University of Saskatchewan Greystone Singers perform digital year-end concert

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Greystone Singers director Jennifer Lang knew that an in-person year-end concert would be out of the question.

However, she was struck with an idea that has now garnered over 1,700 hits since being published on YouTube: releasing a digital performance.

“I just want to bring people together, if they wish, and to highlight the end of the year in a way that wasn’t so disappointing and abrupt,” Lang said.

Greystone singer Kate Nachilobe, the opening soloist in the digital performance, agreed.

“I just thought it was such a great idea for us to all sing together, separately,” Nachilobe said.

“Just to have one final hurrah where we all get to make music together was such a good opportunity.”

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Nachilobe was nearly at a loss for words the first time she heard and saw the digital performance.

“Seeing the finished work with the concert recording underneath my vocals… it was incredible,” she said.

“I’m very impressed with how it turned out.”

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people have turned to many artistic outlets to try and help them to get through isolation, whether it’s music, movies or television.

Lang knows the importance of the arts during these trying times.

“I really hope … that people come out of this with an appreciation of the arts,” she said. “That even though everything else might be at a standstill, we keep moving on in the arts.”

As for the performance itself, it’s something that Nachilobe will cherish forever, especially the way it was pulled off during the pandemic.

“To, like, push past that and still come together and do things together, but separately — I mean, this will be something that I remember for the rest of my life,” she said.