We're excited to welcome back Rosemary Siemens, and her husband Eli Bennett, to Southern Manitoba, for a series of weekend concerts. Rosemary and Eli, along with some very special guests, are performing three concerts Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (September 15th to 17th) in Winkler, Steinbach and Winnipeg in support of Generation Rising.

"My favorite audience in the world is my Manitoba audience, and we haven't been here in a while in Winkler, Steinbach, and Winnipeg," shared Rosemary when she joined Morning Show co-Host Chris Sumner in studio for a conversation this week. "It's been since 2019 since we've played in these places, so I'm so excited to be back in these beautiful communities that I love with the people I love so very much."

Friday night the couple is at Winkler MB Church, Saturday night at Steinbach MB Church and Sunday night at North Kildonan MB Church. All three concerts begin at 7pm, are free to attend, with a freewill offering each evening in support of Generation Rising, a Canadian Christian charity that builds schools in Latin America, and helps children get off the streets and into a classroom so they can build a better life.   

"Because we get to play here so often, we get to come home a lot, as well, and it's all these people that have been a part of my life, and shared in my journey so far," she added. "I get to share that on social media, which people love following along, but there's nothing more special than playing live for them, because we get to actually see their faces and talk to them after. It's very special."

And what can we expect from Rosemary and Eli, musically, during the events?

"It's called 'Bring Back the Hymns', and as you know, our mission is to bring back the hymns through a YouTube show," she explained. "We're going to do a lot of hymns, but we'll also do some classics like Ave Maria. Eli will be playing a gospel number, an Andrae Crouch number. My son, Theodore, will be singing some hymns. My dad, hopefully, if he's not harvesting, we'll be singing, and my mom will be playing piano. It's really a family show, and I think people really appreciate seeing the generations sing together. That's how I grew up going to my grandma's, and singing with sixty of my closest relatives every Sunday afternoon in four part harmony. It was a beautiful way to grow up, and we want to bring back that feeling of community, of family, of congregational singing. We'll have some hymn sing kind of things where people can sing along."

Rosemary's son, Theodore, who just turned five years old this week, also joined Chris in studio, so he could share the numbers he will be performing this weekend.

"Dear Lord and some hymns and You Are My Sunshine," he said with a smile on his face. He also has been practicing his introduction of his Grandpa Jack Siemens. "It's very, very cute," said Rosemary.

And back to Generation Rising, it's an organization Rosemary and Eli love partnering with, and one the couple has a personal connection, to.

"We actually sponsored a boy on our Ontario shows last year, and it's very special to get mail from our child that we sponsor. His name is Christian."

You can get more information on the concerts by clicking here.

"Bring your grandparents, bring your parents, bring your kids," noted Rosemary. "It's going to be a show for all ages."

Have a listen to Chris's conversation with Rosemary and Theodore, below.

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