The finest jazz classics sung by great jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Fred Astaire, Louis Armstrong, Julie London, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin will be revisited via another enchanting dimension at the upcoming concert by The Doha Singers on Thursday.
In its Spring Concert 2016 titled All That Jazz – a journey through the jazz standards, Qatar’s oldest and largest amateur choir, is all set to light up the expansive Shangri-La Hotel Ballroom at 7:30pm on Thursday. Featuring a repertoire that doffs its hat to the most soul-soothing jazz classics, the concert will showcase a four parts harmony choir in the first half and soloists in the second.
John Warren, The Doha Singers’ chairman, said, “We are lucky to have so many accomplished singers in the choir. We wanted to showcase their talent as well as make the concert more interesting for the audience to see.” The ticket, priced at QR120 for the front rows and QR100 for the subsequent rows, includes free parking and a complimentary soft drink. 
Having practised for the All That Jazz concert over the past five months, the love and passion for the songs is unmistakably apparent in the many-layered voice of the choir. Among other concerts, The Doha Singers’ two performances of From Broadway to Doha at the Grand Hyatt Doha, last year, comprehensively won the audience. A good indication of that was how the choir and soloists received a rousing standing ovation and were even prevented by the audience from leaving the stage.
The Doha Singers dates back to 1993, and ever since its formation, has brought a wide range of choral music to members and audience alike. Currently, membership stands at more than 80 singers, representing more than 20 nationalities. An amateur community choir that allows adults to join regardless of ability, faith, nationality and gender, The Doha Singers have two seasons each year, culminating in a winter concert in December and a summer concert in May/June. Its Musical Director, Laura Dziubaniuk, is Qatar Academy Sidra’s music teacher and has sung professionally throughout North America and Europe. Dziubaniuk has been directing choirs since she was in school, and has been directing The Doha Singers since September 2014.
With days to go for their big jazz performance, ?Maud Daniel, Publicity Head, The Doha Singers tells Community more about all that has gone into it:
Why is The Doha Singers focusing on jazz music in this concert?
Each term, we are picking a different theme to explore. In the past, we have covered Broadway musicals, Classical music, Christmas secular and religious, and so on. The Jazz repertoire was proposed by Dziubaniuk and it was obviously approved unanimously, both for the enjoyment steeped in singing some cool jazz tunes and for its potential to please our audience. 


How successful have the rehearsals been so far?
We primarily rehearse in sectional groups to perfect each voice part separately, which have been extremely successful. All parts blend together very nicely once we come together. This is probably the most enjoyable time. We are certainly ready for Thursday’s show and we have even prepared a little surprise during the finale. The soloists are also 100 per cent ready to blow the audience away.  


What about being part of the choir do you find more interesting than, say, being part of a music group? In other words, what sets a choir apart?
Music, truly, is an international language that we all understand. In The Doha Singers choir, there are people of more than 20 different nationalities, three generations of age, many different cultures and background, but come Monday evenings and we are one voice. We often get together before or after rehearsals, celebrate birthdays and special occasions. We also keep each other informed about music gigs happening in town. But what really sets the choir apart is that we get the chance to sing different kinds of music, and we get to be around others who share the same interest in music. Moreover, technically, a large choir can really enrich songs with four to eight parts harmonies that blend together, with specific style of singing, with different rhythms and volumes, and also play with emotions. Making music with a group of people offers the perfect balance between practising alone at home and singing with a band. Also, this reduces performance anxiety for some of us.
As a choir, what are the three things that the singers must keep in mind while performing?
I would say the three things that the singers must keep in mind while performing are: to look at the conductor for cues, to smile, and to have fun!