Some Facts
One Voice Chorus (OVC) is a mixed choir for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, and queer singers and their straight and cisgender allies. We are an auditioned choir with a wide-ranging repertoire: from classical to jazz, from madrigals to show tunes, and more!
OVC was founded in September 2011. Four singers signed up for auditions the first night and a choir was born. From four singers we quickly grew to ten and made our debut at a Christmas concert hosted by the Unitarian Church of Calgary in December 2011.
By the spring of 2012, we had 17 singers on the roster and we were ready to contemplate presenting a concert of our own. We brang the curtain down, ending our first season on a high note. Our debut concert in June 2012 launched us officially as Calgary’s new LGBT choir. We were joined on stage by the Calgary Men’s Chorus, whom we regard proudly as our big brothers.
Many years have rolled by now since we first opened our doors to singers. We’re a fully-fledged choir of nearly 40 singers that presents two concerts each season, an additional cabaret style concert every second year and various guest appearances and collaborations.
Highlights
2019-2020
Stonewall
November 2019 - Ready to celebrate this important landmark in our history? Join us! Stonewall: A 50th Anniversary in Story and Song One Voice Chorus celebrates the auspicious spark that ignited the movement for gay rights and queer acceptance…with a healthy dose of dance music from the 1960s!
Transformation
January 2020 - We are thrilled to announce our next concert - Transformation! This concert is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about the long history of Calgary's Transgender Community and features Kevin Allen from the Calgary Gay History Project. We've sold out recent events so get your tickets right away.
The Story Project
June 2020 - ...
2018-2019
Sugar
December 8, 2018 St. Stephen's Anglican Church - Come and feast on sweet musical confections from One Voice Chorus! Music to lighten the heart, sweeten your evening, and make your heart (and your teeth!) sing.
Rainbow Cabaret
February 23, 2018 Unitarians Calgary - OVC’s talented singers bring you a highly entertaining evening of solos, small-group numbers, and full-choir singing.
Risk: Being Real
June 8, 2018 Big Secret Theater - One Voice Chorus sings about the risk of being ourselves and takes a few artistic risks!
2017-2018
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December 8, 2018 St. Stephen's Anglican Church - ...
Two
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Three
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2016-2017
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2015-2016
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December 8, 2018 St. Stephen's Anglican Church - ...
Two
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Three
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2014-2015
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December 8, 2018 St. Stephen's Anglican Church - ...
Two
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Three
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2013-2014
Words
November 2013 - We hired a guest performer, spoken word artist Sheri-D Wilson. She is a highly successful performer with an international reputation for excellence and accepted our invitation with enthusiasm and grace, even though we were a young organization still building its reputation.
Think Big
March 2014 - We took a risk and hired as our guest performer the Weekend World Music Choir. Scott Leithead was both a delight and a magician, and everyone in the room could feel the joy when both OVC and the Weekend World Music Choir took the stage to sing the final number together.
Ottawa Bound
May 2014 - This concert included the program we would sing at the Unision Festival in Ottawa and presented the Calgary Men’s Chorus and the BarberEllas as guests
Rainbow Cabaret
January 2014 - One Voice Chorus presented the Rainbow Cabaret, a sparkling evening of performances to an enthusiastic crowd, many of whom clamored for us to make this an annual event.
2012-2013
The First Nowell
December 2012 - Riding the wave of a Calgary Herald feature article in December, One Voice Chorus was greeted by an enormous audience at our December 9th concert “The First Nowell”. The concert solidly established One Voice Chorus’s presence in the local choral community.
One Voice, One World
March 2013 - This concert saw us share the stage with guest choir Edmonton Vocal Minority. Through a weekend of singing and eating together, OVC forged such a friendly bond with EVM that we already have received an invitation to go to Edmonton sometime in the 2014-2015 season to perform as EVM’s guests.
Rainbow Roots
May 2013 - Our third concert of the season allowed us to show our audience what a fun-loving and talented group we are. Inspired by the energy of guest band Backyard Betties, One Voice Chorus showed its audience a foot-stompin’ good .
2011-2012
Début
June 3, 2012 - One Voice Chorus presents a sampling of many styles for it's very first full-length concert. Special Guest: Calgary Men's Chorus