Portraits in Hope

BY CRAIG SEGAL

PEOPLE are not content to simply drop change when they see the Acceuil Bonneau homeless men's choir performing in Montreal's underground subway stations. No, they stop and watch. And, before they know it, they are talking with choir members, warm smiles spreading across their faces. The choir members seem to put fun before profits. They dance and clap their hands as they sing, and they take sudden and unexpected strolls into their curious audiences, high-fiving school children and joking with passersby. Subway takers wear a uniform expression as the choir comes into view that seems to say: "You guys have just turned my nine-to-five workday on its head."

Born four years ago, the Montreal Homeless Choir arrived at a difficult time in Canada's homeless history. In the 1960s there were 50,000 full psychiatric beds in Canadian hospitals. But with the introduction of new antipsychotic drugs, many of these patients were released. Only 20 percent of those psychiatric beds are now full, despite the fact that 20-25 percent of the homeless are mentally ill. The mentally ill remain homeless longer and have less contact with family and friends. They also have more serious difficulty getting employment and are in poorer health. Being mentally ill on the street often leads to substance abuse problems and, subsequently, problems with the law.

Pierre Anthian, the choir's founder, says he came up with the idea while he was serving soup in a Paris homeless shelter. "I felt tired of it morally," he says. "I felt like I was serving animals on a farm. "I wanted to find a way -- one single way -- to work with them instead of for them. I wanted to help them regain their dignity. I thought, I know music. Everyone loves to sing!" After moving to Canada, Anthian found that Quebec had a richer musical terrain than France. "Quebecers sing more than the French. Everyone here sings: families, people at parties, people on the road. I think the idea worked better here than it would have in Paris."

Like all the choir members, Anthian has a favourite moment. "One time in the subway a woman came up to me and grabbed my hand while I was singing. She held it for such a long time that I figured she wanted to talk with me. She said, 'I came to the subway to kill myself. But all these men who come here with all their misery to sing hand in hand -- they saved me from killing myself.'"

"Our songs are positive," Anthian says. "They're encouraging."

Alberto Pujola was born in Catalonia, Spain. The 65-year-old is a founding member of the choir. "The choir is very interesting," he says through a thick accent. "It makes me feel good. I like to sing." Pujola says he has made some of his best friends in the choir, which he considers a second family. "It's taught me that people who live on the street can do something in life. The choir is the proof." Aside from his singing, Pujola says he also paints and sculpts.

Ben Fecteau, the seventh of 12 children, was the first man to join the choir in June 1996. A youthful 69-year-old, Fecteau is full of warmth and laughter. He says he loves the choir so much that he misses it terribly after just two days. "Right now is one of the happiest times of my life," says Fecteau, after a recent performance. "It's a way of life." As great as the choir experience has been for him, Fecteau is quick to point out his favourite experience. "The best day was when we sang in front of the Opera de Paris," he says, with stars in his eyes."

Jean-Louis Guay joined the choir on February 25, 1977. He says he is thankful to Pierre Anthian, the choir's founder, for having the idea to start the choir. "It was a brilliant idea to have people who had suffered great misery sing," he says through his white moustache. "My favourite moment was definitely travelling to Paris and seeing the Champs Elysées. I had never been to Paris before."

Asked what he thinks of the choir, Guay is quick to respond. "I think we give people a lot," he says. "But we also get a lot in return."

Guay then adds, "I am in the choir for spiritual reasons more than anything else. I practice no religion, but I think spirituality connects all men. With my songs I get to share my spirituality."

In 2001 the Montreal Homeless Choir will be visiting the following cities: Kingston, Calgary, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Watch for details in your local newspaper.

To share in the musical experience, listen to the selections offered below, courtesy of the Montreal Homeless Choir.

Click here for five free complete songs.

To make a donation to the Montreal Homeless Choir or to purchase a CD, you can contact them at 514-845-5666, or by mail at:

Acceuil Bonneau
427 de la Commune St. E.
Montreal, Que
H2Y 1J4.