Two choirs showcase women's and children's talents

Ira Sokolova, who founded Imagine, the children's group, a decade ago, later started the women's choir as a way of getting the mothers involved. About a half-dozen women have been regular students for more than five years, although the concert was only the second time some of them agreed to get up publicly on stage.

"I really love mixing ages," said Sokolova, who organized Singing is Fun in conjunction with the Westmount Recreation Department as a means of providing music instruction.

"In the children's choir itself, the youngest is five years and the oldest is 13 and I have every age in between," she added. "I like to make them sing with the adults and I'm happy that I have mothers that sing in my adult singing group with children. They really enjoy being together."

Sokolova said she is trying to build a bridge between the generations with her unique musical concept. Nowadays, she maintained, it's prevalent to see people segregated into distinctive groups.

"Especially at school all the time, there is a class for five-year-olds, six-year-olds, 10-year-olds." However, she believes the generation gap should be set aside and that mothers shouldn't remain content just to watch their children.

"It's much more exciting for the kids to get involved," said Sokolova, when they know that their mothers are having many of the same performance-related experiences, like stress and memorizing lines. "This is encouraging the children."

As for adult male participation, Sokolova admitted that she hasn't had as much success. "To tell you honestly, we had two or three times two or three males join our adult singing group and they just disappeared after the second time," she said.

"We need them. But I don't know. Sometimes even one two would be enough. I would be happy if some fathers decided to join us to add a little bit of colour." Sokolova explained the eclectic choice of musical numbers performed by the children last week.

"I like to challenge people and I believe in the ability of children to do more than people think they can do," she said. "That's why I always put something above their level to encourage them. And so far they like it."