Canadians Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman started Choir! Choir! Choir! as a low-pressure, singing drop-in in Toronto, where the focus was on community-building and singing for fun. No talent required.
For the last nine years, they’ve led crowds in bars to theatres to public squares around Canada and the U.S., uniting them in singing popular songs with super catchy choruses.
But with the world in social distancing mode during the coronavirus pandemic, they decided to set up a virtual sing-along. And more than 100,000 people from several countries joined them on Facebook Live.
“We realized people need this sense of togetherness, specifically now more than ever, because they actually can’t get together physically in any way, “said Goldman. “We picked songs about isolation and friendship.”
Michelle Shaw, who is working at an animal sanctuary in Prospect, Tasmania, Australia, logged on to sing feel-good tunes that included “Stand By Me” and the “Friends” TV show theme song. She said it made her feel good that the singing brought people together — but admitted feeling a little homesick for Canada.
“I hope there will be more,” she told HuffPost Canada. “It’s a very strange time for us, and anything we can do to bring each other together is great, and I think we need to do a little more of coming together and a little less of shoving people in grocery stores.”
To check for the next live sing-along with Choir! Choir! Choir!, follow their Facebook page.
With a file from Shetu Modi