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Burnaby Newcomers' Choir builds community

Kevin Takahide Lee is a man on a mission. He's working hard to build bridges between cultures - and between generations - and he's using music to do it. Lee directs the Newcomers' Choir, now in its second year in Burnaby.
Newcomers' Choir, Kevin Takahide Lee
Kevin Lee leads the Newcomers' Choir, which will perform at Burnaby Village Museum on Dec. 14.

Kevin Takahide Lee is a man on a mission.

He's working hard to build bridges between cultures - and between generations - and he's using music to do it.

Lee directs the Newcomers' Choir, now in its second year in Burnaby.

The choir is aimed particularly at those who want to improve their English language skills, but it's open to teens and adults of all ages and backgrounds.

Lee - a professional singer with a bachelor's degree in opera performance and a master's in voice performance - has built up the choir to 25 members strong, and they're now taking their skills out in public.

The choir is offering up a public performance at Burnaby Village Museum as part of the museum's Heritage Christmas celebrations. They'll be singing in the church on Sunday, Dec. 14 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The choir meets weekly at Edmonds Community Centre, and it's free to join.

For more on the choir, check out Lee's website, www.miusc.ca (that's M-I-U-S-C, or "music with a twist," as Lee says).