Momentum choir ready to sing a new bigger song
Momentum Choir is about to perform in a way it never has before.
Made up of more than 60 musicians with disabilities, the choir is used to performing at different church venues around Niagara.
Now they’re ready to show their talent to a much larger audience at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in St. Catharines on May 5.
“I will be nervous, but I can do it,” said Linda Milsap, a member of the choir.
“We’ve been working so hard to put on a good show and I hope people come because I know that they will love it as much as I do.”
Mendelt Hoekstra, the executive and artistic director of Momentum, started the choir in 2007 with a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. What started as a choir of eight members, quickly grew into almost 70.
“For the community that supports people with developmental disabilities, all of those agencies and families know about Momentum Choir because I’ve heard many people say it’s a shining star in the field of developmental disabilities,” said Hoekstra.
As they began to perform more often and to larger audiences, he said he never had to recruit members — the choir grew on its own.
Since it began, Momentum Choir has been a space where those involved have been able to develop a music-related talent, either vocal or instrumental, and perform publicly.
“For me, I know the individual stories of every Momentum Choir member — I know their struggles. So, I know the significant milestones that they are making by being on stage,” said Hoekstra.
“Whether that’s anxiety driven or whether that’s nervousness, or just a genuine esteem issue where they just might not think that they’re good enough, we work through that.”
The performance will begin at 4 p.m. Tickets are on sale through the FirstOntario Performing
Arts Centre box office and the Peanut Mill Natural Foods Market in St. Catharines. They are also available online at firstontariopac.ca under the event title “I’ve got the music in me.”
An early bird ticket rate of $18 is available until April 28. After that, the general admission price is $23.
Admission is free for those 12 and under.