Sue Averill has been a folk musician for over 50 years and taught music in elementary schools in Nanaimo for nearly 20 years before retiring.  She has always felt that the music of a culture reflects its work, its beliefs and deepest need to communicate.  Music hits both head and heart, so is the ultimate form of communication among people.  Sue’s choices of music and performances are all about this.

In “Songs of the Underground Railway” Sue shows how the music of the black slaves was used to pass along vital information they needed in order to make the perilous journey to freedom.  The congregation is invited to sing along, as the songs are familiar or easy to learn. In doing so all get the sense of how it was to receive this information, as well as the comfort offered through the songs themselves.  Many have told Sue they sang these songs as children but didn’t realize their meaning to the slaves of the southern U.S.