A number of local choirs are inviting song-savvy Red Deerians to an open auditions day on Aug. 21st and Sept. 4th.
Five choirs are looking for singers of all age ranges to join their ranks, including Soliloquy, an adult 20+ choir, Ihana, an ages 14-22 choir, Senior Brioso, a Grade 4-7 choir, Junior Brioso choir, a Grade 1-3 choir, and the It’s Time a cappella group open to any one ages 16 and up.
The choirs are headed by one central organization, the Choral Singers Unite Society (C-SUS). The Society’s Artistic Director, Lisa Ward is helping to head the search for new talent.
Ward said each group asks for a minimum time commitment every week, which varies from group to group. Each group will usually perform on average three shows per year including their Winter Voices, Love Notes and Sing Into Spring shows.
Auditions have been taking place since the beginning of May, but Ward hopes as many members of the community as possible will make it out to the auditions.
While those auditioning are not required to prepare any musical pieces, Ward said she asks each person auditioning to simply sing O’ Canada.
“For the children it’s more of a placement audition to meet their parents and make sure they are ready to be a part of a big group environment that comes with being in a choir,” said Ward. “For the adults who audition it’s mainly to give them a chance to sing for me, see how high and low they can sing, get a general idea of their musicianship and make sure they would be a good fit for the choirs.”
While the Soliloquy Choir recently celebrated their 10th anniversary in May, many of the other choirs are still in their infancy. Ward hopes the open auditions will welcome as many new faces and voices to the choirs as possible.
In addition, Ward explained that the benefits of joining a choir are vast for both children and adults.
“Singing in a choir allows children the opportunity to both figuratively and literally find their voices. It’s a chance to be heard and have them gain confidence in themselves in a place where there is room to move and play but is also structured at the same time as well as learn to work well with other people – which is pretty magical to see kids gain at such young ages.”
For the adults who Ward has seen joining choirs in the past, she said each person usually has their own unique reasons to be there whether it be their love to sing, something to get them out of the house and keep them busy, or the joy of feeling like they are part of a group.
“I think the bottom line is how a choir becomes a community and brings everyone together,” said Ward. “Anyone can stand in front of a mirror and sing solo, but you can never create the harmony of a choir on your own.”
To book an audition time, call Lisa Ward at 403-309-3032 or email her at lisaward@me.com.
jswan@reddeerexpress.com
