What does the word "home" mean to you? For some, it's a place of love and warmth, and for others it's a dangerous place from which they have been forced to run. Sometimes it's a place of memory, or a place we long for but have never seen. Sometimes, and in a spiritual sense, it's a place we find inside ourselves. One Voice Chorus, Calgary’s mixed-voice choir for LGBTQ+ singers and their straight and cisgender allies, invites its audience to explore these many meanings with the aptly titled concert Home.
"We hope our audience members, both long-time loyal fans and first-time concert attendees, will feel at home when they step through the doors into our concert space," says OVC Artistic Director Jane Perry. "We are so grateful for the support we receive as a choir from the community, and we love knowing that we have a chance with every concert to create a space where people can feel safe to be themselves, welcomed and accepted for who they are."
In recognition that not everyone enjoys such a space, however, the concert will look at the growing reality of LGBTQ youth homelessness in Canada. The first half will focus on those who have been forced from their homes, with songs including the French-Canadian folksong "Un canadien errant" and "Somewhere" from West Side Story, one of the most poignant musical expressions ever about longing for a place to belong.
The concert’s second half will look at the idea of coming home and the hope that surrounds that dream. Audiences can look forward to OVC's interpretation of Dolly Parton's "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" and "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. OVC will also present three original works by Canadian composers. Toronto composer Cassandra Luftspring's "When Our Inner Light Goes Out" speaks of the gift of the love of friends to keep one going in tough times. Calgary composer (and OVC baritone) Alex Whyte offers an interpretation of inner depth and hope in "I Know There is an Ocean". And then there is the whimsical "Singing in the Choir" by Regina composer David L. MacIntyre, a piece which talks about finding one's true love (certainly a type of metaphorical home) within the ranks of a choir.
The concert will also see the return of OVC’s popular Rainbow Raffle, which will feature a variety of prizes in the arts, recreation, cooking, gardening, and other categories. Tickets are $10 each or three for $20. Tickets will be available at the concert (cash only) or online closer to the concert. Proceeds will help fund OVC’s international debut at the GALA Festival in Denver this July.
Tickets: $20 regular * $15 student/senior * children 12 and under free!
Available online at www.onevoicechorus.ca, from choir members, and at:
New Age Books and Crystals (142 - 10 Street NW)
Shelf Life Books (1302 - 4 Street SW)
