Big Noise Youth Choir thanks Optimist Club for support with Saturday performance

Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald The Big Noise Youth Choir performed at the Prince Albert Optimist Club Winter Wonderland on Saturday to thank the Optimist Club for supporting them when eight members traveled to Carnegie Hall.

A few months after eight of their members performed at New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Big Noise Youth Choir was back performing at the Optimist Club’s Winter Wonderland for a “thank you” performance.

Zoe Mortimer and Cohen Cantin were two members of the Big Noise Youth Choir who had the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall in June and both said the opportunity was amazing.

“It was a really interesting experience,” Cantin said. “That’s something every theater kid dreams of.”

“It was incredible,” Mortimer added. “Going to New York is like the one thing that every kid wants to do when you’re in theater and the arts, so actually being able to do it, it’s like ‘how are we here right now?’ It didn’t even feel real.”

All eight members had to audition individually with the help of Big Noise director Lauren Lonheis for the chance to perform in New York.

“We had auditions, so Lauren helped us learn the little snippet for all the auditions and then sent them in,” Mortimer said. “They e-mailed her if we got in, and then there were practices in Saskatoon every month.”’

The choir did a three-day residency in Carnegie Hall beginning on May 29 before the big concert on June 1.

“Once we got to New York, they were three days of rehearsals, 3 or 4 days of rehearsal,” Mortimer said.

Mortimer described the rehearsals as intense.

“It’s the first time all of these people are together so it was very (much) like (take a) 10-minute break and then keep going,” she said. Mortimer said the performance was the most memorable part of a memorable trip.

“Singing in an area like that is crazy,” she said. “It was just so magical.”

Cantin will mostly remember being there with many close friends.

“It’s one thing to go to New York, but then to be there with so many close friend,” Cantin said. “It was really cool to be there,”

The choir did a three-day residency in Carnegie Hall beginning on May 29 before the big concert on June 1.

The chance to perform at Carnegie Hall came about because Lohneis is an alumnus of the University of Saskatchewan Greystone Singers. The current director, Jennifer Lang, also has an alumni choir called Aurora Voce of which Lohneis is a member.

To thank the Prince Albert Optimist Club for all of their support to get them there, the Choir performed at the Optimist Winter Wonderland on Saturday afternoon.

Lonheis could not thank the Prince Albert Optimist Club enough for their sponsorship of the performance.”

“A huge thank you to the Optimist Club for helping to sponsor our singers last year to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. That was huge. Like what an amazing experience,” Lonheis said.

Chris Dansereau a visual designer and member of the Optimist Club had the idea to team up with Big Noise to design something to print on bunny hugs to wear in New York City.

“We had the optimist club of Prince Albert logo and then a big noise youth choir, New York City 2024, Carnegie Hall 2024 and we wore it. It was hot in New York so we actually had to put it on just to stage a picture because we couldn’t wear them around,” Lonheis said.

The group opened and closed their set on Saturday by performing the song “Winter Wonderland” at Winter Wonderland.

“They went above and they helped with sponsorship and then they outfitted us with shirts to wear there too. They were just wonderful to work with and we are happy to give back by coming to sing at Winter Wonderland,” Lonheis said.

michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca

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