Canadian Showtime Chorus

Our Chorus


Canadian Showtime Chorus® is a competitive singing group for women, specializing in a capella four-part harmony. A charter member of Sweet Adelines International (SAI), this 100 member chorus ranks in the top 20 of more than 600 choruses worldwide. The Chorus was formed in 1982 to pursue musical excellence in the art of a capella four-part harmony and to share the joy of this music genre through public performances.
Our members are professionally trained in singing technique, choreography, costuming and the art of staging a performance. Master Director Sandra Nason designs each weekly rehearsal to both teach and inspire individuals to higher levels of personal excellence in singing. Rehearsals are augmented by periodic sessions with internationally recognized coaches. This combination of training and coaching helps the Chorus achieve progressively higher skills with each competition and public performance.
	Competitions… Each spring, we compete in the Lake Ontario Region 16 Competition in Syracuse NY. Region 16 is the largest region in Sweet Adelines, comprising over 30 choruses from New York State and Ontario. Canadian Showtime has qualified four times to compete in the SAI International Competition, most recently competing in Nashville in 2009, and first qualifying for international competition in 2002. This year, we hope to qualify again, which would allow us to compete in Hawaii in 2013. Performances… The Chorus gives a number of public performances every year. We are known for our dynamic performances of a wide range of music including Contemporary, Gospel, Broadway, Celtic and Jazz, as well as traditional Barbershop. But it’s not just about the music: –- it’s theatre as well.
The Chorus presents a major show every second year at Centrepointe Theatre; shows full of song, story, dance, great costumes and lots of fun. We have sung the stories of Rosie the Riveter and Canada’s “Famous Five” women who won the “Persons” case, staged a musical hockey game, and performed a retrospective of 60s and 70’s music that had our audiences singing and dancing along with us. In our most recent show in October 2011, we celebrated famous Canadian women. We also invite quartets and other guest artists, such as a folk singer, a jazz ensemble and a solo pianist, to perform with us. We are proud to have loyal and enthusiastic audiences for all our performances.
In April 2007 and 2008, Canadian Showtime Chorus was honoured to perform for the Royal Netherlands Embassy to celebrate their national holiday, by singing the Dutch national anthem (in Dutch), “O Canada”, and some of our favourite songs. We have performed at the RCMP Sunset Ceremony and for a variety of other organizations, such as the Kinsmen Club and the Catholic Diocese of Ottawa, and in such venues as the Great Hall of the National Gallery and the National Arts Centre. We hold a craft sale, auction and performance each November at Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre to kick off the holiday season and we often continue with the Christmas spirit singing at North Gower United Church.
For both Christmas 2009 and 2010, a small group from the Chorus performed on Wayne Rostad’s Holiday shows around the Ottawa Valley. In May 2011, the Chorus was thrilled to travel to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall! Regular weekly rehearsals are held Tuesdays from 7:15 pm to 9:30 pm at the Nepean Creative Arts Centre in Bells Corners, Ottawa. Please join us anytime!