Rainbow Voices of Toronto

I seem to have run low on steam -- no postings in the past few days. Aside from regular work, gardening, preparing for my parents' 50th-anniversary party, registering with the University of Calgary and trying to find a place to stay while I'm studying there this summer, I'm also busy rehearsing for the concert I'll be singing in on May 27, with Rainbow Voices of Toronto. It's a non-auditioned choir composed of a colourful mixture of what I fondly refer to as semi-misfits (I fit right in) with the mission statement "Building bridges between the straight and gay communities through the power of song." We sing some semi-serious choral music and a lot of pop tunes, with a predictably campy flavour. There's a fairly strong group of men, but we always seem to have trouble filling out the soprano and alto sections (I'm an alto). If you're a shower singer looking for a bigger venue, take note. There's no test to determine whether you're gay or straight...

Our director, Michael Bouzane, is a stout, entertaining imp who manages to coax something worth listening to from a group whose talent varies wildly. The concerts are always a lot of fun (I went to several before I joined at the behest of my cousin Lynne and next-door neighbour Tom, who were both members); they're vigorously unhip events, by the standards of my media pals, which makes me love them all the more.

Our spring concert will feature Sixties music, among other things -- if you like Franki Valli, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark and (yikes) John Denver, come on down. You can find the details here.