You can dance like no one’s watching, or you can sing like no one’s listening, or you can throw caution to the wind and tackle both actions at the same time.
Since 2011, Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman (aka Dabu) have emboldened thousands of pop music fans to do the latter by facilitating a shared musical experience, the success of which is wholly reliant on the enthusiastic participation of their audience.
Now, almost a year to the day that the pair left a huge Del Crary Park crowd hoarse but happy after an epic sing-along of hits from the 1980s, Choir! Choir! Choir! is returning to headline Peterborough Musicfest on Wednesday (August 13).
Admission to the 8 p.m. concert, as always, is free, thanks to the continued support of several longtime sponsors, kawarthaNOW among them.
If you’ve ever wondered what “We Will Rock You” would sound like when sung by thousands upon thousands of people, this concert will provide the answer.
Billed as “We Will Choir You: An Epic Queen Sing-Along,” the concert will see Goldman and Adilman invite Musicfest attendees to find and release their inner Freddie Mercury as they sing hits recorded by the mega-successful English rock band that the late singer fronted from 1970 until his death in 1991.
There is no such thing as a bad singing voice at a Choir! Choir! Choir! concert, as there’s a part for everyone willing to participate, which most invariably do.
Those who want in on the choral fun receive lyric sheets and Goldman and Adilman lead a rehearsal of the various harmonies and then, with Goldman on guitar and Adilman conducting, the rehearsed song is performed en masse. The effect is nothing short of uplifting, and the sense of achievement inevitably overpowering.
As Goldman and Adilman noted in a February 2023 interview with Greg Stewart of Theatre Weekly, “Choir! Choir! Choir! is a party where singing is the excuse to hang out in a room full of strangers and connect.”
“You’re going to laugh, you’re going to dance, you’re going to find yourself sharing intimate details of your life, you’re going to meet people you would never have before, and yes, you’re also going to sing harmonies to some of the greatest songs of all time.”
The result is a wholly interactive concert experience that leaves audiences energized and, frankly, surprised at just how good they sound in unison.
“Though it’s all about singing, you don’t need a perfect voice,” Goldman and Adilman said. “We’ll teach you everything you need to know at the show. You can be super young, super old, an extrovert, an introvert, a complete cynic … whoever you are, by the end of this you’ll be buzzing. Honestly, it’s almost embarrassing how joyful you’ll feel. But you’ll take that vibe with you into your week and you won’t be able to stop singing.”
“Every single person is the show. The biggest hurdle for us is to light that match and get everyone on board so they’ll naturally give all their energy: sing at full volume, yell at us, share, lose their minds.”
VIDEO: “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey at Peterborough Musicfest (2024)
The seeds of what became Choir! Choir! Choir! were planted in 2008 when Goldman and Adilman, with their friend Amanda Burt, got a small choir together to sing at a birthday party for a mutual friend, Canadian musician and actor Matt Murphy.
In a March 2019 interview with Bailey Richardson of People & Company, Adilman said they asked two years later, via Facebook, if anyone wanted to sing as part of a choir.
Based on the response, they prepared some simple arrangements for The Beatles’ “Nowhere Man” and Pilot’s “Just A Smile.” The initial gathering was held at a friend’s real estate office in February 2011.
“We thought maybe some friends would show up and we’d just have a couple of beers,” recalled Adilman, adding “It was kind of extraordinary what happened. People we didn’t even know showed up.”
“I got a phone call from Eye Weekly saying ‘We want to take a photo of what you guys are doing.’ I told that to Daveed and he’s like ‘We don’t even know what we’re doing. What are they coming for?’ But it was indicative of what was to follow because, at the end of the night, people were so happy. They were so into what we did, which was very little, but they loved it and they wanted us to do it again the next day.”
Buoyed by that success, Goldman and Adilman — the latter a multi-credited Canadian television actor and writer — brought people together twice weekly to sing popular songs as a group at Toronto’s Clinton Tavern.
Come 2016, Choir! Choir! Choir! was centre stage at much bigger venues. A performance of Prince’s “When Doves Cry” drew close to 2,000 participants to Massey Hall. Another at Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square saw Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” performed at a memorial vigil following the Orlando nightclub shooting. And, in 2017, again outside Toronto City Hall, a tribute to the late Gord Downie saw several Tragically Hip songs sung by the audience.
VIDEO: “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics at Peterborough Musicfest (2024)
Posted by CHOIR CHOIR CHOIR on Thursday, August 15, 2024
Travelling the globe since to create harmony with strangers and friends alike, Choir! Choir Choir! has been joined by some very big pop music names, including Patti Smith, David Byrne, Brandi Carlile, Rick Astley, Rufus Wainwright, Sarah Harmer and, at New York City’s Lincoln Centre, Kermit the Frog.
“The thing about singing is it happens naturally, just like dancing happens naturally,” Adilman told Richardson.
“You just start dancing with people and you feel a certain rhythm at different points. It kind of locks in step and the whole room is dancing to literally the same beat. You lock into it and it feels really, really good. It’s great when you can have those moments without having to explain anything to anybody. The over-intellectualization of feelings is the death of that feeling, so it’s nice when everyone feels it, but you don’t have to say it.”
Asked by Theatre Weekly what the highlight of the Choir! Choir! Choir! experience is for them, Goldman and Adilman noted there are several, but narrowed it down to one.
“It’s the greatest when everyone has their parts down, huge smiles on their faces, dancing around, and filling the space with harmonies. That’s when we know they’ve caught the Choir! Choir! Choir! bug that bit us.”
Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 16 free-admission concerts during its 38th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until Saturday, August 16.
Overseen by executive director Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the 2025 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2025 season.
