1988 Highlights
In September 1988 a number of interested singing men gathered to form a group. The group wanted to sing a cappella music in the barbershop style. Shortly after they gathered, they formed and started singing together, they decided on the name 'The Singing Celebration' and soon registered with the barbershop society S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.

The chorus was fortunate to have two men interested in the role of director. The first co-directors of The Singing Celebration were Brock Sharpe and Brian Kerr. Many members of the chorus were members from the Capital City Chorus interested in additional singing experiences.

At the 1989 Ontario District fall convention in Kitchener, The Singing Celebration earned a score of 657 with 29 men singing on stage and placed 9th. A year later at the fall convention in London, the chorus, with, 20 men singing on stage, placed 8th with a score of 700.

The Singing Celebration enjoyed singing together for three or four years.

We are interested in obtaining information, stories, names of members, and photographs about the Singing Celebration. If you have anything to contribute, please contact us. We can borrow documents and photographs to copy and have them back to you promptly.

1992 Highlights
Around 1992 there was a name change for the chorus. The chorus joined and registered with the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of BarberShop Quartet Singing in America (S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.), now called the Barbershop Harmony Society. The chorus attended the spring 1993 Ontario District convention in Oshawa. There, the Nepean Northern Lights competed on stage with 17 men and sang Just a Cottage Small and Toot, Toot, Tootsie Goodbye and received a score of 853 in fifth place.

No other records of the Nepean Northern Lights chorus competing at a spring or fall convention exist. Several years later the chorus stopped singing and disbanded. And a number of Capital City Chorus members returned full time to that chorus while some men continued singing informally. If you have any information, we would appreciate hearing from you - please send us an email message and let us know.

1998 Highlights
Around 1997 these men, presumably with other interested singers, started meeting and singing formally as a chorus. They were determined to start a second chorus in the Ottawa area and put together the papers to register the chorus, receiving their charter as the Northern Stars Chorus on 23 February 1998.

Not wasting any time, while preparing and waiting to receive their charter registration they were learning and rehearsing songs. Less than two months after receiving the charter, the Northern Stars Chorus chorus was singing on stage at the Ontario District spring convention with 23 men. They sang Who'll Dry Your Tears and They All Laughed earning a score of 625 placing 11th.

Ironically, the first place chorus at spring convention was the Toronto Northern Lights with their first appearance. It is of note that this is also the first appearance at the spring convention of the Greater Toronto Megacity Chorus.

1999 Highlights
Encouraged by the experiences, singing, and enjoying the fellowship the men attended spring convention in Toronto again in 1999. They sang Rock-a-Bye Your Baby to a Dixie Melody and Whispering. The score was 465 bringing them into 16th place. On the risers were 18 men.

During the early years of the new millennium, the chorus grew and shrank a little. They learned a larger repertoire of songs, participated in several sing outs, and started singing more challenging songs and improving their singing, technique, and presentation.

2003 Highlights
In the year 2003, the Northern Stars Chorus experienced a busy time. The spring was particularly busy with singing at the Ottawa Tulip Festival in May, singing at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Nepean Sportsplex complex, and again at the Canadian Prostate Cancer Foundation 'Do It For Dad' fun run in Ottawa.

The chorus held it's annual show in June. By this time hosting a 'Strawberry Social' show followed by serving shortcake and strawberries, with whipped cream of course, starting a tradition. The chorus along with guest quartets Uptown Jazzin' and As Time Goes By were well received by the audience. For some it might have seemed the performance was a long time to wait for their strawberries but they toughed it out.

In July 2003 the Barbershop Harmony Society international convention was held in Montreal. Being an easy and relatively short drive down the road, a good representation of members attended and enjoyed top quality entertainment by district chorus and quartet representatives. Of course there were plenty of barbershoppers there to find three other parts and sing a tag or song with.

The March issue of the Trillium, the Ontario District quarterly publication, makes note of the chorus having 23 members with more than 20 on the risers regularly.

In the summer of 2003, the chorus and friends took part in a unique fund raising adventure. A Kanata company performing research into human reactions and traffic patterns in situations and corridors in ships had a ship simulator. Individuals were observed, filmed, and timed as they travelled down a mock up of a ship corridor. Now, the catch was they were able to control the degree of listing while people travelled along the corridor. The most exciting trial run was when each half of the group started at opposite ends of the corridor and at the same time tried to get to the other end promptly. The evening was very enjoyable and an opportunity to get to know others better while earning good funds, and of course singing during the breaks.

Two members, Tony Bove and Gary Berezin, attended spring convention in Kingston and helped keep the Kingston Townsmen hospitality suite running well.

Director Tony Bove continued taking courses at Harmony College toward becoming a certified director with the Barbershop Harmony Society. Only two courses remained to be completed to achieve that standing.

Tony Bove initiated and spearheaded celebration of our 15th year of singing with an anniversary alumni party. Past members attended with one member wearing the (purple) costume he wore years before in the chorus - and it still fit like a glove!

2004 Highlights
Mark Green was named Northern Stars Chorus barbershopper of the year for all his work with returning the chorus to financial viability after some difficult times.

The chorus attended the spring Ontario district convention in Niagara Falls. Twenty men sang Each Time I Fall In Love and Dream A Little Dream of Me scoring 785 and come in second place. There were many proud and nothing short of ecstatic members in the audience when the results were announced.

Some highlights for the Northern Stars Chorus for 2004 from the Trillium publication read as follows:
- "Had significant growth of the chapter membership this year. Had very successful chorus performances in both spring district content and our annual show in June."
- The June show was the first attempt under Tony Bove's direction to move the show to a proper theatre and arranging a Standing Ovation evaluation. (A Standing Ovation review is conducted by a district resource properly trained to evaluate different aspects of putting on a show, including the performance, and providing honest feedback regarding what went wrong and what worked well.
- As part of a publicity drive, a short audio clip was aired on CBC radio in September and some guests resulted from hearing that. Membership retention is close to 100% and work is proceeding on incorporation.
- In October the Cornwall chapter put out a call for assistance for a director for one night and Tony Bove and Stuart MacMartin took a carload of singers there to run the evening. It was a success and everyone enjoyed the time and fellowship there.

2005 Highlights
The chorus participated in spring convention, again in Niagara Falls, singing Each Time I Fall In Love and Taking A Chance On Love. The 23 men of the chorus on stage scored 783 coming in fourth place, four points behind the third place finisher, London. It is noted the Greater Toronto chorus Megacity sang and placed first. They only wanted to appear for evaluation of their package to receive feedback for their fall appearance.

In preparation for their annual show, Sandi Nason, (former director and director of Canadian Showtime) provided coaching. In May, a successful show was held at The Chamber - the former Nepean city council chambers with great acoustics and an atmosphere of family closeness. Following the show, Director Tony Bove and lead singer of the quartet Polaris, Shaun Richards, spearheaded a fund raiser where they allowed their heads to be shaved for donations.

Five chorus members attended Harmony College/Director's College - a very respectable representation of members.
The chorus received coaching from Sandi Nason (former director and director of Canadian Showtime (ladies chorus).

Certified director Tony Bove came up with the brilliant idea for the 2006 annual show to have a tribute to the quartet Gas House Gang and sing only their songs on the show. He successfully convinced the reluctant chorus to adopt the show idea and learn some exciting and challenging songs.

2006 Highlights
Stuart MacMartin, who had been taking courses at Harmony University in Missouri toward becoming a certified director, became Assistant Director, sharing some directing duties with Artistic Director Tony Bove.

Preparations for the annual spring show "A Tribute to the Gas House Gang" were well under way at the start of the year. Quartets from several area choruses were asking to be included in the program and were learning Gas House Gang quartet songs. Songs selected to be sung by the chorus, chorus quartets, and guest quartets were songs the Gas House Gang quartet had sung on stage or in their recordings. Guest quartets included Polaris and Play It Again! The Stars were very enthusiastic about their songs and the show and they scheduled three performances (Friday and Saturday evenings and a Saturday matinee) to share the beautiful and varied selections of music with audiences.

The show opened with a video greeting and wishes from Jim Henry and Rich Knight of the Gas House Gang. Narration by Artistic Director Tony Bove of his script walked everyone through different periods in the time of the Gas House Gang quartet. The grand finale song Eine Kleine NOT Musik, which the chorus members carried off with great enthusiasm and props, received an immediate standing ovation! According to Jim Henry, the Northern Stars Chorus are the only chorus he is aware of that has had the courage to tackle Eine Kleine NOT Musik. The fall edition of the Ontario District publication Trillium noted more of what was attributed to Jim Henry - “Not only did they tackle it, but they performed it extremely well.” And the Trillium editor added “This was truly a magical experience for all those who participated and attended.”

The Northern Stars Chorus joins forces with the Capital City Chorus providing a quartet to sing and one member to work in the Operations Centre. Eighteen valentines later a satisfied quartet returned home.

The chorus sent 21 men to sing at the spring district convention in Toronto. They sang Old St. Louie and Where The Southern Roses Grow receiving a score of 780 and a third place finish. They were five points away from finishing second. The chorus won the Chorus Encouragement Award.

The Northern Stars Chorus decided to attend the fall convention as well. It was held in Kingston so the traveling was relatively straightforward. Accommodations were next door to the Kingston Gospel temple where the performances were being held. Nineteen men sang Old St. Louie and Where The Southern Roses Grow receiving a score of 754 and a fifth place finish, becoming the District Plateau 3 Champion. Also at this convention, two members of the chorus (Ryan Lindsey and Sean Brennan) competed in the quartet What A Blast! in the novice category and won the title. It was a great pleasure to have watched their great performance live that weekend.

2007 Highlights
Stuart MacMartin’s son Chris, who had also been studying at Harmony University towards becoming a certified director, became our Assistant Director.

One quartet rehearsed love songs and participated in the Singing Valentines program. the foursome delivered 18 valentines stating at 8:45 in the morning and ending after 9:00 p.m. in a most marvelous, acoustically perfect room.
The chorus had been and continued to rehearse songs for its annual spring show Big Screen – Little Screen. The chorus, chorus quartets, and guest quartets Black Velvet, Play It Again!, and Polaris were learning their song from television and movies to sing on the show. The chorus and quartets put on two shows, one each on Friday evening and Saturday evening. The opening song, The Muppet Show really involved the audience and set the tone for the rest of the show. The chorus sang an arrangement of Harbor Lights by Assistant Director Chris MacMartin. Twenty-one singers enjoyed performing and five chorus quartets were a very good showing from the quartet encouragement program.

At the end of summer, all three directors attended Harmony University/Director’s College. Along with a fair representation of chapter members – five – attending the regular stream at HU, they most likely had the highest percentage attendance, based on chapter membership, from Ontario – for the second consecutive year.

In the spring of this year the chorus made a significant decision – to change their rehearsal night to Tuesdays. All choruses in eastern Ontario rehearsed on Monday nights and the move would allow members of other chapters to sing an extra night with the Nepean Chapter as well as allow Northern Stars Chorus members to sing with another chapter – again for extra singing opportunities. Several venues we checked out for acoustics, noise interference from other users, acoustics of the room, lighting, parking, and other factors important to a chorus for rehearsal location. The Bromley Road Baptist Church was chosen as the location for future rehearsals. It offered good lighting, a place to store the risers, a comfortable temperature, very good acoustics, and adequate parking. The chorus settled in well and quickly for Tuesday evening rehearsals.

Three Man of Note awards were presented to members Gary Berezin, Larry Matschke, and Stuart MacMartin. Gary had contributed to the organization of the chorus, in addition to singing, for many years. He had kept us organized and greeted most every guest who had entered our doors. Larry had successfully helped the chorus by taking on several significant projects. And Stuart was doing a great deal of work directing and as President.

In the fall, we hosted a coaching session with Royce Ferguson of the championship Westminster Chorus. Royce took the time to assist many singers with individual attention to personal singing details and the sound of the chorus improved significantly by the end of the session. Our thanks go to the Ontario District for covering Royce’s travel expenses to and from Ontario, without which we would not have enjoyed all these benefits that improved our singing.

2008 Highlights
Our annual show in May included guest quartet Mixolydian, composed of members of the Capital Vocal Project of youth barbershopers. Two chorus members sing in the quartet – Ryan Lindsey and Chris MacMartin. The theme of the show was “There’s No Place Like Home”. Chorus quartets and quartets Black Velvet, Polaris, and Motivation also performed on the show. Motivation won the District Collegiate Champion title at the April spring convention. The Northern Stars Chorus is proud to have two of its members singing in Motivation.

The chorus had another decent size contingent attend Harmony University and brought back increased knowledge and techniques for improved singing and directing.

At the end of the year the chorus took part in a special sing out. A former member had kept us in mind because he wanted us to sing for his department’s Christmas party. And he requested a special performance of Heart of Darkness (Bowser and Blue) because it was relevant to all members of the department he works with at the Queensway Carleton Hospital. All partygoers listened carefully to the words and understood all the meanings written in to the song. We really enjoyed performing that song and the others for them.

2009 Highlights
In April members of the Northern Stars Chorus traveled to the Blue Mountain Resort near Collingwood, ON to compete in the Ontario District convention. The chorus sang It’s Only A Paper Moon and Lover, Come Back To Me receiving a score of 705 with 16 men on stage. This placed the chorus tied in sixth. those in attendance were able to hear several choruses and many quartets perform that weekend.

Our quartet encouragement program started fully after our return from the convention.

The first half of 2009 was a busy time for the chorus. We held our annual show late in May. For this year’s show we had changed our mix of songs to include many more uptunes. Our show title was “Swingin’ With The Stars” to reflect our mix and new songs in our repertoire. We had a record 11 members sing in six quartets on the show.

Our sing outs so far have included a fundraiser for the cancer unit at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, a retirement residence on Canada Day, and a backyard party.

Would you like to see a slide show of photos from the chorus past activities. The slide show has been expanded from that shown at the annual show performed at The Chamber in Ben Franklin Place, Nepean, ON.

It also contains some slides that explain what some of the activities are. The slides change every four seconds or so. Click this link to have the pictures appear in this window. Then click on the first photo and then click on the top right icon (looks a little like a right arrow) to start the slide show.