Jesse Winter, Centretown News
Members of Tone Cluster perform at Centretown United Church last weekend. The performance featured Christmas carols, spoken word poetry and readings from every major religion.The Centretown United Church was filled with holiday spirit as Tone Cluster, a local LGBTQ choir, performed Zikr, a powerful Islamic chant, and other songs from around the globe.
The concert was titled Upon a Midnight Queer and took place on Dec. 5. The eclectic show celebrated the winter solstice and its many religious holidays by playing both secular and traditional religious music.
Tone Cluster began in 1994 as a gay choir group that sung madrigals – a secular part song without instrumental accompaniment. Over 20 years later, Tone Cluster has built a strong foundation in Centretown and Ottawa’s LGBTQ community.
The choir sings pieces from different nationalities and religions. According to the music director, Kurt Ala-Kantti, they specialize in “world music.”
Ala-Kantii used this year’s holiday concert to showcase the choir’s love of international music, as it broke the mold on what songs are typically heard at a Canadian holiday concert.
“We got to be very eclectic by learning Arabic and Hindu music, as well as some Christian sacred and secular music,” says Ala-Kantti. “There were three festivals of light represented with Hanukkah, Sankta Lucia and Diwali.”
Lindsay Holloway attended the concert to support a co-worker. She says her favourite song was White Winter Hymnal, a song made popular by the group Pentatonix that involves hand movements and percussion.
“I loved that they brought all sorts of different cultures into it,” says Holloway. “That was my favourite part, but their singing was amazing and they have gorgeous voices.”
Ala-Kantti says that Tone Cluster doesn’t do the “typical” Christmas concert partly due to religious and social conflictions.
“We tend to shy away from Christmas concerts, maybe because the patriarchal nature of some parts of Christmas can be an issue, and there are certainly issues with the church and the LGBTQ community.”
Ala-Kantti says the choir aims to be inclusive, no matter a person’s background or beliefs.
“It started 20 years ago as a group of LGBTQ people who wanted to sing together in a safe place and it’s grown from there,” says Ala-Kantti. “We list ourselves as a group who are gays, lesbians, bisexual, transgender and their allies.”
It only took three months for Vanessa Davies to notice that Tone Cluster is different from other choirs.
“I’ve sung in three choirs now in Ottawa and in all of them I’ve always felt very welcome,” she says. “But this is a warmth that exceeds the welcome I’ve received in other choirs. They’re very much like a family.”
With just over 40 members, Tone Cluster is an auditioned-for choir, meaning that a high level of musical skill is required. However, choir member Keith Duncanson says the process isn’t as daunting as it seems.
“What’s great about the audition process is that potential choir members are invited to sit in on one of the rehearsals to get a sense of the dynamics and see how the director works with the choir,” he says. “It was more to see what capacity of range you have and if it would meet well with the sound of the choir.”
Davies stresses the importance of Tone Cluster’s underlying values, such as compassion, understanding and fellowship.
“They won my heart,” says Davies. “Not only were they down-to-earth, pleasant, warm people to meet and sing with, but there’s this whole other fun side where we just embrace who we truly are and have a good time.”
Tone Cluster is active in Ottawa’s social justice scene, singing at events hosted by Pink Triangle Services, Egale and for organizations concerned with HIV-AIDS.
The group works closely with Capital Rainbow Refuge, an organization that supports and advocates for people seeking refugee protection because of persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Tone Cluster also participates in the Ottawa Capital Pride parade and is a member of GALA Choruses, a U.S.-based non-profit organization that supports the LGBTQ choral movement.
In July, Tone Cluster will be acknowledged at the GALA Choruses international LGBTQ+ choral festival in Denver, Colo. This festival is the world’s largest LGBTQ+ performing arts event and Tone Cluster is the only Canadian choir to perform in the festival’s most prestigious concert series, the Coffee Concerts.
Duncanson says that the choir’s strong connection with the LGBTQ community is what makes the choir unique.
“There are two things we really have in common: our love of music and our sense of community.”