{"id":40290,"date":"2016-11-29T09:17:43","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T14:17:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=40290"},"modified":"2016-11-29T09:17:43","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T14:17:43","slug":"feature-25-seasons-of-jubilation-with-torontos-singing-out-the-lgbtq-chorus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/11\/29\/feature-25-seasons-of-jubilation-with-torontos-singing-out-the-lgbtq-chorus\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | 25 Seasons Of Jubilation With Toronto\u2019s Singing Out!: The LGBTQ Chorus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Artistic
Artistic Director Jody Malone leads Singing Out: The LGBTQ Chorus. (Photo: Brian Chang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201c<\/span>Think ahead two moves\u201d yells out Jody Malone; she\u2019s the Artistic Director of Singing Out. The ballroom at the 519 Community Centre in downtown Toronto is divided into two huge sections, male-identified voices and female-identified voices facing the front. They are singing a cheeky tune, Greg Gilpin\u2019s, <\/span>Please Don\u2019t Sing Another Fa La La<\/span><\/i>. They are also dancing actual choreography. Across the front, two lines of dancers pass in front of the main body of the choir. These are choristers who have auditioned to be part of a smaller dance ensemble. Everyone is singing and dancing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Singing Out are 25-years-old this season. There are about 120 singers this year which make them one of the biggest choral games in town. Howie Dayton, the President of the Choir, has been with the Choir for 7 of them. The organization has grown a lot from just a few singers in a church. The Choir has managed to secure funding from Government arts agencies in its growth and has started to get funding from corporate donors like Manulife and TD Bank. Dayton is especially proud that the choir provides financial assistance to members who are unable to pay fees or associated costs. This choir of students, doctors, retirees, teachers, chefs, and so much more do not leave anyone behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Singing
Singing Out: The LGBTQ Chorus rehearses with Artistic Director Jody Malone (Photo: Brian Chang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The choir is also non-auditioned which means that the artistic teams help place you according to your voice, but you aren\u2019t excluded because of lack of technical skill. While the choir learns music initially on paper, everything is performed off book which equalizes the experience for everyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

The room erupts with noise and laughter after the first full run through of Gilpin\u2019s<\/span> Fa-La-La. <\/span><\/i>With these people, this ensemble, it is incredibly clear that no one wants each other to succeed more than the choristers themselves. There is an intense warmth and camaraderie through the group. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is an added dimension of community unique to a Choir like this. Howie explains \u201cI came out late in life. I had a late start. A friend thought it would be a good way to meet people. I walked into rehearsal, the Choir was 35 people at the time, and instantly felt welcomed. I\u2019ve never looked back\u201d. The Choir isn\u2019t just a performing arts group, it is made up of the LGBTQ community and is an active part of it. Singing Out has been featured at Nathan Philips Square, part of Pride festivities, Holiday on the Square events, the World AIDS Vigil, and will be at the Distillery Christmas Market. And they are a key part of their home at the 519 Community centre where you can hear them rehearsing from throughout the building.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Singing
Singing Out: The LGBTQ Chorus (Photo: Brian Chang)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Earlier this year the Choir participated in the Gala Festival in Denver, the world\u2019s biggest LGBTQ Choral Festival. In four years time, it will be in Minneapolis. The Choir will be there. Here in Canada, Unison, the Canadian LGBTQ Choral Festival takes place in Calgary 2018. Howie and the rest of the Choir are excited just thinking about it. <\/span><\/p>\n

For now, they are just trying to think \u201ctwo steps ahead\u201d while remembering all their music. Everything the Choir performs is off book. After a false start to a song Jody cuts them off and starts again \u201cGently, this time with full knowledge of the first note,\u201d and the group erupts in laughter. Jody smiles and pauses before bringing them in again. There\u2019s a lot of laughter in this group.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a host of pleasant repertoire ahead for their concert. John Rutters <\/span>What Sweeter Music<\/span><\/i>; Amy Bernon\u2019s <\/span>Winterlight; <\/span><\/i>Audrey Snyder\u2019s <\/span>Fum Fum Fantasy<\/span><\/i>; and much more. There is a <\/span>Kyrie<\/span><\/i> by a young American composer, Nick Dahlquist. The opening direction caught me particularly \u201cFrom a place of wavering insecurity and desperation\u201d. The eight-part voicings make this a broad and pleasing work. And for the first time, the Choir has hired a choreographer to help them prepare for their concert. They are committed and will bring their A-game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Twenty-five years ago when the choir started the world was a very different place. The history of an organization like Singing Out! is important to note \u2014 they were welcoming, loving, and proud at a time when it was not always safe to do so. There are testimonials on their website of Chorister experiences from the last 25 years. They are remarkable:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe most challenging moment as a member of the choir came when, in my first year, I had to sing a song entitled: \u201cI Like Being A Dyke.\u201d I could hardly say the word \u201cdyke\u201d in a conversation! To sing it proudly and become comfortable with the word was a definite challenge!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a completely different way of fighting the culture war, by reaching out rather than striking back. And it was a place I knew I could make a difference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Congratulations on 25 years of proud music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Singing Out performs N<\/em><\/a><\/span>ot Another Fa La La!<\/span><\/em> Saturday, December 3rd, 2016, 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Jame Mallett Theatre, St Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Toronto.<\/span><\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Twenty-five years ago when Singing Out! started, the world was a very different place. The history of an organization like Singing Out! cannot be underestimated \u2014 they were welcoming, loving, and proud at a time when it was not always safe to do so. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":40293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5723,4967,4557,70],"tags":[6557,6556,6555],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/11\/DSC_0375.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-atQ","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40290"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40290"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40300,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40290\/revisions\/40300"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40290"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=40290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}