Fandoms unite for local choir’s latest concert

East Kildonan

Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/10/2024 (435 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Geeks and nerds, rejoice!

On Nov. 8 and 9, the singers of Incantatem, Winnipeg’s premier nerd choir, will present Always, Forever, and Now – A Celebration of Iconic Fandom Music at John Black Memorial United Church (898 Henderson Hwy.). The concert will feature music drawn from a wide range of fandoms, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Super Mario Brothers, and much more.

“We basically sing geek and nerd music, from all the fandoms people love. We hope that there’s something there for everybody,” said musical director Sara Jane Schmidt. “We also don’t have a big drama component this time, but we will be highlighting certain aspects of choices with readings between songs.”

While Schmidt joined Incantatem as musical director in 2017, the group traces its lineage back to an informal gathering of like-minded fans getting together at Comiccon as the Wandering Minstrels to sing selections from their favourite fandoms. As a more formal a cappella choir, the group first performed a concert of music from Lord of the Rings in 2015.

Today, Incantatem includes 24 vocalists, plus Ryan Bergen, who performs vocal percussion, or beat boxing.

“We always hang around that 24-member mark,” Schmidt said. “Not too big, not too small. We can sing in two-, four-, six-, or eight-part harmonies, and there are enough voices to make a good sound.”

Attendees of the recent Winnipeg Comiccon may have caught a 45-minute performance from the choir, which has also recently performed at Manitoba Choir Association’s Gather.

“We try to put ourselves out there,” Schmidt said. “We think we’re pretty unique.”

While the choir draws members from across Winnipeg, it calls East Kildonan home.

“We’ve adopted John Black as our venue,” Schmidt said. “We rehearse in East Kildonan. We want to build on our connection to the area.”

From September through May, Incantatem rehearses every Monday evening for two hours. While Schmidt works the choir through its paces, Michael Penner works on original arrangements to add to the choir’s repertoire.

“He’s kind of the big picture guy with the vision for future shows,” Schmidt said, adding that Penner is also mentoring other members in the group in the art of arrangement. “As musical director, I also work on building musical skills, as well. We do exercises, vocal training. A lot of us appreciate the learning component.”

With the varied interests that come from a group of committed fans, it can be a balancing act to include everyone’s particular fandoms within a show.

“We kind of know who likes what. There are Star Wars fans, Dungeons & Dragons players. But we always poll the choir when putting together repertoire,” Schmidt said. “Our next show will be a D&D spectacular, a full dramatic production on May 9 and 10. We expect a lot of enthusiasm for that one.”

Doors to both shows open at 7 p.m. on Nov. 8 and 9, with showtime at 7:30 p.m.

Prairie Solar Café will be offering “delectable treats” during intermission. Tickets to the show are $15, or $10 for children under the age of 12, and can be purchased at zeffy.com