Our Story
Westside Singers was formed in 1987 by Marilyn Perkins a well know Calgary musician. Marilyn was the music director of Scarboro United Church as well as the Multicultural Choir and the Grad Choir.
The choir was formed from a New Horizons grant which tried to encourage more people to enjoy choral music in Calgary. It has continued throughout the decades with several different directors, giving pleasure to both audience and performer alike.
Meet the Team
Our Director:
Karen Nell-Bennett, M.Music
This is Karen Nell-Bennett’s eighth season as our director. Karen is also the Choir Director at Wild Rose United Church, Cum Vino Cantus, Harmony First, and other community choirs. She runs a successful voice and piano teaching studio, KnB Music Ltd. She was the Minister of Music at St. Andrew’s United Church Choir from 2008 to 2014 and has led many community choirs since moving to Calgary in 2004. Karen comes from Newfoundland and you will find her funny and knowledgeable. In addition to her Bachelor of Music from Memorial University (St. John’s, Newfoundland), she also has a Masters in Music in Choral Conducting and Vocal Performance from the University of Alberta. When she’s not living her love for music, she enjoys spending time reading with one (or all) of her three cats curled up on her lap.
Our Accompanist:
Gaylene Hennan is excited to be accompanying the West Side Singers. Through the years, she has accompanied many choirs throughout Calgary and has been the pianist in several churches. Her accompaniment skills have been celebrated for the last 20 years with the Dutch Canadian Choir and Gaylene has also accompanied the German Men’s Choir, Mount Royal Youth Choir, Petro-Canada Choir, High Country Chorale, and the Noteables. She has also taught piano for 30 years but her true passion lies in accompanying soloists and choirs.