The A Cappella Chamber Choir is fine-tuning its spring concert, "No Place Like Home," and has advanced to the provincial finals for the Ontario Music Festivals Association.
The 34-member choir under the direction of Liz Coates, with accompanist Adrian Little, performs two concerts per year. The theme for this year's spring concert encompasses songs that remind us of home, such as "Homeward Bound," "Home I'll Be," "Over the Rainbow," and "Come Home," as well as the two pieces the choir performed at the Midwestern Ontario Music Festival: "On Monday I Never Go To Work" and "How Can I Keep From Singing."
Coates has followed the A Cappella choir since she was two years old. Her father, Rod, was one of the 12 founding members of the group when it was formed by Jeanette Steeves of Port Elgin, in 1994. Steeves was the director until 2015 when Meghan De Jager became the director. Coates took over after the COVID-19 pandemic and has been directing ever since.
"I've been a member of this choir from high school age on," says Coates. "Jeanette (Steeves) was my voice teacher. It is such a privilege to now be the director."
She is thrilled with the spring concert, having selected music that reminds her of home and that warm and welcoming feeling when you walk in the door.
"We have such a range of music," says Coates. "We go from unison all the way to 12-part harmony, with solos on top. Most of the songs are four- to eight-part harmony."
The singers audition to join the choir, and there are usually about 35 people.
At one point, Steeves was holding one concert in Port Elgin and the next one in Kincardine. However, with so many members living in Kincardine, the choir decided to start doing two performances of each concert - one in Kincardine and the second one in Port Elgin or Southampton.
This year, the concerts will be held Saturday, May 30, at 3 p.m., at Kincardine United Church, and Sunday, May 31, at 3 p.m., at Faith Lutheran Church in Port Elgin.
Tickets are $20 each in advance, or $25 each at the door; available at Blackboard Sound in Port Elgin or from your local chorister.
Liz Coates directs the A Cappella Chamber Choir during rehearsal, Monday night, at the Kincardine United Church
Monday night, during its regular rehearsal for the concert, the choir was doing its virtual recording to submit for the provincial finals.
"We performed at the Midwestern Ontario Rotary Music Festival, April 15, in two categories: mixed choirs over age 19, and provincial chorus," says Coates. "Dr. Charlene Pauls was our adjudicator and she was so impressed, she nominated us to advance to the next level."
The choir received excellent feedback at the music festival, and a week later, the group heard that it was advancing to the provincial finals in the mixed choirs over age 19 category.
"It's so exciting," says Coates. "Jeanette (Steeves) took the choir to provincials years ago, but it was still virtual. The recording was done on a cassette tape."
The choir sang "How Can I Keep From Singing" and "On Monday I Never Go To Work," with the recording set to be delivered by Tuesday before midnight. It will be adjudicated in June.
The A Cappella Chamber Choir rehearses the songs it then recorded to submit for the Ontario Music Festivals Association provincial finals, Monday night, at Kincardine United Church
May 13, 2026
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