Choeur Maha makes the multidisciplinary scene this weekend with a double concert, dance party and premiere of Choir Girls--a celebratory film portrait of these rapturous gals in song. Directed with plenty of cheeky verve by Patricia Kearns and Deborah VanSlet, this hour-long documentary puts the group's multiple personalities front and centre, while capturing the esprit de corps that is their signature. >> As anyone who has attended a Maha concert (or "estro-fest," as one member describes them) knows, these 30-odd non-professional singers revel in the opportunity to perform, and that energy spills over into the audience (and usually the party that follows). Choir Girls revisits some great musical moments (Zab's inimitable rendition of "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" and the exquisite soprano duet in "Itinerante"), and explores how working as a group sometimes fulfils, and sometimes conflicts with, the individuals' identities. In a culture that values individualism above all, it's great to see a group that comes together for love and love of music. >> Like Kearns' inventive If the Family Fits, this is a playful, stylized tweak on the documentary profile film. "Maha was always trying new things, so it just made sense," Kearns says, "and the beauty of it all--why not make that a film? And send Maha off to places they could never go." >> Maha goes boldly to Graffiti Tango for a concert/party at 8:30 p.m., April 24 and 25. Tickets are $8, $10 at door. Choir Girls premieres is Concordia's Cinema J.A. de Sève at 7:30 p.m., April 26; tickets are $5, with proceeds to Studio XX, the women's digital media centre. --Annie Ilkow
Choeur Maha makes the multidisciplinary scene this weekend with a double concert, dance party and premiere of Choir Girls--a celebratory film portrait of these rapturous gals in song. Directed with plenty of cheeky verve by Patricia Kearns and Deborah VanSlet, this hour-long documentary puts the group's multiple personalities front and centre, while capturing the esprit de corps that is their signature. >> As anyone who has attended a Maha concert (or "estro-fest," as one member describes them) knows, these 30-odd non-professional singers revel in the opportunity to perform, and that energy spills over into the audience (and usually the party that follows). Choir Girls revisits some great musical moments (Zab's inimitable rendition of "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" and the exquisite soprano duet in "Itinerante"), and explores how working as a group sometimes fulfils, and sometimes conflicts with, the individuals' identities. In a culture that values individualism above all, it's great to see a group that comes together for love and love of music. >> Like Kearns' inventive If the Family Fits, this is a playful, stylized tweak on the documentary profile film. "Maha was always trying new things, so it just made sense," Kearns says, "and the beauty of it all--why not make that a film? And send Maha off to places they could never go." >> Maha goes boldly to Graffiti Tango for a concert/party at 8:30 p.m., April 24 and 25. Tickets are $8, $10 at door. Choir Girls premieres is Concordia's Cinema J.A. de Sève at 7:30 p.m., April 26; tickets are $5, with proceeds to Studio XX, the women's digital media centre. --Annie Ilkow