Choirs

I went to an Edmonton A Cappella Festival event in 2019 having never sung in a choir, joined ETown Augmented there, and performed with them at the show the following day. Roughly twenty-four hours from no experience to a stage, and it stuck.

ETown Augmented

I’ve sung with the group ever since. It is a non-auditioned adult pop a cappella choir, which keeps it approachable without making the arrangements uninteresting.

I sing bass and always have, though I can cover tenor when a part needs it. Bass is most satisfying when it gets actual words instead of spending an entire song impersonating a kick drum.

Many of the arrangements are written in-house. The people writing the parts know the choir and the voices in it, so a chart is built for this group rather than for whatever ensemble happens to buy it.

The festival that started all of this has since been succeeded by SING! Edmonton, which carries on the workshops and the performance community.

Smaller groups

I’ve also performed in smaller ensembles, including a 2025 Kaleido Family Arts Festival appearance with the Silver Studios Singers. There is nowhere to disappear inside a section of one, and the parts land on each other far more directly.

What the singing asks for

Blend, balance, tuning, and rhythm are settled in real time, by everyone at once. That is a different kind of listening than an instrument played alone requires, and it is the most collaborative hobby I have.