I remember when the Innis Choir tried recruiting me at frosh week. I politely declined the offer, as my singing is comparable to that of a dying whale. So, when I heard about their end of the year performance at Hart House, I went with a couple of friends out of curiosity. What I witnessed blew me away.

The choir had a unique set of talented members with incredible vocal range. They were strong from beginning to end; they didn’t let fatigue get in the way and remained solid even after an hour of performing. The projection of their voices was quite powerful without a microphone; although I was sitting at the back I could hear them perfectly. They performed classics like “A Whole New World” from Aladdin as a duet. It was amazing, and the duo was in such synchronicity and never missed a note- arguably, sounding better than the original. Complementing the singing were the beautiful piano melodies played by Tian Nie. Not only can Tian play the piano, she can sing just as well.

Jannie Chien, a recurring act at Harold’s House, sang a duet from Wicked so beautifully that I now want to go watch the play.

Going back and forth between male and female voices in “Reuben and Rachel” provided stark contrast, expressing the painful emotion of unrequited love.

Choir performances I’ve usually attended have been performed a cappella but Innis’ Choir – just like the college’s students- were united and versatile. The last song they performed was one of my favorites, “The Eye of the Tiger” with one member playing the electric guitar while singing. They had saved the best for last. Although it had been more than an hour and a half since the show started, the audience remained mesmerized from beginning to end. It is obvious that the members of the choir put so much hard work and dedication into their show and I was glad to have witnessed the fruit of their labor.

Featured image courtesy of Pen Long