Internationally acclaimed violinist and singer Rosemary Siemens comes to the Fraser Valley for three free Christmas concerts in November.
The concerts take place at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 at Eben-Ezer Mennonite Church in Abbotsford; Saturday, Nov. 19 at South Langley Church; and Sunday, Nov. 20 at First Avenue Christian Assembly in Chilliwack.
The shows raise money for the charity Generation Rising to build a school for children living in poverty in Paraguay.
Each show will be filled with family favourites, beloved carols, re-imagined hymns and songs of God’s faithfulness and love.
Siemens will also perform with her husband and their duo SaxAndViolin. World-renowned tenor saxophonist Eli Bennett has twice performed at the Grammy Awards, where he shared the stage with the legendary Oscar Peterson.
The couple’s four-year-old son Theodore Parker Bennett will also perform and has already received millions of views on social media, singing hymns and reciting Bible verses. He was recently featured on CBN and God TV.
Siemens is a four-time Gospel Music Award-winning violinist and vocalist who has performed at the Grand Ole Opry, St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican and Carnegie Hall, as well as for two U.S. presidents and Canadian prime ministers.
She was also the first violinist to perform at the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican since its first mass in 1483.
RELATED: Abbotsford mayor Henry Braun receives a fond farewell
In addition to being awarded Bluegrass Artist of the Year at Nashville’s Inspirational Country Music Awards, Siemens has also performed at a wide range of events from Hockey Night in Canada to the National Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa, to countless hospital and charity galas.
Siemens also has more than 100 million views across social media, including on her popular weekly YouTube show Sunday Hymn Serenade.
Originally from a century family farm in Plum Coulee, Man., and currently based in Vancouver, Siemens has performed for audiences around the world on a 300-year-old violin – which she named “Sparkle” – that was played in King Louis XIV’s orchestra.
Since the launch of her hymn ministry in the fall of 2019, it has grown exponentially. Alongside her husband, Siemens was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond and Platinum Jubilee medals for her contribution to the arts in Canada.
Siemens’s album Plum Coulee, My Home won Best Country/Gospel Album of the Year at Canada’s Gospel Music Awards and was featured in Billboard Magazine.
For more information, visit rosemarysiemens.com or contact Rafael Duerksen at rafael@genrising.org or 204-415-6836.