Next up in our #GCFGrantStories series is Community Grant recipient Guelph Community Singers (GCS), which received funding for its Singing is Pure Joy Program.
According to its website, GCS Guelph Community Singers is a fun-loving, accessible, and secular community choir with over 100 voices. After the first wave of the pandemic, the choir pivoted from practicing in-person to online. Now, it employs a hybrid model of in-person and online participation in weekly practices, welcoming members who join from their homes and across the country!
GCS decided to direct their received grant funding towards holding a concert at a large venue, Lakeside Church, that would allow safe social distancing and higher air quality. The show was held on June 3, 2023, with 139 tickets sold for the combined in-person and streaming audiences. Total ticket revenue for the concert was $2670.00!
The response was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees stating, “Wonderful night – we loved the vibe and the spirit of the choir,” “The singers were great,” “Concert was just the right length and well-paced,” “Beautiful, amazing, talented choir – incredible voices and harmony,” etc.
Looking ahead, GCS hopes to keep its members engaged for the long term and nurture the partnerships it has created with Lakeside Church and other choral groups, such as the Waterloo Regional Police Chorus, Waterloo Teachers’ Choir, Stratford Summer Music, and The Overtones.