Rainbow Chorus celebrates 15th anniversary Saturday night at Harcourt United Church
by Daniel Bitonti
Ask Greg Beneteau what the Rainbow Chorus of Wellington and Waterloo County is and he’ll tell you it’s more than just a choir. Beneteau, the vice chair of the group, says it’s an extended social network, an extended family, a place to unwind after a stressful day and a place for people to listen to your concerns in a non-judgmental way.
But on Saturday Jan. 23 expect some singing, some personal anecdotes, a fashion show and a little bit of history when the Rainbow Chorus celebrates its 15th anniversary at the Harcourt United Church.
For the last decade and a half the chorus has served as a unique institution in the city, one of the only non-audition chorus in Guelph where singers of varying strength come together. It is also an inclusive place for members of the community, straight, gay and transgender, to share their love of music and give back to the community through art and through music. The show on Saturday night will be a celebration of all this.
While Beneteau says that in an ideal world the rainbow chorus would just be a chorus, where one’s sexual orientation would have nothing to do with it, the partnership with the Harcourt United Church has opened up opportunities for the diverse community in Guelph.
“We are very fortunate to have a community partner like Harcourt. We also sing at their affirming services. Affirming services at churches are ones that remind congregations that everyone is welcome and they are generally ones with an emphasis on gay and lesbian persons who have traditionally felt unwelcome in church environments,” says Beneteau. “So it’s nice to have a church in Guelph that affirms the Rainbow Chorus’s value in the community.”
Certainly the chorus places some traditional expectations on its members, most importantly showing up for practice. But the non-competitive nature of the chorus actually translates into a higher quality performance, according to Beneteau.
And this is what is expected for Saturday night.
“It is less about sounding good and more about having fun, though we do sound quite good,” he says. “When the stress of practice, practice, practice and be perfect is off to the side a bit, and people start enjoying themselves that’s when the Rainbow chorus actually shines.”
Beneteau says to expect some songs from Sarah McLachlan and the Phantom of the Opera, some personal histories from Rainbow members and a history lesson of the organization.
“And a fashion show featuring some of the costumes we’ve performed in over the years,” says a laughing Beneteau. “Your only fifteen once of course, so we want to celebrate with a little bit of flare.”