Claire Tennant has always had a love for singing, and for years had longed to pursue this passion. But one small problem kept holding her back: she can鈥檛 sing well.

Never able to pass an audition, it wasn鈥檛 until the 59-year old moved from Northern England to 91原创 that she found an outlet for her voice.

In January, 2012, just a few months after arriving to her new country, she joined the 91原创 Community Chorus, a non-audition mixed voice choir.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 sing. I love to sing, but I can鈥檛. So I could never pass an audition,鈥� Claire laughed.

鈥淚f you just love singing, 91原创 Community Chorus will take you on. And it鈥檚 very strange what happens to a large group of people when they sing together. It forms a beautiful sound, so you would never hear me sing on my own, but I can sing my heart out as loud as I like with the chorus.鈥�

Formed in 1992 with just 15 singers, the 91原创 Community Chorus鈥� mission is to foster a spirit of learning, fun, friendship, community and respect for all abilities. The group is currently run under musical director Anita Comba and is capped at 80 members 鈥� there is a wait list to join.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just a crowd of people who like singing, and we turn up once a week. We don鈥檛 know all the words, we read the music as we are singing. But it鈥檚 fun, and there鈥檚 no pressure as such,鈥� Claire said.

鈥淎nd I think that people like that. It鈥檚 very jolly.鈥�

To celebrate Canada鈥檚 150th birthday this year, the chorus will be performing multiple shows on songs about Canada.

Titled Happy Birthd鈥檈h Canada, the show鈥檚 theme couldn鈥檛 be better for Claire, who officially became a Canadian citizen on April 18.

鈥淚t just so happened that I became a Canadian citizen two weeks before the concerts, which are all based on Canada 150,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd in fact, becoming a Canadian citizen in the Canadian 150 anniversary year is really special anyway. I feel kind of surrounded by it.鈥�

Next month, the chorus will have three Canada 150 shows in 91原创 鈥� May 6, 13 and 14. They will sing 19 songs by artists ranging from the Barenaked Ladies, to Neil Young and the Tragically Hip.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a couple songs we鈥檙e doing about trains and (Canadian) history, and that was actually really handy because to become a citizen, you have to take a test,鈥� Claire said.

鈥淭hey send you a book of Canada history, geography, governments, and you have to know all of that. So strangely, I now know so much about Canadian geography and history. And all of a sudden, I鈥檓 singing these songs, and I wouldn鈥檛 have known before about who the Acadians were, the Loyalists, and all this. So it really fits together well, the studying and the songs, because now I know all about it.鈥�

A Canadian love story

When asked why, in her early 50s, Claire decided to uproot her life in England to settle in 91原创, she laughed.

鈥淚 came here to find out if I wanted to marry an old friend.鈥�

Claire first met that old friend, Bruce, in Australia in 1984. The two both worked as accountants for the same firm, with Bruce based out of Vancouver, and Claire based in England. The firm had a temporary transfer program where employees could work for three months in another country, and both chose Melbourne, Australia for their placement.

鈥淚t was a ball. We were like 27 and we worked as accountants during the day and at night it鈥檚 just party, party,鈥� she laughed.

Claire was married at the time and went back to England after her three months were up, but Bruce stayed in Australia for the next three years. A group of the co-workers stayed in touch, and when Bruce eventually went back to Vancouver, he travelled home through Europe to visit his newfound friends, one of whom was Claire.

鈥淲e just had a great time, we were just like great friends. Bruce then came back to Vancouver and he got a job with a company whose head office was in the U.K., and (he) would come over once a year to their international budget meeting and add on a couple days to come and see us.鈥�

Claire went on to have three children in her first marriage, but things with her husband eventually broke off in the late 2000s.

鈥淪o what happened then is eventually my first marriage broke up. And Bruce and I were friends, and my kids eventually grew up in that time. So I come over here to visit Bruce and we鈥檇 go on vacation together just like, you know, old friends.鈥�

For the next two or three years, she and Bruce went on vacations together, and soon realized that if anything was going to come of their relationship, one of them would have to move.

鈥淚 was a little tired of my job in the U.K., so I said, 鈥業鈥檒l give up my job, I鈥檒l come over to Canada for six months.鈥� So I arrived here in March 2011, and we got married in August 2011.鈥�

The two settled into life in Walnut Grove, and Claire became certified as a Canadian Chartered Accountant. Bruce has no children of his own, but Claire returns home to see her three 鈥� ages 26, 29 and 30 鈥� and the rest of her family at least twice a year.

鈥淲hen I said I was coming to Canada, my parents said, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e deserting your family and you鈥檙e deserting your country.鈥� Because that generation, that is too much,鈥� she said.

鈥淚t has been absolutely fantastic, I haven鈥檛 regretted it. And of course, I am in Canada, and where else would you want to be?

鈥淚n today鈥檚 world, Canada has retained all of this stuff you hear about 鈥� you know, openness and diversity. It is still one of the few countries in the world that gives everybody a chance, isn鈥檛 it?鈥�