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Festival Update – January 2026
January 22, 2026
Unison Festival Vancouver 2026: Music Healing Spirit
Bringing voices together in pride, community, and connection
A new year brings a fresh start for choirs across the country, and Unison Festival 2026 is very much part of that rhythm. As rehearsals resume and plans start to take shape, several key milestones for the festival are now in place. In this update, you’ll find a snapshot of some of those things, along with a few early looks at what will make the Vancouver weekend memorable. Welcome to the first Festival Update of 2026.
In this issue:
Registrations Roll In from Coast to Coast
More than 900 people from across Canada have now completed their delegate registrations for Unison 2026 in Vancouver. With four months still to go before opening night, the festival has already surpassed delegate numbers from all previous Unison events and is on track to be the largest choral festival of its kind ever held in Canada.
“We’ve been really excited to see the level of interest and anticipation building so early,” says Liz Graves, Unison Financial Administrator and longtime Calgary chorister.
Registrations continue to come in, and we expect the pace to pick up again, as spring approaches and festival plans come further into focus. The regular registration rate of $400 is available through April 30.
“If you haven’t already, this is a great time to complete your delegate registration,” says Liz. “We look forward to welcoming everyone for a fabulous Unison festival!”
➤ Learn more and sign up: Delegate Registration
Accessibility Site Visit to the Festival Venue
Earlier this month, members of the Unison 2026 festival team met at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for a detailed backstage site visit focused on accessibility and wayfinding.
The purpose of the visit was straightforward. We wanted to understand how the building works behind the scenes, identify any accessibility challenges early, and plan for how delegates can best move through the space during festival concerts and performances.
The walk-through covered backstage routes, dressing rooms, rehearsal spaces, stairs, elevators, entrances, and exits. We also tested the full performer journey – from arriving at the building, to getting to dressing rooms, to moving on and off stage, to photo areas, and finally exiting the venue.
A historic building, with real considerations
The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a professional, well-run venue, but it is also a historic one. Completed in 1959, it was designed long before accessibility standards were routinely built into theatre construction.
Public areas of the building are fully accessible, with ramps, elevators, and barrier-free access. Backstage, the picture is more mixed. There are several short sets of stairs throughout, usually four to eight steps at a time. The layout is also a bit complex. Even for people without mobility concerns, backstage routes can feel maze-like on a first visit.
None of this was a surprise. Calling out these realities early allows us to plan properly, communicate clearly, and put the right supports in place so everyone can participate comfortably.
Backstage spaces and how they’ll work
This visit gave the team a solid overview of the backstage spaces we’ll have available. These include a mix of small and large dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, and a large green room that will likely serve as a shared refreshment and rest area.
Each space will have a clear purpose during the festival and will be marked with signage. We also plan to create simple visual maps so delegates can easily understand where they need to go at each stage of a performance.
Routes, timing, and support
One of the most useful parts of the visit was walking and timing the key routes. We now know where stairs are and how to avoid them, where elevators are available, and how long different paths actually take.
This information will help inform our planning, communications, and volunteer assignments. Volunteers will play an important role backstage, helping with wayfinding, timing, and support as needed. We’re currently identifying how many volunteers we’ll need, where they’ll be positioned, and how they’ll communicate with each other during busy performance periods.
Additional venue staff will also be available to assist with the backstage transport elevator for delegates who are unable to manage stairs.
Quiet and low-sensory space
During the visit, we also identified potential locations for a low-sensory or quiet space. This area will be available to delegates who need a calmer place to rest, decompress, or step away briefly from busy festival activity.
We’ll share more details about the location and use of this space closer to the festival.
What delegates can expect
Accessibility Coordinator Stanley Cochrane wasn’t surprised by what the site visit revealed. His past work has involved adapting existing spaces to meet a wide range of access needs.
“This is a very established and professional venue, and the staff are experienced and supportive,” Stan says. “The workarounds here are tried and true, which gives us a lot of confidence.”
One of the most practical takeaways from the visit is about building access. Most performers will use the cast entrance on Cambie Street, at the rear of the building. Delegates who need to avoid stairs will instead enter through the main doors on Hamilton Street and be joined on a scenic route through the building using the freight elevator to reach the dressing room level.
“We now know that this route takes about ten minutes,” Stan notes. “That’s exactly the kind of detail we want to understand early, so we can plan for it and communicate it clearly.”
More to come
This site visit is one step in an ongoing process. Closer to the festival, Stan will reach out to participants to confirm individual accessibility or mobility needs. We’ll also share more detailed information about entrances, routes, signage, and volunteer support well in advance of the event.
We want delegates to know that this work is happening now. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is an excellent venue, and with clear planning, communication, and support, we’re confident it will work well for our festival community.
Questions? Contact Stan at accessibility@unisonchoruses.ca
Vancouver’s Queer History In Focus at Unison 2026
An exhibition highlighting Vancouver’s queer history will be on display at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre during Unison Festival 2026. Curated by Murray Schellenberg, the exhibition draws on archival material that traces how visibility shaped queer life in the city throughout the 20th century.
Murray brings together training in linguistics, archival studies, and a long-standing connection to choral music. He works in archives and records management and teaches linguistics at the University of British Columbia, with academic research focused on the intersection of language and music. His interest in queer history and archival preservation led him to propose an exhibition specifically for Unison 2026.
The exhibition draws primarily from the former BC Gay and Lesbian Archives, a community-led collection begun in the 1980s by archivist Ron Dutton. Over decades, Dutton gathered photographs, posters, documents, and ephemera related to queer life in British Columbia. The collection is now housed at the City of Vancouver Archives, where much of it has been digitized and made publicly accessible.
Because the original materials are fragile, the exhibition will feature high-quality reproductions displayed on hanging panels. Each panel will include images and short explanatory text, offering context and inviting visitors to explore the stories behind the materials.
“Visibility is the thread that ties the exhibition together – how queer people found one another, and how they chose when and how to be seen.”
The exhibition’s central theme is visibility. It looks at how queer people made themselves visible to one another, how visibility played out in the wider public sphere, and how it was sometimes carefully managed for safety, connection, or political impact. Rather than telling a single story, the exhibition highlights how ideas of visibility changed over time.
During the festival weekend, Murray will offer short curator-led tours between concert sets. These guided talks will provide additional insight and give delegates and visitors a chance to engage more deeply with the material before exploring the exhibition at their own pace.
After Unison Festival 2026, the exhibition will move to the City of Vancouver Archives, where it will remain on display throughout the Pride season.
➤ Search materials in the BC Gay and Lesbian Archives
Festival Choruses: Sing in One of Our Massed Ensembles
NEW: Festival Chorus Rehearsal Times Dates, times, and locations of on-site rehearsals for the Festival Choruses and Festival Ensemble are now available. See all the info in the Festival Choruses schedule (PDF). |
One of the great joys of Unison is singing together, and the Festival Choruses are where that really comes to life. These massed ensembles bring singers from across Canada together to rehearse shared repertoire and perform on stage during the closing festival concert.
Four experienced conductors will lead these ensembles. Chelsi Madonna from Halifax will conduct the SATB Festival Chorus, Crystal Bergman from Coquitlam, BC the SSAA Festival Chorus, Jean-Louis Bleau from Chilliwack, BC the TTBB Festival Chorus, and Jackie Falconer from Toronto the 2STNB Festival Ensemble. Each brings a strong commitment to musical excellence, inclusivity, and joyful choral spaces.
Music will be provided in advance, with online rehearsals planned for March and April, followed by on-site rehearsals during the festival weekend.
Festival Chorus participation is open to all registered delegates, but space is limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. The participation fee is $50 for SATB, SSAA, and TTBB choruses, and $10 for the 2STNB Ensemble. These fees help cover the cost of music for all singers.
How to add a Festival Chorus to your registration
If you’re already registered as a delegate, you can easily add a Festival Chorus through Integra:
Log in to the Unison Integra system.
From your personal dashboard, select Quick links, then Online store.
Expand Festival Choruses / Chœurs du festival.
Select the chorus or ensemble you’d like to join.
Click Confirm to complete payment.
If singing with folks from other choruses is a highlight you’re looking forward to, now’s a great time to secure your spot!
➤ Additional details about Festival Choruses
➤ Meet the Festival Chorus Conductors
Unison Voices: Spectrum Queer Choir (St. John’s, NL)
Spectrum Queer Choir is a welcoming community choir based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and one of the choruses performing at Unison Festival 2026 in Vancouver. Founded in 2011, it was the first LGBTQ community choir in the province and continues to offer a space where people can sing together regardless of musical experience, ability, or identity.
At its core, Spectrum is about creating belonging and safety through music. The choir’s mission centres on celebration, connection, and justice, with a belief that music can enrich individual lives while also contributing to the cultural life of Newfoundland and Labrador. That community focus has made Spectrum a visible and valued part of the local arts scene, including appearances in provincial music listings such as MusicNL Week and recognition in local Pride community resource guides.
The choir is led by founder and Artistic Director Alice Hietala, a choral musician and community advocate. Accompanying the choir is Mado Christie, a collaborative pianist and vocal coach.
Spectrum Queer Choir remains active throughout the year, including recent holiday season performances that brought festive music to community events in St. John’s. These concerts reflect Spectrum’s ongoing commitment to visibility, connection, and community celebration through song.
We’ll be pleased to welcome Spectrum Queer Choir to Vancouver this May. Their participation in the Unison Festival brings a distinct voice to the stage and highlights the strength of inclusive, community-rooted choral singing from coast to coast.
➤ View their website: spectrumqueerchoir.com
➤ Would your chorus like to be featured? Let us know!
Local Love: Cherry Grove – A Quiet Place of Memory and Reflection
In Devonian Harbour Park [see Google map], near the entrance to Vancouver’s Stanley Park, Cherry Grove is easy to pass without noticing. Modest in size and understated in design, it's nonetheless a significant historical site, recognized as the city’s first AIDS memorial.
Cherry Grove began in 1985, during the earliest years of the AIDS crisis. At a time marked by fear, stigma, and loss, a small group of men quietly planted cherry trees to honour friends who had died. The memorial was intentionally discreet. Names were shared softly and entrusted to the trees themselves, offering dignity and care when both were often denied.
Longtime Vancouver Men’s Chorus member Loo Soon Hung writes that the men “whispered fond memories and love to the trees, keeping them safe and unforgotten.” The act created a place of remembrance rooted in community rather than public ceremony.
Cherry Grove sits within the broader story of cherry trees in Vancouver. With over 43,000 cherry blossom trees across the city, their brief spring bloom has become part of Vancouver’s seasonal rhythm. Located along well-travelled walking routes near the seawall, Cherry Grove offers a natural place to pause and reflect on a chapter of Vancouver’s LGBT+ history that unfolded quietly but courageously.
Soon Hung points to music as another way remembrance endures, noting lyrics by Wendy Jean MacLean from Be The Song, performed by Soon Hung and the Vancouver Men’s Chorus during their December 2025 holiday concerts at the Vancouver Playhouse:
“Ask the cherry trees in blossom how they trust when skies are full of rain…they’ll grow and grow.”
Cherry Grove is one of those places that grows in meaning for those who take the time to notice.
➤ Learn more on YouTube: 1985: Our Cherry Grove (The 30 30 Campaign)
Cheers!
Thanks for following along as Unison Festival 2026 continues to take shape. With a new year underway, plans are settling into place and choirs across the country are turning their attention toward the months ahead. We’ll keep sharing updates, stories, and practical details to support your planning and help build toward a great festival weekend in Vancouver this spring. In the meantime, we hope the year is off to a good start. Keep the music going, and stay tuned for what’s next.
Register Today: If you haven’t registered yet, now’s a great time. Regular registration for delegates is available, until the price goes up on May 1. ➤ Delegate info & registration
Share Your Ideas: Have a suggestion for a future update, or a question about the festival or host city? We’re always glad to hear from you. You can reach us anytime at communications@unisonchoruses.ca.
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