Queer choir Tone Cluster aims to address the realities of bullying with its upcoming concert, which will feature students from two Ottawa high schools.
Tone Cluster previously dedicated a song to Jamie Hubley, who committed suicide in 2011 after being bullied for his sexual orientation, and the choir’s musical director, Kurt Ala-Kantti, says an entire concert focused on bullying is a natural progression for the collective.
Titled Words, the concert will feature selections from Lady Gaga and Oscar Peterson.
The choir performed at Nepean High School earlier this month, and although Ala-Kantti was told the students were “a tough crowd,” the performance, which included students and choir members discussing their experiences with bullying, was well received, he says.
Students from Nepean High School and St Peter’s Catholic High School will join Tone Cluster on stage for Words.
“There will be 125 in the choir,” Ala-Kantti says. “It should be a great, big sound.”