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News From CALL June 2025
“On Saltspring Island”, Oil on canvas, by Bob Bragg, member of the CALL Open Studio group
President’s Report
- Adrienne Kertzer
According to our bylaws, “The Board of Directors shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Governance coordinator, and Past President (ex officio) together with four to eight other elected directors, each representing a committee as defined by the Board.” The bylaws also state that except for the Vice-President, President, and Past President who have one-year terms, the Directors have two-year terms.
Have your eyes glazed over yet? I hope not. It’s important that CALL members understand the distinction between positions that are ongoing (such as when a director has completed only one year of a two-year term) and positions that require nominees (either because the director will not be seeking re-election or because the director will be seeking election to another Board position). This distinction means that the Board’s top priority is ensuring that at our AGM we will have candidates for two open positions: Governance Coordinator and Vice-President. Should you be interested in either position, contact me and we can chat. In this message, I want to focus on 3 points.
First, any CALL member is welcome to attend Board meetings as a guest. Our next meeting will be at 10 am, Thursday, June 19th at Rosedale Community Association.
Second, the best preparation for serving on the Board is volunteering for one of the six committees whose chairs are elected directors. The experience you gain as a member of the Volunteer Committee, Membership Committee, Operations Committee, IT Committee, Communications and Marketing Committee, or Program Committee will serve you well when you are on the Board.
According to “The Road Ahead”, some CALL members may prefer to volunteer for “organizations which they feel are meeting a social need in their community.” While I understand this preference, it ignores the relationship between the learning opportunities CALL offers and the organization’s goal of “enriching the cultural, social, and intellectual life of the larger community.” Thanks to all who volunteer for CALL and help us strive towards fulfilling that goal.
You can reach me at president@calgarylifelonglearners.ca.
June Events
Special Program
Interpreting Bach’s Goldberg Variations: A Pianist’s Perspective
Monday, June 2, 1:00–3:00pm
Sanctuary, Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
What does a world-renowned pianist do, when all his European and US concerts are cancelled?
Roman Rabinovich set himself a goal in March of 2020 – to get J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations up to performance level. Thanks to travel restrictions, he had lots of time, but he needed an audience. Roman and his wife Diana Cohen (violinist and concertmaster for the Calgary Philharmonic) invited neighbours and friends to a series of “garden concerts” from their front lawn. The audience grew, as did the enthusiasm. Less than two years later, Diana and Roman announced plans for ChamberFest West, a week-long summer chamber music festival in Calgary.
At 1 pm on June 2 at the Sanctuary, Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, Roman will perform the “notoriously demanding” Goldbergs, talk about the interpretive joys they offer, and explore why Bach’s masterpiece is a benchmark for concert pianists.
Please note that this event is now free for CALL members and guests. Each CALL member may invite up to 2 guests. Members of the public are welcome to attend at a cost of $5 at the door. To help us manage seating, we ask that CALL members register.
For more information and to register, go to Special Programs.
Science and Environment
Why is Groundwater Important in Alberta?
Tuesday, June 3 7:30–9:00pm via Zoom
Speaker: Dr. Cathy Ryan
Join us to learn why groundwater is important in Alberta. Cathy will start by describing who in Alberta drinks groundwater and why. She will talk about publicly accessible information about groundwater and end with an explanation why our ‘mountain water towers’ should be thought of as our ‘mountain groundwater towers’.
Cathy is trained as a geological engineer and hydrogeologist but is a more holistic ‘water scientist’ at heart. She has had the privilege of conducting research and teaching as a faculty member in the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment for more than two decades.
You must be a CALL Member to register.
Readers Theatre Presents
Saturday, June 7, 2:00pm
Southwood United Church, 10690 Elbow Dr SW
Please join us on June 7 at 2pm when Readers Theatre will be performing with Calgary Music Makers Senior Citizens Choir at their Community Concert at Southwood United Church, 10690 Elbow Dr SW. The theme of the afternoon is Welcome Summer and Readers Theatre has chosen a short play and a few poems to support this theme.
CALL's Readers Theatre's 15 members meet on the second and fourth Friday mornings at c-SPACE, Marda Loop. Calgary Music Makers is a long-standing community choir which performs primarily at seniors' residences and care centres. Its 35 members meet weekly on Thursday mornings at Shepherd King Lutheran Church and are always looking for new voices, in particular male voices.
Health and Wellness
Rhythm, Movement, and the Brain
Monday, June 9, 1:30–3:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Speaker: Tina Guthrie
We all love to move and movement becomes very important as we get older. This speaker event will allow you to participate! It will be based on rhythm and movement that all participants will be able to follow no matter your previous experience. We will incorporate simple movement with a variety of music choices that will challenge your brain and body in a gentle way.
Tina has been certified through Thrive at the University of Calgary, training for health, cancer and exercise. She shares the fun and benefits of dancing with people living with Parkinson's disease, teaching for Parkinson's YYC classes, offered at Decidedly Jazz Danceworks as well as Wellspring Alberta, for people living with all stages of cancer, and with seniors in the University Heights Community Association “Movement and Dance” program, as well as guest teaching in the Kids Cancer Care’s Peer Program.
For more information about this session, please go to the Health and Wellness page.
Members of the public are welcome to attend (at a cost of $5 at the door). Registration is not required.
CALL Café
The Alto Egos
Monday, June 16, 1:00–3:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW
Join us for this special musical event to wind up our CALL Cafe year!
The Alto Egos are all accomplished vocalists, who perform classic rock and country songs in three-part harmony with pre-recorded backup. We cover many contemporary and timeless artists from The Everly Brothers and Linda Ronstadt, through Fleetwood Mac and ABBA to Sugarland and Mary Chapin Carpenter.
We guarantee you’ll know the lyrics to many of our covers (or wish you did!). While Cathy Martin loves jazz and has performed in many musicals, Lisa Cuthill is a singer-songwriter who has self-produced two solo albums and Melinda Kondrat has taken her own singer/songwriting talents to Nashville and back. Together, we are a rock-solid trio (pun intended) that will have your toes tapping and heart singing.
This event is open to members, guests and the public. Members are asked to register themselves and their guests for planning purposes.
Treks and Travels
Explore Sri Lanka
Wednesday, June 18, 7:30–9:00pm
Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Acres Drive NW
Speaker: Gerry Burger-Martindale
Once again Gerry and Anna will be sharing a unique adventure. Please join this mother-daughter team on their 2017 trip to Sri Lanka, travelling by car with their driver-guide (and by train, tuk-tuk and bullock cart), from Colombo to the Golden Triangle cities. As they journey from the far north Jaffna Peninsula to southern beaches, they visited tea plantations, wildlife reserves, local villages, local restaurants – and Queen Victoria!
No registration required. Members of the public are welcome to attend (at a cost of $5).
CALL Blog
Lifelong Listening: How Music Supports Healthy Aging
- Maureen Osis, CALL Communications Team
Discover how music can enhance healthy aging in our latest blog post. Exploring the concept of neuroplasticity, the article highlights how engaging with music—whether by listening, singing, or playing an instrument—can stimulate the brain, boost cognitive health, and promote emotional and social well-being. Music therapist Jennifer Buchanan offers practical tips, such as creating personalized playlists and exploring new genres, to seamlessly integrate music into daily life. This post also includes the experiences of some members of the CALL Interest Group, Guitar Jam.
If you have a topic that you would like to read about – or one that you want to write about, please contact me at blog@calgarylifelonglearners.ca.The CALL Blog is public so please share with your family and friends. It is easy to do. Just copy the URL (https://calgarylifelonglearners.ca/Lifelong-listening-how-music-supports-healthy-aging/) and paste into an email or text message.
If you are on Facebook, please follow us at https://www.facebook.com/CalgaryLifelongLearners/
The CALL Newsletter
- Newsletter Team
Did you know that we appreciate receiving articles from our members? We are happy to publish articles that celebrate CALL. Your personal experience about how you have benefited would be a valuable contribution to this newsletter. Please send your ideas and suggestions for future issues to communications@calgarylifelonglearners.ca. We reserve the right to edit submissions and to determine when submissions will be published.
CALL Newsletter postings 2025
- June 27
- August 22
Meanwhile, be well, stay well in every sense of the word.