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A Benefit Concert Series for the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre

RELEASE

RELEASE

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Presented by

"My connection to music is so strong. I cling to it.

I vibe out to it. I release stress to it. Music is really always close to me. It's really present in my work in terms of how I relate to characters is through rhythm and sound, even in their speech."

Mahershala Ali

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ABOUT US

ABOUT US

At Chorus Studio, we believe in the transformative power of music. Our mission is to cultivate an inclusive, creative, and uplifting community by providing meaningful music experiences to singers of all levels.

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From our four contemporary choirs - YVR Pop Choir, B-Roll, Pacific Soul, and Spotlight - to our professional private voice lessons, we strive to be an inspiring, healing, and uplifting space where people come together to sing and make a difference.

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Since 2017, our choirs have raised over $93,000 for local charities, including the BC Crisis Centre, Wildlife Rescue of BC, and VOKRA. We believe that the magic in joining together with like-minded, creative people to sing and do good in the community fuels our studio, members, staff, and audiences with positive energy that lasts long after a choir rehearsal or concert.

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Whether you're an experienced vocalist or a beginner, we invite you to join the Chorus Studio community and experience the transformative power of music.

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Downtown eastside women's centre

Downtown eastside women's centre

The mission of the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) is to provide a safe, non-judgmental environment for self-identifying women (cis, trans, 2S), from all walks of life, who live and/or work in the Downtown Eastside. To achieve this goal, DEWC provides supportive surroundings with meals, counseling, advocacy, and programs that nurture and empower members. These are some of the services they provide:

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  • Basic needs: Meals program, safe washrooms, showers and toiletries, clothing, harm reduction supplies, computer and telephone access

  • Personalized special services:  Mental health advocacy and support, housing support, crime victims support, and sexual assault response

  • Cultural programming: Movie nights, arts and craft workshops, celebrations

  • Community and connection: Skills development program, peer program

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DEWC operates 5 sites, which include 3 shelters and 2 drop-ins. They serve over 900 women every day, and over 90% of their donations go towards funding their programs. Since the pandemic, there has been over 50% increased need for support.

Thank you for attending today's concert. We're proud to share that the proceeds from each ticket sold will be donated to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre to support their vital work. For those interested in contributing further, here are a few ways you can get involved:

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  • Donate directly to the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. Your financial support will help them continue providing essential services and resources to vulnerable women in the community.

  • Volunteer your time. The Centre is always in need of dedicated volunteers to assist with daily operations, programming, and outreach efforts. Even a few hours can make a big difference.

  • Spread awareness. Share information about the Centre's mission and ways to help on your social media channels. The more people who know about their important work, the greater their impact can be.

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Every contribution, big or small, helps the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre empower the women they serve. Together, we can make a real difference in our community.

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ACT ONE:
SPOTLIGHT

ACT ONE:
SPOTLIGHT

A Musical Theatre & Dance-Pop Choir | Directed by Jared Suitor

01

Aquarius

From the Broadway musical "Hair"

 

Soloists: Mel Lee, Valentina Forte-Hernandez

 

Composers: Galt MacDermot, Gerome Ragni, James Rado

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Adapted by: Jared Suitor

04

Larger Than Life

From the Broadway musical "& Juliet"

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Soloist: Kayla Coutts

 

Vocal Arranger: Oliver Tompsett

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07

Seasons of Love

From the Broadway musical "RENT"

 

Soloists: Celina Chiasson, Nastassja Dorotich

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Composer: Jonathan Larson 

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Adapted by: Rebecca Lam Kania

10

Zero to Hero

From the Broadway musical "Hercules"

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Soloist: Kathy Nguyá»…n

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Composer: Alan Menken

02

Came Here For Love

Song by Ella Eyre and Sigala

 

Vocal Arranger: Jared Suitor

05

Unholy

Song by Sam Smith​

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Soloists: Amy Booth, Conall MacSuibhne, Gracelle Mesina, Grace Wu, Hayden Guy, Joey Liu, Martin McVey, Roya Rahmanian 

 

Vocal Arranger: Conall MacSuibhne

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Accompanists: Conall MacSuibhne, Grace Wu

08

Rather Be

Song by Clean Bandit

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Vocal Arranger: Jared Suitor

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11

Dog Days Are Over

Song by Florence + the Machine

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Featuring the Section Leaders of YVR Pop Choir, B-Roll, Pacific Soul, and Spotlight

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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania

03

Wait For Me

From the Broadway musical "HadesTown"

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Soloist: Rupert Hudson

 

Composer: Liam Robinson

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Adapted by: Jared Suitor

06

I See Stars

From the Broadway musical "Mean Girls"

 

Soloist: Erika Kolli

 

Vocal Arranger: Mark Brymer

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Adapted by: Jared Suitor

09

You Will Be Found

From the Broadway musical "Dear Evan Hansen"

 

Soloist: Jodie Aguinaldo

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Vocal Arranger: Mac Huff

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Adapted by: Jared Suitor

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ACT TWO:
YVR POP CHOIR

ACT TWO:
YVR POP CHOIR

A Pop, Rock, & Soul Choir | Directed by Rebecca Lam Kania

01

Halo

Song by Beyonce

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Soloists: Marina Hu, Laryssa Vachon

 

Vocal Arranger: Clinton Jordan

04

Free

Song by Cat Burns​

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Soloist: Anita Pajak

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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania

07

Jar of Hearts

Song by Christina Perri

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Soloist: Christina Placsko

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Vocal Arranger: Christina Placsko

10

Eye of the Tiger / Survivor (Mashup)

Songs by Survivor and Destiny's Child

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Soloist: Cynara Geissler

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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania

02

Down to the River

Song by Mike Gerbrandt

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Vocal Arranger: Mike Gerbrandt​

05

Holy Water

Song by JP Cooper​

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Soloist: Matt Lowe

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Vocal Arranger: Wayne Ellington

08

Umbrella

Song by Rihanna

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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania

11

Shake It Off

Song by Taylor Swift

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Soloists: Chelsea Bromley, Jodie Aguinaldo

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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania

03

Any Way You Want It

Song by Journey​

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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania

06

The Weather

Song by Lawrence​

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Soloist: Chandra Chisholm

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Vocal Arranger: Clyde Lawrence

09

Turbulent Skies

Song by Lauren Daigle

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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania

OUR TEAM

OUR TEAM

Behind the scenes of every concert, there's a dedicated team working tirelessly to bring it all together. We're so grateful for the incredible talent and hard work of the Chorus Studio team who make it all possible!

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From the creative visionaries to the operations gurus, to the unsung heroes in admin - each member plays a vital role in delivering a meaningful experience. Here are the extraordinary people who make the magic happen!

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Rebecca Lam Kania

Showrunner, Creative Director, Music Director of YVR Pop Choir and B-Roll, Vocal Arranger and Coach

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Marie Hui

Vocal Coach

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Nastassja Dorotich

Master of Ceremony, Photographer

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Jared Suitor

Music Director of Spotlight, Band Leader, Vocal Arranger and Coach

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Nova Lupton

Vocal Coach

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Conall MacSuibhne

Stage Assistant

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Richard Pinto

Music Director of Pacific Soul Choir, Vocal Arranger and Coach

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Jodie Aguinaldo

Vocal Coach

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Valentina Forte-Hernandez

Administrator

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Rachel Wong

Director of Operations, Stage Manager

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Grace Wu

Stage Manager

our singers

our singers

Our choir members are the true MVPs of this community! Week after week, they show up with hearts full of passion and voices ready to soar. Between juggling work, family, and so many other responsibilities, these incredible people still make time to learn new music, nail those choreographed moves, and bring pure joy through song. Their dedication is truly unmatched.

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To our singers - we are in awe of your creativity, your teamwork, and the light you shine on everyone lucky enough to experience your performances. Thank you for investing in yourselves and sharing that gift with all of us. Chorus Studio truly would not exist without you!

Abby Barsky

Adam Berg

Adrienne Figliuzzi

Agata Cwalina

Alastair Cross

Alana Chan

Alana Meikle

Alex Skodyn

Alexandra Toth

Alexia Peters

Alexis Dean-Jones

Alice Jackways

Alisha Masongsong

Alishia Suitor

Alison Cameron

Alison Murray

Allison Cano

Ally Brown

Amanda Bowie

Amy Booth

Amy Chalmers

Amy Tan

Ana Rodriguez

Ananya Huria

Andrea Wesley

Andrew Butler

Anna Guest

Angelica Lim

Angeline Vaughan

Anita Pajak

Annie Easterbrook

Annie Fernandez-Buckley

Aoife Reilly

April Wu

Ashley McCorriston

Ava Yazdani

Benjamin Kelly

Bhavana Vahi

Breanna Barber

Brianne Racinsky

Brian Liu

Brooklyn Duong

Camille Garvey

Caragh Lynch

Carlos Navarro Marcos

Carlyn DeRapp

Carol Cohen

Carol Wu

Catherine Hocknell

Catriona Hippman

Cecilia Strachan

Celena Saayman

Celina Chiasson

Chandra Chisholm

Chelsea Bromley

Cherry Yang

Cheymae Zemmouri

Chloe Cormier

Chloe Hudicourt

Christabel Umaguing

Christina Drahos

Christina Placsko

Ciara Curtin

Cindy Liu

Conall MacSuibhne

Cormac O'Dwyer

Courtney Robertson

Curtis Quirion

Cynara Geissler

Danielle Quinn

David Stenlund

Dee Dee Lapper

Dehansa De Silva

Dominika Urbanowski

Eddy Boudel Tan

Elesha Hoffarth

Elizabeth Emery

Elli Niinivaara

Eloise Menzies

Emilie Henderson

Emily Baker

Emily Davidson

Emily Lapper

Erika Kolli

Erin Malmgren

Erin Phillips

Fahameh Paknejad

Felicia Phan

France Maurice

Galen Hutcheson

Gary De Guzman

Geoff Peters

Georgina Johnston

Glauce Fleury

Grace Potma

Grace Wu

Gracey Mesina

Haley Linnell

Hannah McGregor

Hannah Nielsen

Harriet Ballantyne

Hayden Guy

Haylie Miller

Hazel Stevenson

Hazuki Kohama

Heather Burt

Hikari Brocato

Hy'sheba Brown

Ianne Sy

Ide Moynihan

Inee Yan

Irene Ng

Irene Zhong

Isabella Medalle

Jacqueline McCallister

Jade Duchscherer

Jai Kumar

Jaira Brownlee

Jan Lintag

Janet Evans

Jari Orellana

Jason Yu

Jelena Kocmaruk

Jennifer Czank

Jesse Savath

Jill Dennis

Jimmy Buckle

Joanne Yen

Jodie Aguinaldo

Joey Liu

John Roden

Jonathan Paez

Jonathan Yee

Jordan Wright

Josefine Kiesewalter

Joy Kriekenbeek

Julia Lemieux

Julia Ripert

Karla Russi

Kate Murray

Kate Tyschenko

Katherine Backman

Katherine Rojas Vargas

Kathy Johnson

Kathy Nguyen

Katrina Basnett

Kayla Coutts

Kelly Simonsen

Ken Lau

Kendra Wragg

Kimberly Dawson

Kori Grekul

Krista Huyer

Krista Parham

Kristina Farkasova

Lara Bewcyk

Laryssa Vachon

Lauren Ahart

Laylou Tetreault

Lily Nguyen

Lindsay Barton

Lisha Armstrong

Lizzie Fry

Loise Czar Campo

Lucie Wallace

Maddy Wilson

Maja Milosavljevic

Maria Bychkova

Marielle Alviz

Marilyn Weller

Marina Hu

Martin McVey

Mason Wright

Mathilda Vorhauer

Matt Lowe

Megan Berks

Megan Robichaud

Mel Lee

Melissa Seymour

Michelle Huynh

Michelle Ng

Mohammad Paknejad

Monica Yau

Monique Cherrie

Nadeeka Perera

Nanami Komorita

Natalie Gibbs

Natasha Green

Nathan Frias

Nova Lupton

Nicola Khan

Nicole Hellyer

Nicole Yakashiro

Octavia Ireta Gordon

Paige Gorsak

Paula Weinberg

Paulette Ord

Pedro de Souza

Pedro Hadek

Pippa Scott

Quenten Truhn

Rachel McPherson

Rachel Vasey

Rachel Weinstein

Rachel Wong

Raymond Wang

Rebecca McLellan

Rebecca Spouge

Rene Vargas

Reshama Damle

Rita Sheena

Robyn Pottenger

Rosine Dika

Roya Rahmanian

Rupert Hudson

Ruth Shihundu

Sadie Freeman

Samantha Grobler

Saori Fukushima

Sara Jung

Sara Salhi

Sarah Dalziel

Sarah Hall

Sarah Menzies

Sean Marlyn

Selena Chu

Shannon McKague

Sheldon Lau

Shelley Adam

Shirley Huang

Shona Wercholuk

Siearra-Rose Fries

Sissi Wang

Stephanie John

Steven Ten Holder

Sue Van Gaans

Suzana Goncalves

Suzanne Brownlee

Sylwia Wu

Tannie Lam

Tassja Dorotich

Teri Conrad

Thomas Li

Tiffany Hughes

Tuomas Maki

Valentina Forte-Hernandez

Valentina Jaramillo

Valri Pawlik

Vanessa Bragg

Vinny Welsby

Vivian Lie

Wen Li

Wyatt Learoyd

Yi Shen

YJ Tso

SECTION
LEADERS

SECTION
LEADERS

Chorus Studio has a special community, and that's all thanks to the incredible section leaders who give their time and talents to make it shine. From coordinating section rehearsals to welcoming new voices, these dedicated volunteers go above and beyond to support our choirs. Their passion and commitment are truly inspiring.

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To our section leaders - thank you for your tireless work behind the scenes. Your leadership is the heartbeat that keeps our choirs in sync and our community thriving. We couldn't do it without you!

YVR Pop Choir

Alison Cameron, Christina Placsko, Amy Chalmers, Eloise Menzies, Cynara Geissler, Marina Hu, Loise Czar Campo, Pedro de Souza

Pacific Soul

Erin Malmgren, Paige Gorsak, Ava Yazdani, Lucie Wallace, Gary de Guzman

B-Roll

Felicia Phan, Celena Saayman, Amy Booth, Grace Wu, Brianne Racinsky, Roya Rahmanian, Conall MacSuibhne

Spotlight

Jacqueline McCallister, Maddy Wilson, Valri Pawlik, Elesha Hoffarth, Isabella Medalle, Celina Chiasson, Valentina Forte-Hernandez, Hayden Guy, Martin McVey

Our incredible band, administrators, speakers, and crew members are the backbone of this concert experience! We're so grateful for the endless hours of hard work, creativity, and pure talent that went into making tonight unforgettable. From the musicians who poured their hearts into every note, to the crew who worked tirelessly behind the scenes - your dedication is truly inspiring.

OUR crew

OUR crew

Masters of Ceremony

Cynara Geissler, Nastassja Dorotich

Sound Technicians

Neal Miskin, Cian Plunkett-Blazi

DEWC Representatives

Melissa McDowell, Chelsea Bromley, Paige Gorsak

Head Electrician

Hazhar Esmaeilzadeh

The Cultch Team

Siobhan Powell, Lucy Rosenstiel, Jude Weismiller, Andrew McCaw, Ry Strachan, Cara Siu

The Band

Jared Suitor, Jim McLaren, David Spidel, Samuel Cartwright

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for attending our concert today. Our incredible singers poured their hearts and souls into every note, and we're so grateful to have your unwavering support.

 

Today was a testament to the power of music in bringing people together and making a real difference. Thanks to your generosity, the proceeds will directly benefit the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, helping women in need get the care and resources they deserve.

 

At Chorus Studio, our mission is to cultivate an inclusive, creative, and uplifting community - and with your presence here today, we truly brought that to life. When we harness the strength of music, amazing things can happen. Thank you for being a part of this special moment and supporting our mission. 

JOIN A CHOIR

JOIN A CHOIR

Did the concert leave you feeling inspired to raise your voice? 

 

Our choirs are a place where all voices are celebrated and nurtured. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a total beginner, we'd love to sing with you!

 

Don't let your voice stay unheard - share your gift with us and be part of something special. Click the button below to learn more about joining, and reserve your spot for a complimentary trial rehearsal!

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