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Trillium Villa Choir makes its debut
Music therapy and spiritual care team up to create meaningful new program
7/22/2026
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Deron Hamel
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What started as an idea to bring Trillium Villa residents together through music has grown into a choir that is striking a chord throughout the Sarnia long-term care community.
After months of rehearsals, the Trillium Villa Choir made its debut performance, featuring an ensemble of 15 residents who have been sharing their love of music and faith through a selection of favourite songs, culminating with Leonard Cohen's iconic hit Hallelujah.
The idea for the choir was hatched by music therapist Anika Kawamura in late 2025. When spiritual care provider Marcy McGlade learned about the idea, she jumped on board, knowing hymns are highly requested during Trillium Villa's Bible study program and during music therapy sessions.
“Many residents in the Trillium Villa Choir have been choir directors, or a part of church choirs in various capacities in the past, which personalizes this experience even more,” Tara Klompstra, Trillium Villa's life enrichment manager, tells S&R Today.
The choir is bringing many benefits to residents, Tara says. Hymn singing, she notes, offers significant cognitive, emotional and social benefits for residents, often tapping into long-term memory, and this can be beneficial for brain health.
One of the home's spiritual goals for 2026 was to create a large-print hymn book for residents, she adds.
“The addition of the Trillium Villa Choir to our monthly calendar was a huge jumpstart to our project,” Tara says.
Choir members have plans to make a video and share their musical talents with the world, Tara adds.
Anika says there is room for the choir to expand.
“The choir currently has 15 committed members, and the doors are always open – so much so, that onlooking friends were urged to join the choir during their live show,” she says.
Marcy says she was pleased to see the large group of residents actively participating in the choir. During a recent choir practice, one member noticed artwork on the wall and said to the group, “There's a tree at the top and new branches at the bottom; we are the new branches.”
“The Trillium Villa Choir signifies a new beginning and a sense of connection for those involved,” Marcy says.
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