From the side of the road, the creative way that the Vernon Kalamalka Chorus is rehearsing might look like a traffic jam on a driveway.
When in reality, it’s members of the all-women choir rehearsing from their cars to respect public health orders with specialized equipment.
“[We] use wireless mics, and they feed into a soundboard and that soundboard then feeds into an FM Transmitter and the FM Transmitter feeds into the car radios and we can hear eachother and theres no lag,” said Debbie Parmenter Vernon Kalamalka Chorus director.
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“Unlike zoom where there is that second pause before you hear the other person speak so you cant sing with zoom so with this, we can all sing together and we are in sync.”
Because of the equipment upgrade, the members are able to find a much-needed reprieve from isolation caused by the pandemic.
“We got together about five weeks ago and sang our first song and I thought, ‘I have missed this so much’ and it’s just so fantastic to be all together again,” said Parmenter.
Being able to still come together as a chorus means more than ever to its members.
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“It’s wonderful. With COVID, music got really the brunt of it all and it makes me feel good when I can sing,” said Regina Picco, Vernon Kalamalka Chorus assistant director.
“Singing alone is not always that fulfilling but having the harmony and having the camaraderie of the others [is].”
The drive-in choral practice is looking for more members. If you would like to join or request a socially-distanced in-car performance, visit Vernon Kalamalka Chorus Sweet Adelines’ Facebook page.
