A very happy time was had by all, as EKOSingers presented our annual concert at the Westbury Theatre at the Arts Barns in Old Strathcona, directed by Paula Roberts, accompanied by a killer band, with Charlie Austin on keys, Chris Andrew on synth, Josh McHan on bass, Nathan Ouellette on rhythm, and Dean Pierno on drums.

Let your spirits soar to the music of artists like The Young Rascals, Pharrell Williams, and Michael Bublé!  Rhythmic, rousing and reflective, this adult choir, directed by Paula Roberts brings an energy that is infectious. Add a back up band of fabulous Edmonton musicians led by EKOSingers' resident accompanist, the legendary Charlie Austin, and you are guaranteed to go home “HAPPY!" 

Come enjoy a Saturday evening, or Sunday afternoon of great music at the Westbury Theatre in the hub of Old Strathcona! May 23, 8 p.m. and May 24, 2 p.m., ATB Financial Arts Barns. 

For more information, see www.EKOSingers.com.

Tickets available online from Tix on the Square.

The lead-up to the spring concert is always enjoyable, since these performances receive a large serving of creativity from our director, Paula Roberts. You can never be sure when the gods may appear and inspire (but they definitely visit a lot in the post-midnight time frame). As a result, we come to rehearsals with expectation (and some trepidation!) that there will be something new to learn or a new twist that will enhance these important end of the year concerts.

Each year has a theme and this year's theme is "Happy". We will be singing a choral version of the very popular and now familiar Pharrell Williams' hit that was part of the music score of "Despicable Me 2" and was nominated for a much-deserved Academy Award for Best Song. Other tunes follow the theme with the very catchy "Groovin'" by the Young Rascals, a song which seems to capture the spirit of the late sixties, "I Sing Because I'm Happy" a powerful and peppy gospel song, and a haunting and beautiful choral rendition of Ian Tamblyn's "Woodsmoke and Oranges. Justin Timberlake's "Suit & Tie", Michael Bublé's "Haven't Met You Yet", and a rollicking Celtic piece called "The Rocky Road to Dublin" will also be part of the show. And there are others; we "just haven't" practised them yet!

One of the fun (to some) or frightening (to others) aspects of our spring performances is the choreography which Paula teaches us. The parameters make it tricky, because she has to coax reluctant feet and challenge dancing feet and think up moves that everybody can do and that nobody will find too hard. A certain amount of extra instruction can be given by those who master the steps easily to those who want to do it but find it difficult. Paula often provides a demo video which we can download. There are all sorts of learning levels represented in the group but the learning is usually accompanied by lots of laughter and we generally end up very pleased with ourselves once we reach performance time.

Each year there are some small group numbers included in the program. These are ensembles which are composed of ad hoc groups of choir members and we are encouraged to select additional tunes which reflect the theme. So, although thought-provoking and slower tempo numbers can be fascinating to hear, this spring we will focus on making you feel happy at our concert and we hope you'll smile and laugh along with us. The dates are Saturday, May 23rd 8pm,  and Sunday, May 24th 2pm.  Tickets are on sale at  Tix on the Square.

We'll have some fancy photos from the photographer soon, but for the impatient, here are a few snapshots from the show on Sunday. 

EKOSingers sang to a full house at the Westbury Theatre last weekend.   A large helping of Brazilian --- that is, Brasil '66, a mixture of warm weather classics from entertainers like SInatra, Three Dog Night, Lionel Richie and Barry Manilow, along with an assortment of smooth African and jazz infused samba, made it a show to remember.  Peze Cafe, a captivating Haitian creole folksong might have been the surprise audience favorite (and it was ours too). 

Saturday May 25, 8pm & Sunday May 26, 2pm

Directed by Paula Roberts, with guest host: Donovan Workun. With a little help from jazz master Charlie Austin and a hot quartet of musicians, you'll be dancin' in your seats! 

Let EKOSingers transport you to a celebration of flavorful music reminiscent of the famous Copacabana nightclub. You're guaranteed a large helping of Brazilian --- that is, Brasil '66, a mixture of warm weather classics from entertainers like SInatra, Three Dog Night, Lionel Richie and Barry Manilow, along with an assortment of smooth African and jazz infused samba. 

EKOSingers is an active, 35 voice adult choir who loves to share the joy of choral music that moves, grooves and soothes... They will soon travel to St. John’s Newfoundland to participate in this year's Festival 500, an internationally renowned choral festival. The group has performed in Cuba, in Vancouver for “Vancouver Sings”, and has twice represented Canada at Middfest International in Ohio, USA.