“...women were transformed into a foot-tapping, hip-swaying, finger-snapping unit, nearly lifting the roof
with the power of their voice.“

“The Vienna Boys Choir they ain’t...“
Mary Lamey - THE GAZETTE,1992

“Girls, Girls, Grrrls!!“
HOUR, 1994

“The vocal sword of empowerment and ideologues of fun.“

“Their all-too-infrequent performances are,
without exception, an EVENT.“
Jamie O’Meara - HOUR, 1996

Contact

INFORMATION: 514.845.0753

history

Maha began in 1990, when Sue Schnee (a local artist and Galerie Oboro founder), was Kathy Kennedy's (K.K.) voice student. Sue suggested to K.K. that they get all their far-out feminist singer friends together in one kick-ass choir.

For many years MAHA rehearsed at Montreal's Galerie Oboro. In January 2002, MAHA moved to Elle Corazon, a woman's programme and art space located in the Mile-End area.

Kathy Kennedy is the founding Artistic Director. She is an electro-accoustic composer and scholar, as well as painter, choreographer, singer, and teacher.

Claude-Marie Landré is the current Choir Director. She has recently finished her studies at Université de Montréal, and already has two other choirs under her baton. When MAHA met Claude-Marie it was a coup de foudre.

Photo by: Craig LAPP

profile

MAHA is a Hindi word literally meaning "Great" and "Powerful". It is a word that appears before the names of goddesses and revered people. Powerful is what we are as a group of women singing.

MAHA is a women's choir: a group of women, directed by a woman, singing music that is often chosen to reflect or comment on our experiences as women. Members are valued for the powerful presence of their character, creative energy, intelligence, breadth of experience and commitment to working together. Whether it makes MAHA a feminist group is open to discussion. Paradoxically, it is the very difference of opinion and purpose that makes the women of MAHA a vital musical and community group.

The MAHA musical repertoire covers a wide spectrum of genres, languages and eras. Expect to hear English, French, Spanish, Cree, Latin, Bulgarian, gibberish or jabberwocky. The repertoire includes early music , electro-acoustic pieces, gospel, jazz, pop, contemporary, classical, and folk.

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