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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260904T190000
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SUMMARY:Speakeasy Choir: Come On Eileen at the UNITED
DESCRIPTION:Speakeasy Choir: Come On Eileen at the UNITED is a one-night pop-up choir on Friday\, September 4\, where the audience doesn’t come to hear the singers. They become the singers. \nThe 18-and-over event begins at 7 p.m. in the UNITED’s Gallery Events Space in downtown Westerly. Over the course of approximately 90 minutes\, participants will learn the harmonies to Dexys Midnight Runners’ 1982 hit “Come On Eileen.” Then the newly assembled choir performs the song with the five-piece UNITED House Band. \nNo long-term commitment to a chorus is required. It’s one song\, one night and one temporary choir. \nKaraoke With Harmonies\nThe UNITED describes Speakeasy Choir as something like karaoke taken to another level. \nInstead of individuals taking turns singing along with a backing track\, everyone attending becomes part of the same singing ensemble. \nParticipants learn the song together\, including its harmonies\, before putting everything together for a final performance. \nThat makes the evening part social gathering\, part music workshop and part concert. \nIt also removes one of the bigger barriers to joining a traditional choir. Nobody is signing up for months of rehearsals or preparing for a formal concert season. \nThe entire process happens in a single evening. \nThis Month’s Song Is “Come On Eileen”\nSeptember’s selection should give the room plenty to work with. \nDexys Midnight Runners released “Come On Eileen” in 1982 on the album Too-Rye-Ay. The song became an international hit and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. \nIts sound was unusual even by early-’80s pop standards\, mixing pop and soul with prominent fiddle and Celtic influences while repeatedly shifting its tempo and intensity. \nMore than four decades later\, its chorus remains instantly recognizable. \nAt Speakeasy Choir\, however\, knowing the song from the radio isn’t the same thing as knowing your part. \nThat’s where the first portion of the evening comes in. \nLearn It\, Then Perform It\nThe Speakeasy Choir format gives the group about 90 minutes to turn a room full of individual voices into an ensemble. \nParticipants work through the song and its harmonies together before the evening culminates in a live performance. \nFor that final run-through\, they aren’t singing to a karaoke track. \nThe five-piece UNITED House Band provides live accompaniment. \nThe band is made up of instructors from the UNITED Music School along with other musicians from southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island. \nThat final performance is the payoff: the temporary choir formed earlier that evening gets to perform the song with a full live band. \nA Collaboration With the Chorus of Westerly\nSpeakeasy Choir is presented jointly by the UNITED Theatre and the Chorus of Westerly. \nThe Chorus has been part of Westerly’s cultural landscape since 1959\, when George Kent founded the organization. \nIts traditional work is considerably different from spending a Friday evening singing Dexys Midnight Runners. The Chorus of Westerly is known for large-scale choral performances and has brought together both child and adult singers throughout its history. \nSpeakeasy Choir takes that choral idea and removes much of the formality surrounding it. \nThere’s still an ensemble. \nThere are still harmonies to learn. \nThere’s still a performance at the end. \nIt just happens in a much more casual setting\, with a pop song and a house band. \nA Choir That Exists for One Night\nThat’s really the appeal of the concept. \nMost choirs are built around continuity. Singers rehearse together\, learn a repertoire and prepare for performances weeks or months away. \nSpeakeasy Choir is deliberately temporary. \nThe group that walks into the UNITED on September 4 doesn’t exist yet. \nDuring the evening\, the participants become a choir\, learn their parts\, rehearse together and perform. \nThen it’s over. \nThe Chorus of Westerly and UNITED have used the format with other popular songs in previous editions\, making the song itself the changing centerpiece while keeping the one-night collaborative format intact. \nThis time\, everyone gets to be part of Dexys Midnight Runners. \nEvent Details\nEvent: Speakeasy Choir: Come On Eileen\nDate: Friday\, September 4\, 2026\nTime: 7 p.m.\nVenue: UNITED Theatre\nLocation: Gallery Events Space\nAddress: 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI 02891\nPresented By: The UNITED Theatre and Chorus of Westerly\nSong: “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners\nFormat: One-night collaborative choir\nSession Length: Approximately 90 minutes\nFinal Performance: Participants perform with the five-piece UNITED House Band\nAge: 18+\nTickets: $15 \nMore information is available at the Event Website link below. \nTo purchase tickets\, click the Event Ticketing link below. \n  \nFeatured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people\, location\, or activities shown.
URL:https://thectbeacon.com/event/speakeasy-choir-come-on-eileen-at-the-united/
LOCATION:United Theatre\, 5 Canal Street\, Westerly\, RI\, 02891\, United States
CATEGORIES:United Theater
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://thectbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Speakeasy-Choir-Come-On-Eileen-at-the-UNITED-Theatre.jpg
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