'Like a present': 106 long-term care homes broadcast virtual Canadian Christmas concert
A non-profit brought a virtual Christmas concert to more than 100 long-term care homes this month in an effort to brighten up the holidays for Canadian seniors.
Students for Music and Wellness (SFMW) was launched during the pandemic as a way to provide musical recreation therapy for communities across the country.
Its third annual virtual winter concert, Magic of Christmas, went live Dec. 15.
It features 11 classic holiday songs performed by 17 young artists, and was broadcast across all 10 provinces and at four homes in the United States.
"During the winter, we can't exactly perform outside, but we still want to be able to care for the mental health and wellness of seniors and residents," Sydney Tran told CTV News.
"We want them to be able to sing along and listen to familiar tunes that they maybe heard when they were younger.
"To us, it's like a present to the seniors."
The concert is performed by artists under the age of 25 from Canadian high schools and universities.
Claire Gao acted as 2022's conductor and co-artistic director.
"It's amazing to see how music is so impactful, even if it's a virtual performance," she said.
"(Residents') faces just light up and they sing along. It's almost like a new entire dimension has been unlocked and I know it brightens up their day."
"Residents come up to them after the concert and say, 'I haven't heard music live in so long,'" Tran added.
"They're coming up to them with tears."
The concert is available to stream on YouTube.
To learn more about SFMW, or to donate to next year's show, visit its website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.