If you love to sing or act, Niverville might be just the place to explore those passions. Active this winter are two community choral groups: an adult choir for ages 18 and up as well as a youth choir for kids ages nine to 13.

Behind both musical groups is Susan Simcoe, Niverville Middle School (NMS) teacher and choral director. Simcoe also instructs the NMS school choir for students in Grades Seven and Eight.

New this year to Simcoe’s lineup of arts initiatives is the Niverville Youth Drama Club. She runs this program with friends Emily Hyde and Abigail Friesen. Hyde and Friesen are also local and come with training in the performing arts.

“We aren’t able to fit drama into the NMS curriculum,” Simcoe says. “So I wanted to give that to the community. It’s a missing piece. Some kids don’t want to sing, but they want to act. I’ve seen drama transform a life. Kids that struggle with anxiety and all sorts of things, they can find their on-stage voice because they become somebody else.”

Simcoe stepped in as adult choir director just over a year ago after local music instructor Rob Bonefaas had to give it up for health reasons. Soon after, she began directing the community youth choir as well.

She secured space for the adult choir to practice at the United Church, a building which she says provides excellent acoustics.

The youth choir meets regularly in the NMS band room and the youth drama club at the curling rink.

The adult choir already gave their first performance of the season in New Bothwell for the MCC Thrift Store’s Christmas party.

Next on the roster is the Niverville Foundation’s candlelight choir service on December 2 at the Heritage Centre. The event is free to attend and open to everyone.

On December 5, the adult and community youth choirs will perform outdoors at the community tree lighting event being held at 6:00 p.m. at the Heritage Place Pavillion.

Then, on December 7, Simcoe’s choirs, including her NMS student choir, will perform for the senior residents of the Heritage Centre.

“I take kids there to visit with seniors so that’s why we’re getting the space, which is lovely,” says Simcoe.

In 2026, residents can watch for the choir’s spring concert, which will take place either at the Heritage Centre or the Maranatha Church.

All of Simcoe’s arts groups have room for more. This year, the adult choir is at 25 members, down from last year’s 40. Still, she says, there’s a great ensemble of voices to work with.

The community youth choir has 20 kids coming regularly despite the fact that’s it’s relatively new. Many of these kids have had no formal music training.

“They’re not usually kids I’ve taught in the past, so I’m basically teaching them how to sing,” Simcoe says.

After this opening year, she anticipates being able to take the community youth choir to the next level and get them performance-ready.

No previous experience is needed to join the drama club or any of the choirs and there are no auditions. All it takes is having an interest.

So what kind of person joins an adult community choir?

“It’s a lot of people who have past experience singing but have had no outlet to sing,” Simcoe says. “A lady that joined our choir this year said, ‘I didn’t know that this was a void in my life until I came.’ Others are people that are looking for community. That’s one of my passions is helping people find community through music.”

For young people, the draw isn’t so very different. Most often these are kids looking for a group that isn’t a sports team.

Simcoe, too, was a child when her musical passion blossomed, thanks to someone much like herself.

“When I was in the fourth grade, a music teacher moved to our small town of Virden and transformed it,” Simcoe says. “Everything that I do today is what she gave to us.”

Since those days, Simcoe has been immersed in music, whether playing piano or choral singing. She’s performed with Prairie Voices, Sweet Debut, and Pride of Manitoba, which was a choir sponsored by the provincial government to perform at summer fairs.

Her choral career took her to venues across Canada and Europe as well as New York.

She studied music at Briarcrest Bible College and Canadian Mennonite University, where she obtained her degree.

Since then, she’s been giving back, investing volunteer hours so others can love music the way she does.

Since beginning these local performing arts groups, though, one thing has become painfully clear to her: Niverville has no facility dedicated to such an endeavour. As for school gymnasiums or the CRRC, Simcoe says the acoustics just aren’t there for a quality performance.

Ideally, she hopes town council or a special interest group might take the need seriously as the town continues to grow at a breakneck pace. She’s confident there’d be plenty of support for a performing arts facility.

Meanwhile, Simcoe, Hyde, and Friesen encourage youth to come out and explore the new youth drama club.

“We are using acting games and exercises to encourage creativity, bold movement, teamwork, and confidence,” says Friesen. “We are learning acting basics and expressive freedom while having lots and lots of fun.”