Ever since Molly (my wonderful aunt & sometimes co-adventurer at musical events) told me about Choir!Choir!Choir! I was intrigued. Seeing them perform and lead hundreds of singers at Hillside last year made me want to check out the origins of this unique social singing event.
Folks have been gathering weekly to sing pop songs, arranged and conducted by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman, since February 2011. This is no simple campfire sing along. The crowd (about 150 people each week) divides themselves into Low-Mid-High range voices. Each group learns a separate part with much coaching, correcting and cajoling from Daveed and Nobu.
Part stand-up comics, part musical directors, this team brings a room full of strangers together to sound something like a community choir. They tell stories, make jokes about the singers, and command the attention of the room with their energy and insistence on getting the notes right. No auditions or commitment, the weekly gathering happens on a drop-in basis with different people coming all the time. The event – now held at Clinton’s Tavern – is so popular they have added a second night each week, which also attracts over 100 participants.
By the way, my first visit (definitely not my last) to C!C!C! we sang Every Breath You Take, affectionately known as the stalker song. Here is the video taken at the end of the evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcazwcPnPiw
How to participate: visit the Choir!Choir!Choir! website for the Facebook link. Once you have joined the FB group for either the Tuesday or Wednesday night you will receive a notification of what the upcoming song is for the week. Your homework: listen to the ****ing song. (They revisit this requirement a few times during the evening). Show up on your chosen evening and prepare to sing and be entertained.
Me with my co-adventurers for the evening!
[Choir!Choir!Choir! at Clinton’s Tavern, 693 Bloor St W, Toronto; Tuesday and Wednesday 7-10 pm; $5 cover; licensed]
