How can non-Indigenous Canadians be good allies to their Indigenous neighbours? Members of One Voice Chorus have spent their rehearsals this fall exploring this question, ultimately discovering how much they have left to learn. But as the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote, the longest journey begins with a single step. The choir invites its audience to take this first step with them with the concert Bridges.

The concert will see One Voice Chorus share the stage with traditional musician and arts educator Chantal Stormsong Chagnon, community organizer Michelle Robinson, Voices co-founder Evans Yellow Old Woman, and social worker and spoken-word artist Dwight Farahat. These guests will speak about Indigenous ways of knowing and being; about Two-Spirit identity; about the effect of the Indian Residential Schools and the Sixties Scoop on the traditions, culture, and societal health of Indigenous communities; about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; and about the struggles and successes of the current generation of Indigenous children and youth. One Voice Chorus will walk with its guests through the concert by providing choral reflections that will allow all in attendance some time to sit with our guests; words and to keep hearts open and minds curious. The choir’s repertoire will include music as varied as Jason Shelton’s Love, Break Our Hearts; Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors; Ulali’s Mahk Jchi, and onstage musical collaborations with Chagnon and Farahat.

This will be no ordinary concert. It is OVC’s aim that everyone will be changed by the words they hear, by the musical collaborations they witness, and by the simple act of joining together – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – for this night of learning, community-making, and bridge-building. OVC and our special guests look forward to welcoming audiences to Bridges.

Tickets: $25 regular * $20 student/senior * children 13 and under free!