Each month in 2026, Kingston Pop Choir is bringing together a room full of people to learn and sing a song — no auditions, no experience required, no long‑term commitment. Each session features a local musical artist who leads the group in an arrangement of an original song or a beloved cover. These are one‑day choirs: playful, welcoming gatherings where folks come together to sing, connect, and create something bigger than themselves.
This month, Kingston Pop Choir is ecstatic to welcome community‑choir veteran Andy Rush as our guest artist! Andy is the retired founding artistic director of Open Voices Community Choir and a longtime champion of inclusive group singing in Kingston. A decade ago, he led Rabble Singing, one of the city’s earliest pop‑choir‑style community singing projects, bringing people together to belt out pop songs in joyful, low‑pressure gatherings. Andy LOVES arranging new songs for a big group to sing, and (in his words) it’s about time he tackled “Lost Forever” by Blue Rodeo. We’re thrilled to experience his expert, enthusiastic leadership on Sunday, May 24.
We will start the event with a short warm-up song, maybe some stretches, and a fun singing exercise to get us listening and creating harmony. Then we'll dive into learning a 3-part arrangement of this month’s song. Don't worry about preparing in advance. We'll guide you through the process step by step. Lyric sheets will be provided! PWYC options available. No one turned away for lack of funds!
All Ages: Young people who can stay engaged or entertain themselves quietly during the 3‑hour event are welcome. Pre‑crawling babies are also welcome. Children under age 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Parents with young ones are welcome to step in and out of the space as needed or leave at the break.
We are deeply grateful for financial support from the City of Kingston and the Kingston Arts Council through the City of Kingston Arts Fund, as well as the Kingston Music Office.
About the Organizers
Steph Drouin (she/her) is a singer, songwriter, song leader, and Expressive Arts Therapist. She is the dreamer and fire behind Kingston Pop Choir. For a decade, she has been leading groups of people of all abilities into easeful, joyful, and healing singing experiences. She is the founder of Fiercely OK, an organisation that uses singing and the arts to nurture wellness and community. Informed by a lifelong relationship with anxiety, she is passionate about creating spaces where you can feel safe to show up exactly as you are. She is super excited to be co-creating this joyful community singing experience! Born and raised in Kingston, Paul Barton (he/him) is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter passionate about creating an inclusive musical culture. He has produced music for films, played jazz professionally, recorded 12 solo albums, played in pit orchestras, and taught guitar at Queens University. But his favourite musical thing to do is show regular humans how easy it is to create beauty. Along with Steph Drouin, that's what he does in Fiercely OK song circles. Steph and Paul have been facilitating community singing events together for over 8 years. Get ready! As a team of gifted space holders and song weavers, Steph & Paul will not only create an accessible and uplifting musical experience for you, but also an environment that is welcoming of your fierce and tender human self.