Shower singers, karaoke stars, and radio hummers-along unite! A new group in Ottawa wants to help us reclaim the experience of communal singing that has been lost to many of us in the era of the earbud. The 613 Casual Choir aims to provide an informal, non-judgmental setting for singers of all experience and skill levels to interpret pop songs together.
The choir is organized by Andrea Stokes and Apt613 contributor Pam Kapoor, who were overwhelmed by Ottawa’s enthusiasm for the concept. Originally, the choir’s inaugural session was to be held at Raw Sugar, but it was moved to the Westboro location of the Clocktower Brewpub after almost 300 people RSVP’d on Facebook. I spoke with Stokes and Kapoor about their motivations for starting the choir and their plans for its future.
Amateur choirs have been cropping up all over, but Stokes was particularly inspired by Toronto’s Choir!Choir!Choir!, another casual choir who have performed songs like Wham!’s “Last Christmas” and Big Star’s “Thirteen”. She loved the idea of being able to sing with other people “without having to audition”, in a context where you could “relax and have a drink”.
She views singing as a birthright that many of us have lost over the years: “We start out singing as wee babies and to wee babies. Where was it ever written that we should stop our singing?” She finds singing with others, especially, to be a “beautiful collective experience” that more people should have the opportunity to experience. Kapoor added that she wants people to experience “the endorphin rush from joining your voice to others”.
As the National Post reported last year, choral singing has been shown to reduce singers’ stress, improve their lung capacity, and help assuage mental health concerns. In our increasingly atomistic society, singing together can also provide a sense of belonging and cohesiveness with others.
Generally, the choir will be taking on two songs per session, but for their first session, have decided just to do one: Rihanna’s “Umbrella”. In terms of future material, they tell me that they will be “looking at everything from top 40 pop songs from contemporary artists like Lorde, back through the 90s and 80s and some classic rock from the 60s and 70s”. The songs will be broken out in high, medium, and low sections, which singers will assign themselves to accordingly.
So, why not step out of the shower stall, towel off, and raise your voice with your fellow Ottawans’? The 613 Casual Choir promises to provide a safe space for even the most harmonically challenged.
The first session of the 613 Casual Choir will take place Monday, February 3rd, at 7PM, at the Westboro location of the Clocktower Brewpub (418 Richmond Rd.). For more information, see the Facebook event.
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