For the better part of seven decades, the Winnipeg Male Chorus has brought together both men who love to sing and audiences who enjoy everything from folk and classical music to hits from the 70s and 80s. The one constant in the group’s ethos is the knowledge that songs are better when sung together, which is the basis for a new campaign to bring new singers into the fold.
“I think there’s a wonderful feeling when a room full of male voices comes together,” says David Sanders, president of the Winnipeg Male Chorus. “One voice can be good, but a group of voices singing together can be quite powerful. Truly, songs are sung better together.”
A choral community for men
While the choir’s rehearsals and performances under the baton of music director Jeremy Vallance are a richly edifying musical experience, Sanders says that the group’s best asset is its social component.
“People sometimes think joining a choir is just about standing on stage and singing,” he says, “but the friendships that we make are a big part of it. You’re spending time with people every week, you rehearse together, you perform together, you laugh together, and sometimes, you struggle together, trying to get a particular piece of music just perfectly right.”
Sanders adds that the group is perfect for those who remember the music of decades past and the feeling of singing along to the radio with the top down. “It’s a reason to get out of the house,” he shares of the choir’s place in the lives of its older members. “It’s a reason to meet new people, learn something new and be part of a group.”
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An open invitation
Prospective singers are invited to join the Winnipeg Male Chorus for its first rehearsal of the season on a trial basis. The choir, which is non-auditioned, aims to be a landing place for singers of all backgrounds to experience the joy of community music-making.
“I think they’ll discover they’re meeting with a group of guys who are there for exactly the same reason they are,” says Sanders of the participants in the open rehearsal. “You’ll get the music, you’ll learn your part, and before long, you’re singing along with everyone else.”
Sanders hopes that as the choir gains new members, the group is able to rethink and reimagine what its role is in the larger Winnipeg choral ecosystem. “If you look at most community choirs, you’ll find that the majority of those choir members are women,” he says. “We want to give men a position or an opportunity to do something a little bit different: to have men come together, have some fun, and build relationships.”
The open rehearsal for the Winnipeg Male Chorus will take place from 7:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on September 1 at Fort Garry United Church (800 Point Road). Prospective singers can learn more by visiting the chorus’s website or by emailing for more information.