Sing with Island Soul Choir!
All you need is a desire to sing. There are no auditions. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never sung in a choir before. You don’t even need to know how to read music. This is a community choir in its truest sense!
- The choir is open to people of all ages who reside on or near Vancouver Island.
- You can register to participate in person or online-only on a session-by-session basis:
- The Fall session typically runs from late August to the last Sunday of November.
- The Spring session typically runs from early February to the last Sunday of May.
- We accept up to 140 in-person singers each session; there is no limit on the number of online-only singers. All registrations are accepted ONLINE ONLY before our first rehearsal.
- Just 5 rehearsals are held on weekend afternoons each session in Nanaimo. All rehearsals are available via Zoom for our online-only members and anyone who cannot attend in person. Zoom recordings are later posted to our website for members to review at any time.
- Sheet music/lyric sheets are provided by pdf download.
- To assist you with learning the music, we provide rehearsal tracks for each part at the beginning of each session (either on CD or by download).
Check the Rehearsal & Concert Schedule and Member Handbook (see buttons below) for complete details. If you still have other questions, be sure to contact us. We’ll be happy to help.
What being in the choir means to our members
It means joy and inspiration… singing music that transcends race and nationality to touch the human being in all of us… living a dream you thought would never materialize… finding your own voice and making it heard in the world…joining voices to create beautiful harmonies… energizing us with passion to take on life’s adventures with renewed vigour.
It means connection and sharing with the other singers… laughing at our mistakes, then regrouping and trying harder to get it right… celebrating, encouraging and supporting those who step up to sing a solo… seeing our audience enjoying themselves so much that they stand up and dance and clap to our songs… feeling alive and present, calm and energized at the same time, like having a really good workout without all the sweat and sore muscles.
It means community… making me a part of something bigger than just myself… a collective and inclusive friendliness and warmth… going beyond the confines of the familiar, bonding strangers together through the music… transcending beyond our oneness and getting in touch with the energy that we are all part of.
All of this and more is what being in the choir means for us, and it’s what keeps us coming back!
Special Feature for FALL23: Workshop with Bongani Magatyana
We are pleased to announce that Bongani Magatyana will be conducting a special workshop with us as part of our third rehearsal on October 14.
Bongani is an incredible composer, musician and teacher from Cape Town, South Africa. ISC has already sung a number of his songs, and a number of us had the privilege of working with him via Zoom during the pandemic; others were part of a SongRoutes tour to South Africa in early 2020 and worked with him in person.
During this workshop, Bongani will work with us on the African songs within our repertoire this session, and also expand our knowledge of South Africa’s vibrant music and its traditions.
This workshop is exclusive for our FALL23 members. There is no additional cost to take advantage of this workshop; it’s all a part of your ISC member fee!
Thinking of joining us?
By being on our “Interested” list, you will receive a reminder email before registration begins. All registrations are completed right here on our website.
If you have been part of the choir in the past, you will automatically receive a reminder email in case you’re thinking of rejoining the choir — just be sure we have your most recent email address on file.