its beginning 24 years ago, and even now many choir members (past and present) are still involved in the show. You can catch the latest Fezziwig show, Twas The Wolf Before Christmas on December 14 and 15 at Festival Theatre, Wolfville.
Shelley is excited to share that this year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Honour Choir and she will be pleased to take part in the reunion taking place on December 29-30. She is thrilled to be reuniting with another founding director, Ross Thompson (who will be conducting some of the alumni songs) and the current director, Heather Fraser. Heather was also on that fifth anniversary tour in England, as a choir member, and stayed involved as an accompanist for many years before eventually taking over as the director once she had finished her own musical education.
You can join Shelley at the free reunion concert on Sunday, December 30 at 4pm, at the Wolfville Baptist Church. Alumni should be in touch by going to tinyurl.com/AVHCreunion. They can purchase a copy of the anniversary book being produced and shared with all the alumni, even if they can’t participate in person (books are just $10). Get in touch, singers! It takes a group to make harmony!
This is such a special time of year for choirs, singing groups, and theatre presentations and you can rest assured that Shelley is right there supporting all of them. It’s been a pleasure sharing just a little bit of her story with you. Her name is music to my ears!
