“I just wanted a space where people, like me, and who look like me, could just get together and sing songs outside of your kind of typical choral configuration. I just wanted to just have a different space that we haven’t seen yet,” explains Mwansa Mwansa.
A vocal teacher with extensive performance experience, who relocated from Lethbridge to Winnipeg, Mwansa said she felt like something was missing. One aspect of the feeling was a lack of choral music from the Black community, but also the feeling of community through that music.
She reached out to bring other Black singers into a new choral ensemble, but also put a call out to the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour) community in Winnipeg.
The choir quickly grew from the original six members to 20 members and counting. “Everybody’s really lovely, as you can see, so friendly,” she said at a monthly retreat of the members.
“It’s just like Mwansa said,” said new member Jalen Richardsen. “I love singing on my own time, and I was looking and it’s also very therapeutic for me, so personally, it’s been really good.”
“We found out about Roots in Harmony on Instagram, and we signed up in five minutes” says Leira Patio, a member of another jazz music ensemble called Not Your Ordinary Hooligans.
Several of the choir members are music teachers and performers and have really appreciated the openness to contributing to the song list, and some of the practices that Mwansa has brought into the group. A favourite is a “sing out” at the end of each practice where anyone so inspired can sing a song, and other members can spontaneously join in, in whatever way they feel fits.
“It’s something we look forward to every week. It’s like a little nice breath of fresh air from our regular work days,” (even though we are music teachers) Alyssa Alambra, and Faith Colobong explained, also members of Not Your Ordinary Hoologans.
Ingia German, an up and coming Jazz composer and Saxophone player joined the choir after seeing Roots in Harmony perform at an Emancipation Day event in August, and really wanted to introduce some of her favourite songs from her Sudanese heritage.
“Its nice to have a common goal and shared experience,” she said. “But it’s just fun to sing like everybody said. I think it’s fun to sing songs that you grew up hearing.”
“I feel like it’s a place of self expression,” added Richarson. “It’s really helping me to feel connected.”
For the time being Mwansa says that size of the choir is great for the upcoming performances throughout the month of November and December, but said they could use some more lower, bass voices, and anyone from the BIPOC community is invited to contact the choir through their website or Instagram page.
The choir, which performs “gospel, African, R & B, swing, soul, a little bit of everything” will perform a full concert at the First Mennonite Church December 13th at 7 pm. Online tickets are $15, $20 at the door.