So you think you can sing? Women’s chorus wants you
The West Island Chorus, a chapter of Sweet Adelines International, has launched a recruitment drive under the tutelage of its award-winning director, Tracey Larder.
Women interested in learning more about the a cappella chorus are invited to drop by Ste-Geneviève United Church in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. The open houses take place for four consecutive Thursdays, starting Sept. 20.
Larder had only been the director of the chorus for eight months when she won the Novice Director award at the North Atlantic Region One Sweet Adelines competition in Springfield, Mass., in May.
The McGill University music graduate now wants to swell the ranks of the 38-member chorus. At its peak, the 45-year-old group had 120 members.
Members come from all over Montreal Island and from all walks of life.
“Belonging to a Sweet Adelines chorus can be just about singing, if that’s what you like, but it can also be about education,” Larder said. “We touch on music theory and vocal coaching, and members have the opportunity to go to the United States once a year for a weekend of seminars that can be about theory, vocal skills, even designing costumes. You can dig as deep as you like.”
Sweet Adelines International was established in Tulsa, Okla., in 1945. It now has 28,000 members worldwide.
Larder read about the West Island Chorus in a newspaper in 1999 and joined for two years. She also directed the men’s choir for the Montreal City Chorus from 2006 to 2008. She chose to step away from performing and directing for the interim years to concentrate on her family.
Larder, 44, is now a mother of four — three teenagers and one tween. Her family life is a little less hectic these days, so she has returned to what she’s always loved doing: singing, directing, composing and arranging.
“For the competitions we sing the standard, old-fashioned barbershop material, but for regular concerts we sing songs from the 1940s right through to the 1990s,” Larder said.
“And we don’t just stand there singing. We move to the music. We just worked with a choreographer on a particular song. We’re not doing front flips, but we’re moving.”
Larder is looking for opportunities for the chorus to perform at seniors’ residences, in shopping malls and at corporate events over the course of the season. The big competition will be in Springfield in the spring.