TORONTO - I have an absolutely amazing singing voice – in the shower.
In the interest of full disclosure, as a teenager, I was a regular on several CBC entertainment shows, like “Where It’s At” and “The Good Company,” dancing and singing in harmony alongside stars like the late Alan Thicke, before he became really, really famous.
I even had dreams of making it big in the Big Apple, but after a bite of reality, I was bitten by the journalism bug. The rest is history and I have limited my vocal gymnastics to the living room; working through tunes from famous Broadway musicals as a way to relax at the end of a work day.
Enter Choir! Choir! Choir!, the perfect outlet for wannabe crooners and dreamers like me.
It has become a musical phenomenon, piloted by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman, who have tapped into the collective desire to sing.
Together, the talented duo, both with music in their blood, have fashioned a communal experience, reaching out on social media to people from all walks of life.
Once a week at a Toronto bar, hundreds show up to belt out a tune. Some have beautiful voices; others not so much, but it doesn’t matter.
In an interview with CTV’s W5, Adilman said, “I never thought Choir! Choir! Choir! would explode. I thought it was something that I was doing with my friends, and that it would be kind of a local thing.”
What started as a local thing has indeed exploded. Sometimes thousands show up to be part of the choir, which on occasion relocates from the local bar to some of the world’s most famous landmarks.
Take for example, the tribute to the late Gord Downie at Toronto’s city hall; and the time the group sang the David Bowie hit “Space Oddity” at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Choir! Choir! Choir! even flew to Ireland to perform at The Everyman Theatre and sing a song by the alternative rock band, The Frank and Walters.
Every performance is posted on YouTube, which attracts even more people, including some well-known faces, like Juno Award winner and songwriter Rufus Wainwright and English singer Rick Astley of “Never Gonna Give You Up” fame, who wanted to get up close and personal with fans.
Goldman said, “I’m not a religious person, but I understand why people get involved… to be part of a community, to their city.”
Canadian music historian Alan Cross describes the whole experience as liberating. “I was absolutely amazed at the enthusiasm and how there seemed to be a cathartic release for all these people who came to sing.”
Exactly what Adilman and Goldman want the crowd to experience.
Adilman tells W5, “I would like people to take away that they’re not alone and they can reach out and be part of something that will enrich themselves personally, but also bring them closer to other people.”
