Canadian Chamber Choir
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Chamber Choir (Choeur de chambre du Canada) is a Canadian
national choral ensemble
that provides a professional choral environment for Canadian singers, conductors
and composers. The CCC has a mandate to perform new and existing Canadian choral works
, apprentice choral conductors, and facilitate workshops in all sizes of Canadian communities. Under the artistic direction of Julia Davids
, the CCC continues its commitment to promote choral excellence in Canada.
. During the rehearsal period, a local school, choir, or community group will host the CCC's residency, and in turn the CCC gives workshops to local choirs in the community. The CCC then travels to a few nearby towns on a mini-tour, giving a combination of concerts and workshops throughout the province
.
Projects could not be carried out if not for the generous support of sponsors. The Canadian Chamber Choir is a registered charity
.
The original artistic director was Montreal
conductor, Iwan Edwards
. In 2004, Julia Davids
took over artistic responsibilities.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
national choral ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
that provides a professional choral environment for Canadian singers, conductors
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
and composers. The CCC has a mandate to perform new and existing Canadian choral works
Music of Canada
The music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
, apprentice choral conductors, and facilitate workshops in all sizes of Canadian communities. Under the artistic direction of Julia Davids
Julia Davids
Julia Davids née Olson is a founding member and Artistic Director of the Canadian Chamber Choir. She is the Music Director of the North Shore Choral Society.- Education :...
, the CCC continues its commitment to promote choral excellence in Canada.
Projects
The CCC puts on two or three projects each year. Each project must bridge the challenge of bringing together 17 singers, an artistic director, and an accompanist from all across Canada. Projects are usually 7-10 days in length. They are put on in different locations around Canada. Singers will have received their music in the mail and learned it prior to arrival at the project. Once everyone arrives in the host city, they spend 3-4 days in rehearsalRehearsal
For other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...
. During the rehearsal period, a local school, choir, or community group will host the CCC's residency, and in turn the CCC gives workshops to local choirs in the community. The CCC then travels to a few nearby towns on a mini-tour, giving a combination of concerts and workshops throughout the province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
.
Projects could not be carried out if not for the generous support of sponsors. The Canadian Chamber Choir is a registered charity
Not-for-profit arts organization
A not-for-profit arts organization is usually in the form of a not-for-profit corporation, association, or foundation. Such organizations are formed for the purpose of developing and promoting the work of artists in various visual and performing art forms such as film, sculpture, dance, painting,...
.
History
The CCC was formed in July 1999 by a group of Canadian musicians. The purpose of the choir was to provide professional choral opportunities to young musicians that lived in areas of Canada that were unable to support professional choirs. Their mandate was to organize and perform short intensive 'projects' two or three times each year.The original artistic director was Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
conductor, Iwan Edwards
Iwan Edwards
Iwan Edwards, CM , is a celebrated Canadian choral conductor. Over a forty year span he has founded and conducted several notable choirs and thrilled audiences...
. In 2004, Julia Davids
Julia Davids
Julia Davids née Olson is a founding member and Artistic Director of the Canadian Chamber Choir. She is the Music Director of the North Shore Choral Society.- Education :...
took over artistic responsibilities.
2010
- May 18: The choir released their first studio CD, In Good CompanyIn Good Company (Canadian Chamber Choir Album)-External links:*...
. It is an all-Canadian CD featuring special guests, mezzo-soprano Christianne Rushton of Nova Scotia and talented cellist, Se Hee Kim. The recording has pieces by Canadian composers including Allan RaeAllan Rae (composer)Allan Rae is a Canadian composer, conductor, and trumpeter based in Calgary. An associate and former board member of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers, he is particularly known for his works for the theatre which include several musicals and operas as well...
, Jocelyn MorlockJocelyn MorlockJocelyn Morlock is a Canadian composer based in Vancouver. She is quickly becoming one of the most commissioned and recorded new composers in Canada.-Style:...
, Lionel DaunaisLionel DaunaisNoël Ferdinand Lionel Daunais, was a French Canadian baritone and composer.Born in Montreal, Quebec, Daunais studied singing with Céline Marier and harmony and composition with Oscar O'Brien. In 1923 he won first prize at the Montreal Musical Festival...
, and Jeffrey RyanJeffrey RyanJeffrey Ryan is a Canadian composer. His compositional style ranges from opera, art song, and choral music to chamber ensemble and orchestral works. Ryan has been commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra, the Windsor Symphony, Esprit Orchestra, Tapestry New Opera Works, the Arditti Quartet, and...
. Additionally it contains the commissioned piece At Sunset by Jeff Enns of Elmira, OntarioElmira, OntarioThe town of Elmira in Ontario, Canada is the largest community within the Township of Woolwich in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is located 15 km to the north of the city of Waterloo.-History:...
.
- May 20 - 23: The choir performed a sold out concert at Podium 2010 hosted by the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) and the Saskatchewan Choral Federation (SCF).
2009
- August: While in residence at Mennonite Collegiate InstituteMennonite Collegiate InstituteMennonite Collegiate Institute is a private high school located in Gretna, Manitoba. It has approximately 155 students from grade 9 to 12, teaching the curriculum requirements of Manitoba Education within an Christian/Anabaptist setting. Its main purpose is to serve Mennonite students but...
in Gretna, ManitobaGretna, ManitobaGretna is a town in south-central Manitoba, Canada. It is located just north of the Canada - United States border on PTH 30. As of 2006, the population of Gretna was 574. It is bordered on the west, north, and east by the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. On the south it is bordered by Pembina...
the choir recorded their first studio CD, In Good CompanyIn Good Company (Canadian Chamber Choir Album)-External links:*...
.
2007
- March 3 - 10: AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
(residency at Rosebud School of Arts, RosebudRosebud, AlbertaRosebud, Alberta is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Wheatland County. It is located on Highway 840, approximately northeast of Calgary and southwest of Drumheller...
). Guest Conductor Kathleen Skinner from EdmontonEdmontonEdmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. Joint concert with Kokopelli & Oran in Edmonton. Joint concert with Ambassador ChoirPrairie Bible CollegePrairie Bible Institute is a Bible college near Three Hills, Alberta. PBI opened on October 9, 1922 on the property of the McElheran family farm....
, C(h)oeur des femmes, and Red Deer CollegeRed Deer CollegeRed Deer College is a public comprehensive community college of approximately 7,000 students located in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1964, RDC was built for a smaller semi-rural community but, in the four and a half decades since its founding, the city has grown into the third largest...
Chamber Choir in Three HillsThree Hills, AlbertaThree Hills is a town located in the southern part of the province of Alberta, Canada. It is so named because of the three highly visible hills that are situated to its north.-History:...
, Joint concert with Rosa CantorumRosebud School of the ArtsRosebud School of the Arts is a post-secondary guild school that provides theatre training within a community of professional artists.Located in the little hamlet of Rosebud, Alberta, Canada, one hour north east of Calgary, Rosebud School of the Arts trains students for the professional theatre in...
in Rosebud, Joint concert with Spiritus Chamber Choir in Calgary. Workshops with six local schools in the province.
- October 13 - 20: OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Conducting Fellow Sonja van de Hoef. Concerts in HamiltonHamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, LondonLondon, OntarioLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, and ElmiraElmira, OntarioThe town of Elmira in Ontario, Canada is the largest community within the Township of Woolwich in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and is located 15 km to the north of the city of Waterloo.-History:...
. Workshops with Appleby CollegeAppleby CollegeAppleby College is an international independent school located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1911 by John Guest, a former Headmaster of the Preparatory School at Upper Canada College...
, Oakville Children's Choir, University of Western OntarioUniversity of Western OntarioThe University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
conducting students, Royal Canadian College of OrganistsRoyal Canadian College of OrganistsThe Royal Canadian College of Organists , founded in 1909,is a national association of organists and church musicians in Canada, with 32 centres from Victoria, British Columbia to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.The National Office is in Toronto....
and a few local schools.
2006
- February 12 - 18: OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
(residency at Appleby CollegeAppleby CollegeAppleby College is an international independent school located in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1911 by John Guest, a former Headmaster of the Preparatory School at Upper Canada College...
, OakvilleOakville, OntarioOakville is a town in Halton Region, on Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. As of the 2006 census the population was 165,613.-History:In 1793, Dundas Street was surveyed for a military road...
). Guest performance with the Guelph Chamber Choir. Three Choral Collaboration workshops in Oakville, Toronto, LondonLondon, OntarioLondon is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
. Two fundraising events in Toronto & London, titled "The CCC Unchambered" - October 13 - 20: ManitobaManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
(residency at Brandon UniversityBrandon UniversityBrandon University is a Canadian university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, with an enrolment of 3383 full-time and part-time students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon College as a Baptist institution. It was chartered as a university by then President Dr....
, BrandonBrandon, ManitobaBrandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
, Manitoba. Performances in GretnaGretna, ManitobaGretna is a town in south-central Manitoba, Canada. It is located just north of the Canada - United States border on PTH 30. As of 2006, the population of Gretna was 574. It is bordered on the west, north, and east by the Rural Municipality of Rhineland. On the south it is bordered by Pembina...
, Brandon, SteinbachSteinbach, ManitobaSteinbach is a city of approx. 13,500 people in the southeast corner of the province of Manitoba, Canada, a short distance from the capital Winnipeg. Steinbach is the largest community in the Eastman region of Manitoba. The city is located in the R.M. of Hanover and bordered to the east by the R.M...
and WinnipegWinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
(joint performance with Prairie Voices). Four Collaboration Workshops at Mennonite Collegiate InstituteMennonite Collegiate InstituteMennonite Collegiate Institute is a private high school located in Gretna, Manitoba. It has approximately 155 students from grade 9 to 12, teaching the curriculum requirements of Manitoba Education within an Christian/Anabaptist setting. Its main purpose is to serve Mennonite students but...
(Gretna), Brandon UniversityBrandon UniversityBrandon University is a Canadian university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, with an enrolment of 3383 full-time and part-time students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon College as a Baptist institution. It was chartered as a university by then President Dr....
, Brandon High School and Steinbach Regional Secondary School
2005
- February 16-22: Ontario (residency at Appleby College, Oakville). Debut of new Artistic Director, Julia Davids. Launch of new education initiatives with Choral Collaboration workshop at Appleby. Benefit concert in Toronto supporting The Stephen Lewis Foundation.
- September 18 - 24: SaskatchewanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
(residency at North Battleford Comprehensive High School). Concerts in North BattlefordNorth Battleford, SaskatchewanIn the late 2000s a large number of Ruthenians have emigrated to Canada, concentrating in North Battleford.-History:Prior to European settlement, the Battlefords area was home to several aboriginal groups...
, ReginaRegina, SaskatchewanRegina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, RosthernRosthern, SaskatchewanRosthern is a town at the juncture of Highway 11 and Highway 312 in the central area of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located roughly halfway between the cities of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.-History:...
and Saskatoon. Four workshops in North Battleford, Regina and Rosthern
2003
- January 19-26: Manitoba (residency at Brandon UniversityBrandon UniversityBrandon University is a Canadian university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, with an enrolment of 3383 full-time and part-time students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, as Brandon College as a Baptist institution. It was chartered as a university by then President Dr....
). Performance at the Winnipeg Symphony OrchestraWinnipeg Symphony OrchestraThe Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is a Canadian orchestra based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its primary concert venue is the Centennial Concert Hall, and the orchestra also performs throughout the province of Manitoba.-History:...
Centara New Music Festival. First apprentice conductor position held by Rachel Grantham of Whitehorse, YukonWhitehorse, YukonWhitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
. Workshops at Brandon University School of Music.
- March 22-29: QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(residency at McGill UniversityMcGill UniversityMohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
). Commissioned Love Songs, by Stewart Grant. Full-length concert recorded by CBC Radio Two for Québec in Concert
- May 14-21: Nova ScotiaNova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. Guest artists at International Choral Festival Suas e!, Cape BretonCape Breton IslandCape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
. Mentors of the festival’s mixed-voice youth choir.
2002
- April 20-27: British ColumbiaBritish ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
(residency at Ryerson United Church, VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
). First workshops with secondary school and community children’s choirs.
- August 1-14: Nova Scotia / New BrunswickNew BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
(residency at Berwick United Church, NS). Artists in residence at the Nova Scotia Choral Federation’s Adult Summer Camp Concert in Musique Saint-Bernard performance series
2001
- January 25-29: Manitoba (residency at Brandon University])
- August 17-25: Ontario (residency at Appleby College, Oakville)