What is Unison? Toronto's Tempo Chorus heads to Vancouver
Canada's choral festival, once every four years
Unison Choruses Canada is the national not-for-profit that connects 2SLGBTQIA+ choral groups across the country. It organizes workshops, fosters collaboration between cities and, every four years, brings the entire community together for a festival that's part concert series, part reunion, part collective exhale.
This year, that festival lands in Vancouver. From May 15 to 18, Unison Festival 2026 will bring together 27 choirs and over 1,000 singers for concerts, social events, workshops and what we can only assume will be a considerable amount of singing in hotel lobbies well past midnight. It's the eighth iteration of the festival and, by all accounts, the largest yet.
Three years in, and a national debut
Tempo Chorus was founded in 2023. We held our first showcase in 2024, and in the time since we've sold out multiple concert runs and grown to 70 members. But for all of that, we've never performed on a national stage alongside other choirs from across the country. Unison changes that.
As Hadi Karsoho (he/him) puts it, Unison only happens once every four years, and Tempo has existed for just over three. "We're effectively making our national debut; this will give Tempo members an opportunity to showcase their talent and connect with singers from across Canada."
For Doug Hammond (he/him), our Artistic Director, the festival is a chance to share something that's grown well beyond what anyone originally planned. "When I was first asked to serve as Artistic Director for this new choir, I hesitated," Doug says. "I'd only planned to help get things started until someone permanent was found. Three years later, here I am, loving every minute. The love, energy and passion these singers bring are truly something special, and I'm so excited to share that spirit with audiences across Canada at this festival."
That's the thing about Tempo - we started small and have become something our singers build their weeks around. Taking that energy to a national stage feels like exactly the right next step in showcasing our journey.
Artistic Director, Doug Hammond standing with Toronto’s Tempo Chorus.
What our members are looking forward to
For some of our members, Unison is familiar territory. Aaron De Sousa (he/him) has been to the festival twice before with other choirs, but this will be his first time going with Tempo. Like most of our contingent, Aaron’s looking forward to “meeting new people, making connections and coming together through music which we all love."
Naheed Kheraj (he/him) is in a similar spot: second time at Unison, first time with this choir. "I'm excited to be singing with Tempo, meeting new people, and seeing the diversity and joy of other Canadian queer choirs singing at Unison in Vancouver," he says.
What comes through in both of those answers, and in the conversations happening at rehearsal every Wednesday, is that Unison isn't just about performing. It's about being in a room with people who understand what this kind of community means. The music matters, obviously. But so does the feeling of walking into a space full of people who don't need you to explain why a choir like this exists.
Follow along from home
We'll be posting behind-the-scenes content from Vancouver on Instagram (@tempochorus) throughout the festival weekend. Expect rehearsal clips, group photos and whatever unfolds when 27 choirs try to share one venue.
And if Unison has you curious about what Tempo sounds like on home turf, our Pride concert TITANIUM: Strong Together runs June 9 and 10 at Hugh's Room, Toronto. We'd love to see you there!
Tickets to TITANIUM available now on Eventbrite, or catch us in Vancouver at Unison on Saturday May 16th in Block 2!
