The warmth and joy that are such a vital part of every My Pop Choir session in Ontario are equally important in our west coast choirs, according to Kent Andrews, director and co-owner. “We come together for the music, but we stay for so much more.”
Two years ago, Kent started My Pop Choir in metro Vancouver, where currently there are about 50 singers in Vancouver-Shaughnessy and 40 in Burnaby. In December, 75 of them came together for the west coast Big Sing.
You can see the wonderful results at https://www.youtube.com/@Mypopchoir-bc/videos – where you can also view a few of their weekly sessions.
With the excitement of their Big Sing still in his voice, Kent talks about that night:
“We had about 350 in attendance and there was great energy. We followed the same format as in Ontario, pulling the music from the three previous My Pop Choir terms. The concert was similar but we did it our own west coast way, keeping it simpler, as it was our first Big Sing.”
The concert ran for about an hour and a half in a space with excellent acoustics and a warmly encouraging audience. And afterwards?
“Our singers felt a profound choir high for quite some time,” Kent says. “And even a week later I was still getting messages about what an amazing night it was.”
Kent has found that gathering people together to sing weekly in a relaxed, welcoming way has resulted in a tight group, who share a camaraderie that is truly special. “We hang out together. We always seem to be on our WhatsApp chat,” he says.
And for him as director: “It has been perhaps unexpectedly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, because I hadn’t anticipated what a great community we were about to create.”
Over the last two years, organizing the My Pop Choir in Vancouver and area has meant a lot of work and dedication from Kent, who leads and manages both choirs on his own. But he is quick to point out that the rewards have been plentiful. “When we started, we had no idea where we were going to go and how absolutely wonderful it was going to become. What we have now are a couple of vibrant choirs with really connected communities and a real capacity to grow.”
His singers are equally enthusiastic. “I knew I wanted to join a choir, but I hadn't sung in over 20 years and I was apprehensive about being in a group of strangers,” says Angela Louie, a member of the Burnaby group. “But the structure and resources of My Pop Choir and our choir director Kent's humour made it an easy and fun experience.”
Janice Bittante has been singing with My Pop Choir since its beginnings in B.C. “I have been able to make huge improvements in the quality and strength of my voice, in addition to my confidence.”
She sums up the entire experience: “We laugh hard, we connect with each other in friendship, we feel the music deeply and experience a real sense of joy.”
Kent is planning to start a new choir in 2025 and he is looking at a few different areas in the Lower Mainland.
“It’s also time to have new managers and a new director,” he points out. “Finding the right people is the key.”
His biggest challenge will be to recruit and develop a new director, who will need to understand and appreciate the My Pop Choir philosophy.
“We’re not the normal breed of choir directors,” Kent points out with a smile. “Our emphasis is on the positive atmosphere - everything is designed to be encouraging, so our singers can really thrive in that environment. That’s what keeps them coming back. And MPC directors have fun!”
Kent has a message for any MPC singer who might be visiting in the Vancouver area. “I would love for them to know that they’ve got an extended community on the west coast, so similar to what they are a part of every night that they attend choir in Ontario. If they are out here, they should definitely check us out.”
As one visitor from the east told him: “I feel like I’m home.”
You can contact Kent at andrews.kent@yahoo.com.
Comments