Niagara Star Singers ready for holidays
For six young Niagara performers, the holidays are a time to shine.
The Niagara Star Singers will be singing and dancing to several holiday classics, as well as other tunes, when they take to the stage for their 10th annual Christmas Showcase at the Yellow Door Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Dec. 8.
“Like a lot of holiday shows, it’s geared to families,” said Lisa Cosens Brillon, artistic director and founder of the group. “It’s really entertaining.”
Numbers in the group have fluctuated over the years, from as many as 16 a few years ago to the current contingent of six girls from all parts of Niagara.
“It’s one of the smallest groups I’ve had,” Cosens Brillon said.
The group got its start a decade ago, about the time the TV show “Glee” hit the airwaves, said Cosens Brillon.
“It’s sort of ‘Glee’-style,” she said of the show, which features plenty of singing and choreography.
The group has performed across North America over the years, including at Walt Disney World, in Florida, in 2011 and 2014; Universal Studios, Orlando, Fla., in 2017; as well as in New York City. The Niagara Star Singers have also entertained at the Rogers Centre, Toronto’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre for the Show Choir Nationals, the Winter Festival of Lights (2008 to 2010, 2013, 2016) the Olympic Torch Ceremony 2009, the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, and with Chorus Niagara and Michael Burgess, and for many local events.
Most recently, the group participated in the official Christmas tree-lighting event in St. Catharines.
The group will be also participating in musical theatre workshops with notable teachers and clinicians this February, as well as participating in a dance workshop with the Radio City Rockettes and taking a voice master class with Mary Saunders Barton in New York City.
“It’s such great training for the girls,” Cosens Brillon said.
Tickets for the show are $15 at the door, and kids under 10 get in for free with an adult. Net proceeds from their Christmas Showcase will go to help send the group to New York City.
Yellow Door Theatre is at 504 Line 2 Rd.