Posted by: Roland Graham
For over 10 years, Southminster United Church, situated opposite the public library on Bank Street at Aylmer Avenue in Old Ottawa South, has been presenting free 45-minute noon-hour concerts on Wednesdays weekly from September through June.
Offering upwards of 40 concerts annually since 2013, Doors Open for Music at Southminster – DOMS for short – has become widely respected among live music lovers across the region, especially classical music and jazz fans, for presenting superb artists, both local and touring, to the Ottawa community in a unique format that makes it an invaluable supplement to the regional arts scene.
Over the years and the many hundreds of concerts it has presented, DOMS has established a reputation for consistence and excellence: fans know that there will be an amazing concert each week, even if they haven’t seen a listing, and many show up no matter who’s playing, trusting that they’ll have an uplifting and refreshing experience regardless.
Several key developments have helped solidify its standing as a series of primary importance in the city. In 2020, Southminster was gifted a world-class 9-foot Steinway concert piano by supporters of its musical programming who pitched in to purchase the piano, which came new from the Steinway Gallery of Ottawa, to keep it accessible to the local artistic community in a centrally located and community-centred organization.
During the pandemic, the series went online and to this day, its concerts are livestreamed to YouTube every week, enabling fans to view them remotely, or enjoy them later on as saved videos on the series’ YouTube channel (Google “DOMS + YouTube”). We estimate that for every audience member in physical attendance, another 2 or 3 enjoy the concerts from home.
And just before the pandemic, Colonel By Residence, located just a block from the church on Aylmer Avenue, partnered with DOMS by committing to bring a spread of coffee, tea and cookies to greet guests arriving for concerts each week, an offering that has been resumed and is graciously ongoing today.
The series is financed entirely through patron support, both by donations collected at concerts each week (we suggest a freewill offering of $10 – $20), and through funding bodies such as the Community Foundation of Ottawa, which directs funding from myriad sources, organizations and individuals to cultural organizations citywide, including DOMS.
There are concerts in December (save for December 25), and on January 8, DOMS kicks off its Winter 2025 lineup – listed below – that includes piano recitals (Goldberg Variations, anyone?), instrumental and vocal, baroque, chamber, choral, Indigenous music, and jazz.
In keeping with a long-standing tradition, the children of Hopewell Elementary School will make their annual mid-February offering of music by the junior, senior, and concert bands, reflecting the commitment to community engagement at all levels which is at the heart of Southminster’s music ministry.
DOMS concerts take place on Wednesdays at 12 pm at Southminster United Church, at 15 Aylmer Avenue. Learn more and follow the series online at www.DOMS613.com.
Roland Graham is the DOMS Artistic Director.
Featured in the December 2024 OSCAR.
DOMS winter 2025 lineup
Jan 8 — Passion and Virtuosity
An exploration of Romanticism’s heart: CBC 30-under-30 violinist David Baik and pianist Frédéric Lacroix pair Franck’s introspective Violin Sonata with Wieniawski’s dazzling Faust Fantasy, blending soulful lyricism with virtuosic brilliance.
Jan 15 – Schubert’s Arpeggione
Bibik Duo, comprising violinist Anna Baksheeva and pianist Natalia Bibik, plays Romantic masterpieces for the violin and piano by Schubert, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky.
Jan 22 – Madrigals and more
Coro Euphonia, directed by Roland Graham, sings a program of a capella madrigals and art songs from the 16th century to modern day.
Jan 29 – Tendre et fidèle
Countertenor Matthew Muggeridge and lutist Jonathan Stuchbery explore themes of love, courtship and heartbreak in music by prolific seventeenth-century troubadours.
Feb 5 – Conversations
Virtuoso pianist Philippe Prud’homme and flutist Pascale Margely mine the expressive potential of the flute and piano pairing, playing sonatas by Hindemith, Poulenc, and Desmarais.
Feb 12 – Indigenous Sounds
Collaborators pianist Elaine Keillor C.M. and composer/pianist Beverley McKiver play excerpts from the significant and growing body of piano music by Canadian Indigenous composers.
Feb 19 – Mancini & Mandel
The Mark Ferguson Quartet plays jazz interpretations of works by two of the most influential cinematic songwriters of the 20th century, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mandel.
Feb 26 – Hopewell Showcase VII
Students from Hopewell Elementary School share their gifts with the community, with offerings by the Junior, Senior, and Jazz bands under the direction of Marya Woyiwada.
Mar 5 – Fingerprints
Multiple award-winning ‘Made in Trio,’ comprising Rute Fernandes (flute), David Dias da Silva (clarinet), and Sinforosa Petralia (piano) – plays pop and folk-influenced chamber music.
Mar 12 – Heartbreak Songs
Acclaimed Canadian jazz pianist, vocalist, and composer, Steve Amirault, plays original music in an exclusive solo concert featuring instrumental piano pieces and vocal compositions.
Mar 19 – Dueling Harps
Harp duo Lucile Hildesheim and Susan Toman play Celtic music to honouring St. Patrick’s Day, baroque music to engage the mind, and tango music to fire the heart.
Mar 26 – Berg and Barber
Soprano Susan Elizabeth Brown and pianist Lucas Porter perform music by Berg (“Seven Early Songs”) and Barber (“Knoxville: Summer of 1915”) evoking the carefree serenity of summer.