IN SYMPHONY: Music Director Laura Dziubaniuk puts all her experience into conducting the choir.

Doha Singers, Qatar’s oldest amateur choir, is set to team up with Doha Community Orchestra, Wind Symphony and Doha Youth Choir for ‘Season of Joy’. By Umer Nangiana

One of the oldest amateur choirs in town is all set to share stage with two other community music groups, involving both children and youth, this December for their upcoming concert. The Doha Singers, Qatar’s largest and oldest amateur choir, is teaming up with Doha Community Orchestra, Wind Symphony and Doha Youth Choir to bring to town, the ‘Season of Joy’ concert to be held on December 4 this year.
The organisers have kept the venue secret until the purchase of tickets. However, their second concert of the month, ‘Silver Bells’ will be held on December 11 at Grand Hyatt.
Tracing its roots back to 1993 when it was formed by Rev Ian Young, The Doha Singers brings a wide range of choral music to members and audience alike. A four-part adult choir (SATB) with a membership of between 80 and 100 singers, the choir’s repertoire is a wide one, with a mixture of modern and older pieces, both sacred and secular.
They usually perform two main concerts every year including festive music in December and a more secular programme in May. The choir is directed by Laura Dziubaniuk who was appointed MD of the Doha Singers in May 2014 following the departure of Liz Thomas. Laura has been an active singer and music educator since 1989.
Opera, Oratorio, Concert and Chamber Music performances have taken her throughout North America and Europe. She is currently QA Sidra’s Music Teacher.
Prior to her arrival in Doha in 2012, she taught in Dubai, UAE and Ottawa, Canada. She was the Music Director for the Cumberland Community Singers, All Saints Westboro Anglican Church and the Assumption of the Blessed Mary Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ottawa, Canada.
Laura holds both a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance and Education from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor of Education Degree from Nipissing University, North Bay, Canada.
The Doha Community Orchestra (DCO) is a not-for-profit symphony orchestra whose primary focus is to engage, inspire and connect through music’s extraordinary power. The DCO provides an opportunity for Doha area musicians to perform a wide variety of symphonic music, and to provide an affordable and enlightening musical experience for all residents of Doha.
The orchestra is made up of musicians of all ages, experiences, and cultures. Aside from performing three to four concerts a year, members also participate in chamber music workshops, master classes, and coaching sessions with musicians of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
Doha Youth Choir is a voluntary audition choir for mixed voices aged 11-18, founded in September 2013.  These young singers are carefully chosen for their beautiful voices and for their ability to work.  
Reading notes and basic music knowledge are required before admittance to this choir and a desire to sing being most important. At the youth choir, members receive specialised training in sight-singing, notation and theory, vocal technique, music interpretation and are exposed to a great variety of the greater classical choral repertoire.
In September 2015, they also started Doha Junior Choir, for younger boys and girls aged 7-10 years. Rehearsals are twice weekly for one hour which includes learning how to read music.