YULE DUEL 2018 GUIDE FOR CHOIRS

Join in the Fun! Take part in an exciting musical experience on the sidewalks of Gastown as thousands of people and their families come to hear your choir perform classic carols and unique holiday songs. Impress our celebrity judges, and you ll have the chance to go head-tohead against other choirs in a series of sing-offs and compete for one of five Yule Duel trophies. Win, and your choir will join local greats like Sound Eclectic, 8Wings, Sweet Scarlet, Saint James Music Academy, and the Impromptu Rock Choir as award winners. Carolling for a Cause By participating in Yule Duel, your choir will be helping to raise awareness and support for May s Place, a hospice in Vancouver s Downtown Eastside that provides compassionate end-of-life care. Your voices have the potential to inspire thousands of others to help our community s most vulnerable experience the same sense of warmth, togetherness, and joy that we will on December 6th listening to you perform. We hope you ll share your voices with ours and Carol for a Cause! 2

About May s Place An end-of-life refuge for the most vulnerable 333 Powell Street, Vancouver BC For 28 years May s Place has offered care and compassion to vulnerable and marginalized people in the Downtown Eastside, giving them a chance to enjoy comfort and dignity in their last days. May s Place delivers end-of-life care to over 50 people each year, ensuring that their last days are filled with dignity, warmth, and kindness. Often times our patients lives have been touched by extreme poverty, homelessness, abuse, mental health issues, and addictions. At May s Place, they are welcomed warmly, respected, and surrounded by friends, family, and caregivers. For some residents, it s the first time they ve had a warm bed to sleep in or a room to themselves. This six-bed facility provides a peaceful environment filled with natural light and home comforts. Staff are trained to provide care to people with complex issues, offering a range of supports that are particular to their needs, including family reunification, reconnection with faith or culture and options for long-term care when needed. May s Place is the only hospice in Vancouver s Downtown Eastside and is operated by The Bloom Group, a registered charity which has served the community for over 50 years. May s Place allowed our son to go to a better place with dignity. Everyone was so caring and loving. Ken s life was so hard for him. You saw it that he was cared for and respected regardless of who he was. We, as a family, thank you. - Dale and Shirley, parents of Ken, who passed away at May s Place hospice CHOIR GUIDE 3

YULE DUEL FACTS Every donation of $20 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt. The Bloom Group is a registered charity, and has served the community for over 50 years. What to expect at Yule Duel 2018 At May s Place, we re 110% focused on providing the best possible experience and care to those in our community and our ethos applies to Yule Duel as well. We want all of our choirs to have a fantastic time fundraising and participating at the event and that s why you can expect: A great singing experience - All choirs will have their own tent to protect them from the weather and ensure their voices are heard perfectly by judges and attendees. We ll keep you warm and serve as much tea and hot chocolate as you can drink! A chance to inspire - You can make the holidays brighter for many in our community by inspiring others to support your choir and give to May s Place hospice. A supportive community - Whether you re a professional choir or a group of friends, thousands will be there to hear you sing and will cheer for you on stage. Personalized support - You will be assigned your own dedicated volunteer who will guide you on the night of the event and answer all of your questions leading up to it. Lots of fundraising help - Want to win the Top Fundraising Choir prize, or just raise money for a great cause? We can help setup a fundraiser for your choir and provide access to prizes that will help you reach that goal! May s Place was the first freestanding hospice in Western Canada and is the only hospice in Vancouver s Downtown Eastside. May s Place is known for its pioneering, low-barrier approach to end-of-life care. Because of the challenges faced by many May s Place patients, many arrive estranged from family. Some are able to reunite with family before passing away. Staff have even helped coordinate weddings for patients. May s Place provides compassionate care to approximately 50 people and their families, each year. Last year The Bloom Group provided emergency and permanent housing, financial management, and compassionate end-of-life care to over 2,000 people. 4

EVENING FESTIVITIES 6:30PM Yule Duel Kick Off The event begins and all the choirs will start singing and performing 6:30-7:15PM Street Caroling and Voting People walk along Gastown streets and enjoy the performances of all the choirs 7:15PM Parade of Choirs The Carnival Band and Choir Advisors will lead the choirs and the crowd to the main stage The tallying of the results begins! 7:30PM Main Stage Program Begins Introduction of judges and a performance by featured guests 8:00PM The Duels! Presentation of the Top Fundraising Choir Award, plus duels in the Most Creative Performance, Best Vocal Performance, Best Youth Choir, and People s Choice categories 8:30PM Yule Duel 2018 Wraps Happy Holidays and see you next year! CHOIR GUIDE 5

Frequently Asked Questions WHEN AND WHERE IS YULE DUEL 2018? Yule Duel takes place Thursday, December 6, 2018 from 6:30-9:00 pm on Water Street in Gastown. HOW DO I REGISTER? Visit www.yuleduel.com/sing to register online or contact us at info@yuleduel.com to have us assist you personally. WHAT IF IT RAINS? This is a rain or shine event. Choirs will be performing outside under tents. Dress warm and bring an umbrella. HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE TO FUNDRAISE? We encourage choirs to raise over $1,000 or more but there is no minimum to participate. The top Fundraising Choir will perform their best 60 second excerpt on the Main Stage. WE AREN T PROFESSIONAL SINGERS. DOES THAT MATTER? Not at all. Singers of all abilities are welcome. That said we encourage Choirs to prepare and ensure they can entertain the crowds with a polished performance, whatever level they are at. HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BE IN MY CHOIR? Your choir should have a minimum of 6 members and a maximum of 25. CAN WE PLAY INSTRUMENTS? Only acoustic instruments are allowed. Please notify us if you require chairs. HOW LONG WILL WE BE SINGING? Street caroling, in your choir s tent: 45 minutes. You may repeat a short set of songs several times or create an entire set that fills the time provided. On stage, if you qualify: 45-60 seconds. If your choir is a finalist in one of our award categories, you will be invited to duel on our main stage. Pick an excerpt from your best song and be prepared to duel! 6

WHAT SHOULD WE SING? Sing any songs you think are festive and fun. You do not have to sing traditional Christmas carols (although if that s what you re into, go for it). Songs should be appropriate for a family audience. Creative interpretations or renditions you think will help you stand out from the crowd, are strongly encouraged. SHOULD WE DRESS UP? Choirs aren t required to dress up, but creative and coordinated costumes are welcomed and appreciated. WHAT ARE THE AWARD CATEGORIES? Top Fundraising Choir: The choir that raises the most money. The Top Fundraising Choir will perform their best 60 seconds excerpt on the main stage. People s Choice Award: Determined by audience voting. During the street caroling competition spectators can purchase a ballot and Yule Duel button for $5 each. Spectators can purchase as many ballots as they like and cast them for their favorite choir at the Voting Booth. The choirs that receive the most and second-most ballots will duel on the main stage. The winner will be chosen by audience applause. Best Vocal Performance: Determined by judging panel. During the street caroling competition, our judges will circulate amongst choirs to determine the finalists. The two finalist choirs will duel each other on the main stage. The winner will be chosen by the judges. Most Creative Performance: Determined by judging panel. During the street caroling competition our judges will circulate amongst choirs to determine the finalists. The two finalist choirs will duel each other on the main stage. The winner will be chosen by the judges. Every choir should be prepared with a 60-second excerpt to sing if they are called to duel. You may repeat the same song if you are a finalist in more than one category. DON T SEE YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED? CONTACT US AT INFO@YULEDUEL.COM CHOIR GUIDE 7

Preliminary Events Details About the Organizers THE BLOOM GROUP May s Place is operated by The Bloom Group Community Services Society. The Bloom Group has provided some of the most progressive social services in Vancouver s Downtown Eastside for over 50 years. A registered charity, The Bloom Group operates hospices, emergency shelters for women and women-led families, supportive mental health facilities, and a trustworthy financial management program for vulnerable seniors. GASTOWN BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY The Gastown Business Improvement Society, a not-for-profit association, promotes the shared interests of commercial property owners and businesses located within the neighborhood boundaries, supporting the area s growth and development, while making a positive impact on the community. 8 8

For over 25 years, May s Place has provided end-of-life care to vulnerable people in the Downtown Eastside. 1 GIFT $25.00 $250.00 My gift is in support of: PAYMENT OPTION (name of choir) I ve enclosed a cheque made payable to The Bloom Group. (The Bloom Group is the non-profit operator of May s Place). Please charge my credit card: $50.00 $100.00 $500.00 $ Charitable tax receipts will be sent to the address or email address provided, for donations of $20 or more. The Bloom Group Community Services Society is a charitable, non-profit organization, and the operator of May s Place hospice. Our charitable tax number is BN108021544RR0001. 2 Visa Mastercard American Express Many of our terminally-ill residents have grappled with poverty and homelessness their entire lives. Thank you for giving them peace, dignity, warmth and kindness when they need it most. Choir Members The Bloom Group can add offline donations to the fundraising total on your choir s fundraising page. Send your offline donations to 391 Powell Street, Vancouver V6A 1G5. Card Holder Name: Card Holder Number: 3 YOUR INFORMATION CSV: Expiry: / number back of card MM Signature: YY Offline donations will be added to your choir s page as they are received and processed. We will notify you when offline donations have been received and added to your total. Name: City: Phone Number: Street Address: Province: Email: Postal Code: Yes! Please send me periodic email updates about the impact of my gift and about future Yule Duel events (email required). The Bloom Group acknowledges all of our donours in our Annual Report. Please check this box if you wish to remain anonymous. SAVE THE DATE: YULE DUEL IS DECEMBER 6 th, 2018 WATER ST, GASTOWN