One Voice Chorus (OVC) is a mixed choir for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, and queer singers, and their cisgender allies. We are an auditioned choir with a wide-ranging repertoire: from classical to jazz, from madrigals to show tunes, and more!

OVC was founded in September 2011. Four singers signed up for auditions the first night and a choir was born. From four singers we quickly grew to ten and made our debut at a Christmas concert hosted by the Unitarian Church of Calgary in December 2011. By the spring of 2012, we had 17 singers on the roster and were ready to contemplate presenting our own concert. We brought the curtain down, ending our first season on a high note. Our debut concert in June 2012 launched us officially as Calgary’s new LGBT choir. We were joined on stage by the Calgary Men’s Chorus, whom we regard proudly as our big brothers.

Many years have rolled by now since we first opened our doors to singers. We’re a fully-fledged choir of nearly 45 singers that presents two concerts each season, an additional cabaret-style concert every second year, and various guest appearances and collaborations. While the pandemic, unfortunately, brought the cabaret to a screeching halt, we hope to revive this valued tradition in future years.

OVC is thankful to be performing live once again, and we are delighted to have our new Artistic Director, Cass Bessette, bravely guiding us. It is their hope to help the choir continue to evolve while keeping the legacy of the choir intact. 

Some of the new endeavours we may begin to explore in the coming years include interdisciplinary performance art, workshops with artists outside the realm of music, and technology-enhanced performances.

This season, One Voice Chorus is headed to Halifax to participate in the Unison Festival, which is a quadrennial weekend choral festival featuring Canada’s 2SLGBTQIA+ choruses. The theme this year is “Open Harbour” and we’ve programmed a diverse array of repertoire that highlights the importance of coming together and supporting one another, especially in challenging times. This noon-hour presentation features a handful of works that we will be performing both in Halifax and here in Calgary at our concert, Mainstay, where we will be joined by co-hosts Calgary Men’s Chorus at the Rosza Centre on June 3, 2023. Come and celebrate the power of unity and community with us!

This concert is the third in a series of seven Choral Concerts during 2023 generously sponsored by: