Our MembersOur members consists of all ages, and all experience levels. Whether you are a seasoned experienced singer, or very new to singing, there is a place for you here at the ENCORE ENCORE ENCORE.
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The New Members Information Sheet can be downloaded here:
| ndg-encore-singing-chorus-new-members-guide-as-of-feb-2025.pdf |
THE CHORUS IS FORMED INTO GROUPS. THEY ARE:
Encore Soloist: Individuals who sing for services under the Encore banner. For example, soloists that sing for funerals.
Encore Duo, Trio, Four, Quartet, etc: Singers are encouraged to form subgroups within the chorus, singing songs that are part of the repertoire.
Encore Unison: Unison singing is when a group of people sing the same note or melody at the same time. Singers must breathe at the same time, must sing in tune with each other, must sing at the same volume, and must listen carefully to blend their voices together unless otherwise specified.
Unison singing can create a powerful unified sound and can emphasize the lyrics and rhythm of a song as well as help singers practice pitch accuracy and vocal matching members move in unison following the instructor.
Two or more sounds are said to be in unison when they are at the same pitch, although often an OCTAVE may exist between them. For instance, men and women singing in unison are often singing at least one octave apart
Encore Harmony: Most of the harmony songs the chorus sings are in the Barbershop format. Harmony singing refers to the practice of multiple singers simultaneously singing different notes that complement a main melody, creating a richer and fuller sound by combining various pitches that blend well together, often following the chords of the song; essentially, it's singing different notes alongside the melody to create a pleasing musical texture.
More than one singer is required to create a harmony. Each singer sings a different note, usually related to the melody through intervals like thirds, fifths, or sixths. The goal is to create a smooth and pleasing sound by combining the different vocal parts.
The harmony group is the most challenging, and new singers may be asked to audition.
A singer in the harmony group that is not able improve their singing, sing on key, or learn the lyrics and melody in a timely fashion, will be moved to sing in the unison group.
Encore Soloist: Individuals who sing for services under the Encore banner. For example, soloists that sing for funerals.
Encore Duo, Trio, Four, Quartet, etc: Singers are encouraged to form subgroups within the chorus, singing songs that are part of the repertoire.
Encore Unison: Unison singing is when a group of people sing the same note or melody at the same time. Singers must breathe at the same time, must sing in tune with each other, must sing at the same volume, and must listen carefully to blend their voices together unless otherwise specified.
Unison singing can create a powerful unified sound and can emphasize the lyrics and rhythm of a song as well as help singers practice pitch accuracy and vocal matching members move in unison following the instructor.
Two or more sounds are said to be in unison when they are at the same pitch, although often an OCTAVE may exist between them. For instance, men and women singing in unison are often singing at least one octave apart
Encore Harmony: Most of the harmony songs the chorus sings are in the Barbershop format. Harmony singing refers to the practice of multiple singers simultaneously singing different notes that complement a main melody, creating a richer and fuller sound by combining various pitches that blend well together, often following the chords of the song; essentially, it's singing different notes alongside the melody to create a pleasing musical texture.
More than one singer is required to create a harmony. Each singer sings a different note, usually related to the melody through intervals like thirds, fifths, or sixths. The goal is to create a smooth and pleasing sound by combining the different vocal parts.
The harmony group is the most challenging, and new singers may be asked to audition.
A singer in the harmony group that is not able improve their singing, sing on key, or learn the lyrics and melody in a timely fashion, will be moved to sing in the unison group.
CHORUS EDIQUETTE:
BE NICE! We have a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. If you insult, harass, or bully anyone attending, you will be removed no matter how good a singer you are. If you are an audience member who does this, you will also be asked to leave and not return.
LEAVE YOUR ISSUES AT THE DOOR! You are not here to promote your causes, or to argue politics or religion with others present. You show up to sing with others, regardless of if you would be friends with them or not on the outside. What you do outside of the chorus is your business and we respect your freedoms of choice. However, if your choices interfere with the smooth operations of managing this chorus, you will be asked to leave.
CHORUS ETIQUETTE WHEN IT COMES TO THE REPERTOIRE! The rights to publicly perform the repertoire are paid for and acquired by the chorus administration (Frank) when they pay for the arrangement. If you (or a group of singers) want to break from the chorus and start your own group, you will have to pay for the rights to whatever songs you choose to learn and perform even if it is from the same song source that the chorus acquired. Just because you learned them with us does not transfer the rights of performance to you when you sing outside of the chorus name umbrella.
Two of our principles are that (i) No one should be forced to sing a sing they DON’T want to sing. And (ii) No one should be forbidden to sing a song they DO want to sing.
For this above reason, if a member does not want to sing a particular song for their own reasons,(moral, mental health etc) they are not obligated to sing the song. The chorus, or a subgroup of the chorus does have full rights to sing that song, and the member who declined to sing, will not be included in that song or any recordings of that song. Affirmative, clear consent from each member of the chorus must be given in order to be included. When a new song is presented to the chorus, each member has an obligation to do their own research to find out if they have any objection/s to the chosen song.
SOCIAL MEDIA is one way the NDG Encore Singing Chorus reaches potential new members, in addition to promoting for new singing opportunities and paid gigs. Therefore, when a video is recorded and shared on social media, it will not be deleted unless there is an unusual circumstance which warrants it. Members or ex-members may NOT request that videos they have been involved with be removed from social media. Certain songs may be tied to public information/persons that may change how a song is viewed. If this circumstance should arise, the case will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Please note, taking down social media postings is considered as a last resort measure. Evidence of misconduct must be submitted before removal will be considered.
All members are required to sign a Release and Consent Form in order to appear in photos and videos of chorus rehearsals and performances. Anyone that is unable to sign the release, or refuses to sign the release, may not participate with the chorus.
GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE As a chorus we are often in small spaces together, and we will be having public and private performances where we may be using small, warm up and rehearsal spaces. Due to the nature of our repertoire, we often will be performing for children, sick kids (hospitals), memorials, charity fundraisers, and so forth. It is vital for chorus members to have good personal hygiene. This includes dressing cleanly, no dirty/stained/smelly clothing, and no strong odours (no perfumes, no colognes, no overpowering body odour, etc.) Some of our chorus members have allergies, and we do not wish to alienate our potential and paying audiences with olfactory issues. Please be respectful to other chorus members and the public in this manner.
WHEN YOU SAY YES: If you have committed yourself to sing at an event, please be respectful and keep your commitment.
PAID GIGS At times the chorus may accept paid gigs. The money collected will be used to pay for chorus administration costs. On a case-by-case basis, some singers may be paid. It will depend on the involvement of the person, and the nature of the event.
A CAPPELLA :Encore NDG Singing Chorus is an a cappella chorus. We do not have musical instruments as part of our performances unless a specific exception is made, usually at the request of a client.
BOOKINGS: All gigs must be booked with Frank as he is the owner of the Encore NDG Singing Chorus. All bookings for events must be done through Frank.No third party bookings are allowed or authorized. Any persons or organization who wish to book the chorus for an event, please contact Frank so that all arrangements and details will be dealt with directly by Frank.
MASCOT: Our future mascot will be a Peacock bird. The mascot will be in a peacock costume, and involve simple dances and performing along with our songs. The mascot should ideally interact with the chorus during scripted segments for entertainment purposes, and provide some comedy for the audience. The ideal candidate already has, or is willing to learn some sign language for performances, and is comfortable being on stage and interacting with the audience, and/or chorus. The mascot will not be speaking to the audience, but some singing may be required, depending on the song. There is the possibility of the mascot singing their own theme song, with the chorus as background singers.
BE NICE! We have a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. If you insult, harass, or bully anyone attending, you will be removed no matter how good a singer you are. If you are an audience member who does this, you will also be asked to leave and not return.
LEAVE YOUR ISSUES AT THE DOOR! You are not here to promote your causes, or to argue politics or religion with others present. You show up to sing with others, regardless of if you would be friends with them or not on the outside. What you do outside of the chorus is your business and we respect your freedoms of choice. However, if your choices interfere with the smooth operations of managing this chorus, you will be asked to leave.
CHORUS ETIQUETTE WHEN IT COMES TO THE REPERTOIRE! The rights to publicly perform the repertoire are paid for and acquired by the chorus administration (Frank) when they pay for the arrangement. If you (or a group of singers) want to break from the chorus and start your own group, you will have to pay for the rights to whatever songs you choose to learn and perform even if it is from the same song source that the chorus acquired. Just because you learned them with us does not transfer the rights of performance to you when you sing outside of the chorus name umbrella.
Two of our principles are that (i) No one should be forced to sing a sing they DON’T want to sing. And (ii) No one should be forbidden to sing a song they DO want to sing.
For this above reason, if a member does not want to sing a particular song for their own reasons,(moral, mental health etc) they are not obligated to sing the song. The chorus, or a subgroup of the chorus does have full rights to sing that song, and the member who declined to sing, will not be included in that song or any recordings of that song. Affirmative, clear consent from each member of the chorus must be given in order to be included. When a new song is presented to the chorus, each member has an obligation to do their own research to find out if they have any objection/s to the chosen song.
SOCIAL MEDIA is one way the NDG Encore Singing Chorus reaches potential new members, in addition to promoting for new singing opportunities and paid gigs. Therefore, when a video is recorded and shared on social media, it will not be deleted unless there is an unusual circumstance which warrants it. Members or ex-members may NOT request that videos they have been involved with be removed from social media. Certain songs may be tied to public information/persons that may change how a song is viewed. If this circumstance should arise, the case will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Please note, taking down social media postings is considered as a last resort measure. Evidence of misconduct must be submitted before removal will be considered.
All members are required to sign a Release and Consent Form in order to appear in photos and videos of chorus rehearsals and performances. Anyone that is unable to sign the release, or refuses to sign the release, may not participate with the chorus.
GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE As a chorus we are often in small spaces together, and we will be having public and private performances where we may be using small, warm up and rehearsal spaces. Due to the nature of our repertoire, we often will be performing for children, sick kids (hospitals), memorials, charity fundraisers, and so forth. It is vital for chorus members to have good personal hygiene. This includes dressing cleanly, no dirty/stained/smelly clothing, and no strong odours (no perfumes, no colognes, no overpowering body odour, etc.) Some of our chorus members have allergies, and we do not wish to alienate our potential and paying audiences with olfactory issues. Please be respectful to other chorus members and the public in this manner.
WHEN YOU SAY YES: If you have committed yourself to sing at an event, please be respectful and keep your commitment.
PAID GIGS At times the chorus may accept paid gigs. The money collected will be used to pay for chorus administration costs. On a case-by-case basis, some singers may be paid. It will depend on the involvement of the person, and the nature of the event.
A CAPPELLA :Encore NDG Singing Chorus is an a cappella chorus. We do not have musical instruments as part of our performances unless a specific exception is made, usually at the request of a client.
BOOKINGS: All gigs must be booked with Frank as he is the owner of the Encore NDG Singing Chorus. All bookings for events must be done through Frank.No third party bookings are allowed or authorized. Any persons or organization who wish to book the chorus for an event, please contact Frank so that all arrangements and details will be dealt with directly by Frank.
MASCOT: Our future mascot will be a Peacock bird. The mascot will be in a peacock costume, and involve simple dances and performing along with our songs. The mascot should ideally interact with the chorus during scripted segments for entertainment purposes, and provide some comedy for the audience. The ideal candidate already has, or is willing to learn some sign language for performances, and is comfortable being on stage and interacting with the audience, and/or chorus. The mascot will not be speaking to the audience, but some singing may be required, depending on the song. There is the possibility of the mascot singing their own theme song, with the chorus as background singers.
Our Chorus at Various Times
From left to right and back to front:
Frank, Eduardo, Steve, Raffi
Alex, Rose
Heather, Lieska
Kimberly, Javiera, Monica, Cindy
Frank, Eduardo, Steve, Raffi
Alex, Rose
Heather, Lieska
Kimberly, Javiera, Monica, Cindy
From back to front:
Frank, Eduardo, Raffi
Javiera, Heather, Alex, Kimberly, Rose
Cindy, Lieska, Monica, Steve
Frank, Eduardo, Raffi
Javiera, Heather, Alex, Kimberly, Rose
Cindy, Lieska, Monica, Steve
Director - Harmony
Steven Wheaton
Assistant Director - Unison
Frank
Singers (regular)
Kimberly
Raffi
Amit
Eduardo
Frank
Rose
Cindy
Ian
Jen
Basak
Arrangers
Ed Howard - Primary Arranger
Li Jian - French song Arrangements
Raffi - Canadian TV show theme songs
Robert Johnston - Arranger (Birthday Song)
Li Jian - French song Arrangements
Raffi - Canadian TV show theme songs
Robert Johnston - Arranger (Birthday Song)
Booking Agent/ Admin Policy
Frank - [email protected]
