Winnipeg choir gives nurses a way to 'leave their troubles at the door,' share joy of music with others

A choir of Winnipeg nurses wants to bring joy to the world through the power of music.

The Winnipeg Nurses Choir held a holiday concert at St. Andrews River Heights United Church on Saturday, one of a dozen such events its 45 members can take part in each year.

Maurita Kiesman, a Health Sciences Centre nurse, says the group mainly performs at assisted living facilities. The events bring "a wonderful sense of community and commonality," she said.

"It's joyful, it's hopeful. It's all the things that I need to carry on in the hospital," she told CBC News on Saturday.

"Just to see the joy on people's faces is just a gift in my life."

Bill Quinn, the choir's conductor, formed the group in 2018 after retiring from a career teaching music. His sister is a practising nurse, and his wife worked as a nurse before pursuing a teaching career.

A number of the nurses involved have become regulars in the group over the last five years, allowing them to develop musically and have more fun together, says Quinn.

"I kind of remind them to leave their troubles at the door, and if they've had a rough day, you can leave it there and really enjoy singing with your friends," he said Saturday.

The group likes to stack its repertoire with oldies to evoke memories for attendees, who are mainly between the ages of 60 and 85, said Quinn.

The choir is tapped to perform the Canadian anthem at Winnipeg Goldeyes and Manitoba Moose games from time to time, he said. It's also been looking at how to better introduce new members to choral music, he said.

No audition is required to join the group, and anyone interested can get in touch via Facebook.

"We're trying to get some of the younger nurses in, because it's nice to have younger voices, especially in the soprano section," Quinn said.

"We always have a good time, and hopefully we can grow the choir and visit many more places and spread some joy."

Heather Quinn, Bill's wife, sings in the choir, and says the group formed at a hard time for nurses.

"It was a time when nurses were really feeling under siege, working too hard — and just like now, I suppose," she told CBC.

The choir is an opportunity to "just let that all go, and think of nothing else than making music  together," she said.

Heather says she'll often look out at the crowd and see attendees singing along.

"Music seems to bring back memories that maybe other things don't harken back to."

The choir also brings together different generations of nurses who work, or worked, in various areas of medicine, she said.

"Some of the retired nurses, even though they're retired, have maybe elderly parents that they're caring for, grandchildren that they're caring for," Heather said.

"So it's a real commitment for people to come out to these rehearsals, and that shows how much they love doing it."