Experience the joy of making music together
Our Fall season starts Sunday September 13 2026. Our registration remains open throughout the season. Members can participate in person at rehearsals or remotely by a simultaneous Zoom session.
Our in-person rehearsals take place Sundays from 2:30 to 4:30 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg, 603 Wellington Crescent. Parking is limited to the church lot, and there is some street parking. We encourage car pooling or transit.
The Fall session runs from September 13 to December 6th (concert performance). Joining the choir does not oblige you to participate in the concert.
Join Now
For the Fall Season 2026, the recommended fee is $110. Members either download and print their own copies of the season’s music, or ask the choir to supply a printed copy. If you have requested that the choir supply you with a copy of all of this season’s music, then please add a further charge of $15.
Payments can be made by e-transfer, by cheque, or in person at first rehearsal. Payment instructions provided after registration.
Margaret’s Choir believes everyone who wants to sing in a choir should be able to join. If you need financial assistance on choir fees, please Contact Us.
Making You Comfortable
What to Expect
Orientation - At the first practice of the Fall and Spring Sessions, new members will receive a 10 minute orientation to the basics of the choir.
Choose a Voice Section - Our choir has 4 sections: Soprano for the highest pitch voices, Alto for higher mid-range pitch voices, Tenor for lower mid-range pitch voices, and Bass for the lowest pitch voices. To get a sense of where your voice might be placed, try out this vocal range finder and compare yourself to famous singers! Vocal Range Test: what is your vocal range?
Try A Section Out First - At your first practice session, try out the vocal section the Vocal Range Test recommended and see if it feels comfortable. If not, try a different section the next time. Our Artistic Director can also help you determine what section is most comfortable, if you need more guidance.
How You'll Learn
Supports We Provide
Cantamus - Online Singing Tool
Cantamus is an easy-to-use online tool that lets you follow along the notes for each song for your vocal section as you also hear the other sections. It’s also the tool that is perfect for people who are not able to read music!
Links to Singing Tips & Music Theory
For those who want to dive deeper into music and choir fundamentals, our Member Site Home provides links to sites that provide singing tips and music theory.
Vocal Section Practice Tracks
You can listen online, download MP3s or request a CD (for $2) to get the choir’s repertoire for that season for only your Vocal Section (e.g. the bass line only). This is handy for people who do their learning by singing along while doing chores or in their car.
Learning in Small Bites
At practices, our pianist will play an excerpt from a song first, just for your Section, so you can hear what it sounds like. Often our Artistic Director will also sing the excerpt. Then you will try that excerpt a couple of times with your Section. After that, the Artistic Director will most often ask 2 Sections to try it together first. And then finally you’ll experience the beautiful harmony of all 4 Sections singing together. This approach is another way that people who can’t read music are able to learn.
Choir Culture
As a non-audition community choir we are committed to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all who want to sing – whatever their experience. All choir members are dedicated to contributing to a feeling of positive acceptance. We encourage “Section Buddies” for new members.
Essential aspects of choir culture include creating an atmosphere and climate of safety for individual vocal expression, facilitating group harmony and cohesion, and conveying musical knowledge in a way that is accepting, encouraging, empowering, and joyful. While we do polish things up and delight in making the best sound we can for our “gigs,” the beauty of our sound comes from the freedom and energy of joyful singing with intention from the heart more than from critical attention to technical perfection!
Welcoming & Supportive
Listening is essential to the success of a community choir. Shivon Robinsong, founder and co-director of Victoria’s Gettin’ Higher Choir (which also started with people who believed they couldn’t sing!) says that singing in harmony is primarily about listening. Listening to others while singing helps those who are learning to find the sound, promotes harmony and ensures the group sound is not dominated by one section or one voice.
Listening to the director during singing times reflects respect for the leader and helps support the group’s focused effort. Frequent chatting with other members during singing times can interfere with this process.
Listening
Making personal connections with like-minded members is an important component of Margaret’s Choir. Since the focused singing period does not allow adequate time for socializing, members who want this connection are encouraged to come early or make plans to gather informally outside of singing times. Once a session the Choir has a potluck for members. We welcome ideas and contributions from members regarding social activities and other aspects of the choir.
Making Personal Connections
Things to Know Before Your First Practice
Feeling a Little Off? We respectfully request that if you are concerned you might be ill that you wear a mask if you attend in person, and if you know you’re ill please attend the Zoom session that week instead.
Fragrance-free environment. There are choir members with scent sensitivity which can affect both nasal passages and cause throat tightening. Please be sensitive to added scents (no perfumes/colognes, highly scented hand lotions and deodorants, highly scented laundry additives, etc.)
Reasonable Accommodation. As part of welcoming all, the choir acknowledges that accommodation is a key element. You’ll notice in our concert videos there are members seated to acknowledge the difficulty for some of standing for long periods.
We will ensure that there is reasonable accommodation of the disability needs of all members, where those needs are based on demonstrated medical conditions.
We will ensure that member access to participation in choir activities is not unreasonably compromised; where access involves the needed use of a medical device, orthotic device, service dog, or other device where use is entitled by law.
Code of Conduct
From the Choir Guidebook section 3:
CODE OF CONDUCT
a) Choir Environment
Margaret’s Choir is committed to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for all who want to sing, whatever their experience. The choir relies on all choir members to contribute to this atmosphere of positive acceptance, in both singing and social activities. Essential aspects of choir culture include creating a climate of safety for individual vocal expression and discovery, facilitating group cohesion and conveying musical knowledge in a way that is accepting, encouraging, empowering and joyful.
Through membership in Margaret’s Choir, members each have the opportunity to give and receive a very special experience that is embedded in the mission and values and reflected in the everyday act of singing together, in harmony, with positive intention, shared vulnerability and respect. Each member has the right to that experience, and is encouraged to also undertake the responsibility of contributing to it.
b) Member Respect
Choir members are responsible to act in a manner that respects the personal rights of other choir members, audience members and those directing the choir. Members are encouraged to contact a member of the Dream Team should they have any difficulty feeling respected and supported in their singing.
c) Conduct Review
A member may be asked to leave if he or she blatantly displays behaviours inconsistent with the Code of Conduct. Membership rights are only removed following both a discussion and a consensus decision by the Dream Team.