KW Glee ‘O Canada’ video still being played nation-wide
Posted Jan 28, 2022 09:00:00 PM.
Two years into the pandemic and amid the isolation and disconnect many may have felt, one local singing and dancing group found a way to bring the nation still together.
After trying to find an online way to keep engaged, KW Glee's cast kept busy creating videos and posting them online. Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic reached out to the group and asked them to sing 'O Canada' for the city's virtual Canada Day celebration in 2020. That's when the nation took notice.
“It was the right time to do it. Nothing like the national anthem to bring people together when you have adversity,” said Steve Lehmann, music director and producer, KW Glee.
The video has over 135-thousand views on YouTube.
The start of the video shows Isy singing the national anthem. In the background are all the head shots of the KW Glee cast. Then a “dramatic reveal” happens at the 28-second mark of the one-minute 28-second video where the rest of the cast is dressed in red and white and sings 'O Canada'.
“We are just excited that people around the country are listening to the video, enjoying and finding a use for it. We are getting messages from all over. Different organizations, lots of schools are playing it. This is just exciting that our kids get to be a part of that and be a part of the lives of people across the country.”
KW Glee remains closed for in-person rehearsals, given the current pandemic and restrictions. However, they did have an opportunity to audition for another term in November 2021. They do have a new cast ready and were ready to start two weeks ago. But, unfortunately, given the current lockdown, the singing and dancing group had to pause going forward with a new term.
“We are following all recommendations from public health, and the people that monitor and interpret those things for choirs and singers. Lehmann adds, “We hope to have a common term where we can do what we do, which is singing and dancing. We have concert dates booked for May and we are going to do everything we can to make this happen.”
