Auditions for ‘Pop Therapy’ are now open!
Calling all ADULTS who want to belt it out! KW Glee is thrilled to announce an expansion 10 years in the making. Beginning in January, the award-winning choral organization will launch a brand-new group for adults called Pop Therapy designed to give recreational singers ages 19 and over the opportunity to learn and perform current hits and popular classics backed by an all-star professional band.
“Parents of our KW Glee youth members and other people in the community see the fun that our teen and kid groups have on stage and they lament that this program wasn’t around when they were that age. Well, now’s their chance,” says Producer & Music Director Steve Lehmann. “We are ready to grow as an organization, and we are excited to give adults this outlet to rock out.”
Led by Lehmann and Artistic Director Amanda Kind, the Pop Therapy adult group will rehearse on Monday nights from January 16, 2023 to April 24, 2023 at Emmanuel United Church in Waterloo with Family Day, March Break, and Easter Monday off. The ensemble will have two end-of-term concerts at the Registry Theatre in Kitchener on Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. complete with lights, sound, and a live band. The full details and schedule are available at www.poptherapy.ca.
“We picked the name ‘Pop Therapy’ for an important reason. Music, and singing specifically, is a stress reliever. Many studies have proven that cortisol lowers and anxiety is reduced after singing,” says Kind. “Our lives are fast-paced, and we know adults, just like kids, are looking for activities that bring joy to their lives and give them the opportunity to de-stress and have fun. We can’t wait to build our adult group and help them live out their rock ‘n’ roll dreams. It’s going to be a blast.”
Although there are several choral groups for adults in Waterloo Region, most of them focus on Western classical music or a cappella singing (vocals without instrumentation). KW Glee’s Pop Therapy adult group will perform contemporary commercial music – the popular songs people hear on the radio and listen to in their everyday lives – and give participants the opportunity to sing both solo and in harmony backed by professional musicians. Unlike the youth in KW Glee’s Senior and Junior youth groups, Pop Therapy will have minimal choreography – excellent pop/rock singing will be the prime focus for the adult group with the potential to add a greater dance element in future.
Adults of all ages and abilities are encouraged to audition either in person or by video. Potential participants are required to prepare one pop or rock song of their choice sung to an instrumental backtrack; a cappella auditions (singing without a backtrack) are not permitted. Individual in-person auditions will be held on Monday, December 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Emmanuel United Church in Waterloo. Video auditions may be submitted online through the KW Glee Pop Therapy website www.poptherapy.ca from now until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, December 16, 2022.
“We don’t want people to be intimidated by the audition element. We love to help singers improve their voices and teach them all about pop/rock vocal styles. We’re looking for potential, not perfection. We encourage everyone to just do their best and enjoy it – at the end of the day, this is all about having a good time,” says Kind.
KW Glee started as a small pop choir for teens ages 13 to 19 (Senior) in the spring of 2010 and was an immediate success. Demand for the group was so great that the organization quickly added a younger ensemble (Junior) for youth ages 9 to 12, and then a starter group for kids in grades 1 to 3 called KW Glee Mini. Since then, KW Glee has won top honours at Show Choir Canada, performed for various galas and events around the region and beyond, and played to sold-out crowds at over 100 concerts. KW Glee was a headlining act with Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in 2014, 2016, and 2018, and will return to the Centre in the Square for another pair of featured concerts with the esteemed orchestra on January 10 and 11, 2023.
“Despite being shut down for almost two years from March 2020 through January 2022, we’ve emerged stronger than ever. Our numbers are huge this term – between our Senior, Junior, and Mini groups, we have over 175 kids singing and dancing every week,” says Lehmann. “It’s incredible.”
Video auditions for the KW Glee youth ensembles (Senior, Junior, Mini) spring term from January to May are also being accepted at this time.
KW Glee is known for creating and cultivating top-level talent. Many alumni have gone on to have professional careers in the performing arts including recording artists Delaney Jane, Joshua Sade James (JSJ), Quinton Barnes, CJ Cooper, Katy Topham, Tanya Rivero, Keenan Smits, Cole Allen, Christian Economides, Elliot Jakob Anton (Safe As Houses/Halloween Animals Band), musical theatre artists AJ Bridel, Joel Cumber, Ben Skipper, Dan Mousseau, Conor Murphy, Kaleigh Murphy, Emily Weir, and many others.
For details about the brand-new adult group Pop Therapy visit www.poptherapy.ca. For details about the KW Glee youth ensembles, please visit www.kwglee.com.
