Songwriter James Sloan, who continues to hone and expand his songwriting prowess, won’t be alone when he finishes up his feature set at the Monday open stage at Dora Keogh tonight, December 16.

Having accompanists back the 10-10:30 showcase act at the 9:30-1 weekly event hosted by Julian Taylor is not really anything new. But Sloan will add a unique twist to that concept as he’s joined for the last couple of songs of the set by the Dora Keogh Choir, a gaggle of singers and musicians who’ve been refining their choral skills over the past few months prior to the open stage in the club at 141 Danforth Ave. a little east of Broadview Ave.

Not only will the choir enhance Sloan’s performance (a little bird suggests he may have penned some original material of a seasonal nature, though it’s also quite possible the ensemble will choose to combine on songs more familiar to the audience) it’ll also be a preview of next week’s big Christmas event.

For that, the choir, which includes Taylor and several of the regular performers from the Monday event (Kelly Bella, Tyler Burgess, Lawrie Ingles and several others) will be the featured act at the Dec. 23 open stage. More on that as we get closer to the big day!