A turning point in the life of your choir?
The first time we performed on a stage in front of a paying audience! We are a non-auditioned choir made up of shower, karaoke, and car singers, and I think that was the first time we believed we were actually as good as our choir director kept telling us we were.
QUICK FACTS
Choir Name: Cool Choir
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Style: Rock and Pop
Number of singers: 400+
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An emotional moment you had in a performance?
Many of our members suffer anxiety, bereavement, mental health issues, so many of our performances invoke strong emotional feelings but possibly one that stands out happened last year. We lost of one of our own members to cancer and dedicated our entire end of year performance to her.
An emotional moment in rehearsal?
The first time we heard ‘(Canada) I Feel Home’, written especially for the choir by Creative Director Jamie Serafi. Such an emotional song about new immigrants arriving in Canada – there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Catch a video of Cool Choir performing it here!
Something you do in rehearsals that surprises new members
We have 400 members and our Choir Director, Jamie Serafi, remembers every single one of them by name. He also learns something about them, however small which makes them feel special.
How do rehearsals work with a choir that large?
Our choir is spread over 3 locations each of which rehearse weekly during our three, 10-week trimesters! Members can move around the three locations, singing between 2 and 6 hours per week! Each of the three locations rehearse to the same lesson plan enabling us to come together for performances, which take place throughout the year and culminate in an end of year show.
How does your choir bond as a group?
We also organize at least one social per trimester where all our choirs get together and in between many of our members, meet for dinner before choir, or at a bar after for drinks and appetizers! We are a particularly social group, and our choir members go out of their way to support each other, not only during choir hours but in everyday life too!
Tell us about a special performance
This year we performed at The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, with a live Rock Band, a completely new experience for all our members!
A funny moment in rehearsal?
Too many to mention, our choir director is always making faux pas, which the members find hysterically funny.
Any challenging performances? How did you face them?
Our most challenging performances are outside street performances and festivals – sound quality is usually poor and there is never much space. We always sing as though we were performing on the stage of our biggest auditorium. Despite the challenges and give every performance 100%
Tina joined Cool Choir when it launched in January of 2016, and felt at home immediately! Tina often says that the greatest gift Cool Choir gave her is not only the ability sing fearlessly for the first time ever but the amazing friendships she has made as a result of being a member. Tina loves the choir and everything it stands for so much, that she joined the team in January 2018 as Executive Assistant to Creative Director, Jamie Serafi.
