P.E.I. choral group Sirens planning bigger concerts

It's an exciting weekend, and season for the award-winning Island choral ensemble Sirens.

The 10 women, many of whom are music teachers around the Island, began singing together in 2012.

Now, some major changes and big concerts have the members looking forward to a strong future.

It started with the addition of a new generation to their ranks, founding member and artistic director Kelsea McLean told CBC Mainstreet's Angela Walker.

"We've added a new choir to our family, which is the Harmonia Girls Choir, and that's for girls 12 to 18," said McLean. "This is a way for us to foster the next generation of girl singers in the community of P.E.I."

McLean stressed that any girls interested are welcome.

"Whoever wants to come, and there's no audition," she said. "There's a voice test that we do just to see what girl's voices are like, but it really is come one, come all. Even if someone's not a strong singer, we really believe that everyone can sing, it's just a learning environment for the girls."

The girls choir is now at the point it can take part in concerts, including those this weekend.

Joint concert

"We're doing our biggest collaboration yet at one of the Sirens concerts," said McLean. "So it's going to be a combined concert, Harmonia and Sirens. The concert is entitled Vigil, and it's really emphasizing this communal act of remembrance. We are still in our season of remembrance. We'll be looking at pieces that inform the theme of peace and remembrance, coping with grieving."

Another big change for the choir is an application to become an incorporated, non-profit charity.

"So we can access more government funding, we can issue tax receipts, that sort of thing," said McLean. "It will give us access to some new resources, and overall it will help us to run our family of choirs, both Sirens and Harmonia just a little more efficiently and effectively."

There are more major plans for the new year for Sirens.

In March, the group will collaborate with the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra for the first time, and in May, they'll perform withrespected chamber choir, the Halifax Camerata Singers.

Vigil was performed Friday night in Charlottetown, and there's another performance on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. at St. Andrew's United Church in Vernon Bridge.

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