A Benefit Concert Series for the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
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
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.
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
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Personalized special services: Mental health advocacy and support, housing support, crime victims support, and sexual assault response
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Cultural programming: Movie nights, arts and craft workshops, celebrations
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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.
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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.
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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.
ACT ONE:
PACIFIC SOUL
ACT ONE:
PACIFIC SOUL
A 90's R&B & Motown Choir | Directed by Richard Pinto
01
Ain't No Mountain High Enough
Song by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
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Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
04
Ain't No Sunshine
Song by Bill Withers
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Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
07
Killing Me Softly With His Song
Song by The Fugees
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Soloists: Aoife Reilly, Zoe Maylin
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Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
02
If I Ain't Got You
Song by Alicia Keys
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Soloists: Caragh Lynch, Shelley Adam
Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
05
Come On Over
Song by Christina Aguilera​
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Soloists: Lisha Armstrong, Vivian Lie Budiman, Lara Bewcyk
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Vocal Arranger: Jillian Dawn
08
Nobody's Supposed to Be Here
Song by Deborah Cox
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Soloist: Jodie Aguinaldo
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Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
03
My Girl
Song by The Temptations
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Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
06
raw
Song by loony
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Soloists: Nanami Komorita, Sara Jung
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Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
09
No Scrubs
Song by TLC
Soloists: Lucie Wallace, Nicole Yakashiro
Vocal Arranger: Richard Pinto
ACT TWO:
B-ROLL
ACT TWO:
B-ROLL
A Gospel, R&B, & Pop Choir | Directed by Rebecca Lam Kania
01
Halo
Song by Beyonce
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Soloists: Brianne Racinsky, Jodie Aguinaldo
Vocal Arranger: Clinton Jordan
04
My Peace
Song by PJ Morton​
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Soloists: Gracey Mesina, Jari Orellana
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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania
07
Don't Let Go
Song by En Vogue​
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Soloists: Mandeep Kalan, Glauce Fleury
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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania
10
Eye of the Tiger / Survivor (Mashup)
Songs by Survivor and Destiny's Child
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Soloist: Monique Cherrie
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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania
02
Melodies From Heaven
Song by Kirk Franklin
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Soloists: Rosine Dika, Amy Booth, Celena Saayman
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Vocal Arranger: Kirk Franklin​
05
Hardest Part
Song by Olivia Dean​
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Soloist: Amy Booth
08
Back to Life
Song by Sunday Service Choir
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Vocal Arranger: Nikki Grier
11
The Weather
Song by Lawrence
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Soloist: Celena Saayman
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Vocal Arranger: Clyde Lawrence
03
River
Song by Leon Bridges​
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Soloist: Rachel Wong
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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam Kania
06
Umbrella
Song by Rihanna​
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Vocal Arranger: Rebecca Lam
09
CUFF IT
Song by Beyonce
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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!
Rebecca Lam Kania
Showrunner, Creative Director, Music Director of YVR Pop Choir and B-Roll, Vocal Arranger and Coach
Rachel Wong
Director of Operations, Stage Manager
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Jodie Aguinaldo
Vocal Coach
Conall MacSuibhne
Stage Assistant
Jared Suitor
Music Director of Spotlight, Band Leader, Vocal Arranger and Coach
Marie Hui
Vocal Coach
Grace Wu
Stage Manager
Valentina Forte-Hernandez
Administrator
Richard Pinto
Music Director of Pacific Soul Choir, Vocal Arranger and Coach
Nova Lupton
Vocal Coach
Nastassja Dorotich
Master of Ceremony, Photographer
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
B-Roll
Felicia Phan, Celena Saayman, Amy Booth, Grace Wu, Brianne Racinsky, Roya Rahmanian, Conall MacSuibhne
Pacific Soul
Erin Malmgren, Paige Gorsak, Ava Yazdani, Lucie Wallace, Gary de Guzman
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!
