Sing it loud Local choirs spread joy this holiday season By: AV Kitching Posted: 5:24 PM CST Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025

When the singers of the North End Jewish Folk Choir take their places Thursday at the Ukrainian Labour Temple for their Hope for Peace winter concert, it will be the 90th time Lionel Steiman, 84, will add his voice to the chorus.

Steiman has been with the group for more than 30 years and holds the record as the choir’s longest serving member after founding member Dora Rosenblum, 97, retired earlier this year.

The choir was established after the Second World War by the United Jewish Peoples Order as a way to keep Yiddish culture and language, which had been nearly extinguished during the Holocaust, alive.

And while its moniker may give the impression the group is aimed at a specific demographic, you don’t have to be from the North End, Jewish or a fan of folk music to sing with them.

“Personally and culturally we feel an affinity for the North End, as it’s where the roots of many of us are. We want to emphasize the positive aspects of the area,” Steiman says.

Led by musical director George Bajer-Koulack, the choir has 18 singers who sing in Hebrew, Yiddish, English, German and Ladino, a Hispanic language of Jews of Spanish origin.

The singers usually practise for two hours on Thursday evenings at the Ukrainian Labour Temple and the choir encourages everyone, even those who can’t speak Yiddish, or think they can’t carry a tune, to join.

“A voice and a love of music: those are the only requirements to sing with us. People in the choir can’t speak or read Yiddish, so the songs have been transliterated so everyone can sing along. We give a very good approximation of the correct Yiddish pronunciation and we always have people we consult to ensure it’s as close to correct as possible,” Steiman says.

“A voice and a love of music: those are the only requirements to sing with us.”

Something special happens when group of people come together in polyphonic song. For the audience it can be a transformative experience, as multiple vocals coalesce into one harmonious whole.

It’s the same for the singers, who have been given the chance to share their voices with others, for no other reason beyond the love of music.

For Steiman, singing with the choir is an exhilarating and uplifting experience.

“There’s absolutely nothing like it. Nothing can compare; it’s a real high. It’s a great example of how the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts,” he says.

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The benefits of choral singing are manifold, from providing connection and building community to improving cognitive skills and boosting mental health.

Choirs provide a safe space for joyful expression — even for those who claim they cannot sing, such as Terri-Lynn Harms, committee chair of Hydro Manitoba choir, Electric Chords.

Harms has been with the group since 2012, when, on the first day of her job, she was invited by her boss to join her at choir practice.

“I’m not a singer, but of course you don’t say no to your boss on your first day,” she says.

“The reason I stayed all these years is because of how it makes me feel. Every single practise, I leave the room feeling brighter and more energized than when I entered.”

“Every single practise, I leave the room feeling brighter and more energized than when I entered.”

The seasonal choir usually comes together during the festive period, with practices starting in September each year.

Established in 1989 by a group of employees who co-ordinated practice during lunch breaks as a way to bring holiday cheer to fellow staff as well as the community, today there is a volunteer committee of of dedicated Hydro employees who keep the tradition going year after year.

The 36-strong group meet weekly during their lunch hour in a spare meeting room at the Hydro building.

Members are current and retired staff as well as “friends of Hydro” — family and acquaintances who work nearby downtown.

They’ve sung at Portage Place for many years and regularly appear at Cityplace, the legislative building, the Forks and the Santa Claus Parade. This year they’ve added added True North Square to their performance schedule.

”I’ve read singing is a core method of human connection that has been used for countless years all over the world and I can understand why,” Harms says. “If you have an opportunity to join in a group and sing, I highly recommend it; it’s a somatic and cathartic outlet for stress, you experience positive human connection and feel a part of something.”

Their next performance will be at Cityplace Thursday afternoon, then at the True North Square Lobby on Tuesday, where they will sing this year’s repertoire of 10 songs, including Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, French classic Il est ne le Divin Enfant and Ispiciwin by Manitoba composer Andrew Balfour, which they will perform in Cree.

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There are about 120 choral groups in Manitoba, ranging from secular community choirs such as the Rainbow Harmony Project to the interdenominational Sisters of the Holy Rock and gospel ministry choir Dominion Voices.

There are choirs for eight- to 12-year-olds, such as the Chickadees of the Winnipeg Youth Chorus, and others for those aged 55-plus, such as Bill Quinn’s Retired Teachers Association of Manitoba choir.

The latter group mostly performs at senior residences and health-care facilities and holds a number of public performances throughout the year.

Quinn leads the 45 members of the choir, whose ages range between 55 and 84. He also conducts two other Winnipeg ensembles: the Nurses Choir and the choir at the Lutheran church.

“Singing in a chorus is a musical, emotional and spiritual experience. The thrill of collective voices — especially in harmony — keeps me singing in choirs as I have since elementary school,” he says.

Anyone who is a retired teacher is welcome to join, but they have to register to become a member of the association first.

The group sings two- and three-part music, usually performing a mix of classical and pop songs, practising Wednesday afternoons at St Mark’s Lutheran Church in River Heights.

Their next public performance is a Christmas concert on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the church, where they will sing a mix of carols and popular holiday songs as well as general repertoire.

Quinn is currently looking for more male voices to add to his chorus and says the social aspect is a big part of the appeal of joining.

“People just love being together. We have such a good time,” he says. “Once a month we have social time before choir rehearsal and people bring baking and coffee to share.”

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