The Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir is a choir from

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

that sings primarily traditional and contemporary

Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

. The choir's repertoire also includes a mix of music ranging from

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...

Bach chorales Johann Sebastian Bach's chorale harmonisations, alternatively named four-part chorales, are Lutheran hymn settings that characteristically conform to the following: * four-part harmony * SATB vocal forces * pre-existing hymn tune allotted to the ...

, traditional

Zulu music The Zulu people are a South African ethnic group. Many Zulu musicians have become a major part of South African music, creating a huge influence in the music industry. A number of Zulu-folk derived styles have become well known across South Africa ...

and a modern

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

: the oratorio.

History

The choir was founded and directed by

Trevor W. Payne Trevor Winston Payne, (born 21 December 1948) is a Canadians, Canadian musician and member of the Order of Canada (1996). He is the founder of the Montreal Black Comunity Youth Choir, as well as the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir. Early lif ...

in 1982 and gave its first performance at the St. James United Church in Montreal. The choir was founded to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Montreal's oldest black community church,

Union United Church The Union United Church of Montreal is Montreal, Quebec, Canada's oldest black congregation. It was founded in 1907 by several members of Montreal's black community who experienced racial conflict and were banned from entering all-white churches. ...

up the street from the Atwater Market on the corner of Delisle and Atwater, which borders the St. Henri and

Little Burgundy Little Burgundy (french: La Petite-Bourgogne) is a neighbourhood in the South West borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint-Antoine to the north, Guy Street ...

neighborhoods. The two other founding members were the Reverend Frank Gabourel, minister of the Union United Church, and

Daisy Peterson Sweeney Daisy Elitha Peterson Sweeney (May 7, 1920 – August 11, 2017) was a Canadian classical music and piano teacher, known for having taught many of the most notable figures in Canadian jazz music. Sweeney was born Daisy Peterson in Montreal in 1920 ...

, the sister of

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

, who taught both her brother

and Oliver Jones to play the piano. The first members primarily came from The Montreal Black Community Youth Choir, which existed between 1974-1981 and was also directed by Payne. In 1983 the choir signed with Justin Time Records, and in 1986 released a recording in with guest singer

Salome Bey Salome Bey (October 10, 1933 – August 8, 2020)While ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' gives her year of birth as 1939, other sources say she was born in 1933 or 1944. was an American-born Canadian singer-songwriter, composer, and actress who liv ...

. In 1993 the MJGC performed on the Klaus König oratorio ''Song of Songs''. In 1995 their album ''Jubilation V: Joy to the World'' won a Juno. They won the outstanding recording artist in 1987 by The Association of Gospel Music Ministries, and in 1989 they were named the best choral ensemble, and also won for best gospel album. In the years 1993 to 1995 they were named vocal group of the year by the Canadian magazine ''Jazz Report''. The choir released a 25-year retrospective album in 2007, ''Jubilation XI - Looking Back, Vol. 2''. The Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir has performed at gospel celebrations in

and across Canada, the United States, and Europe. They have performed with such entertainers as

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

New Kids on the Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoy ...

, Oliver Jones, Martine St-Clair, and

. They have performed at many festivals, including the

Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ( en, Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz fest ...

, the

Stratford Festival of Canada The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

, and Toronto's Harbourfront and International choral festival. They have recorded a total of eleven CDs, some of which have won

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

s. In 2017 Payne retired as director of the choir.Bernard Perusse
"Jazz fest: Farewell to Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir's first golden era"
''Montreal Gazette'', July 3, 2017

Discography

Montreal Black Community Youth Choir

* ''The Montreal Black Community Youth Choir'' (RCI 424) * ''Goin' Up Yonder'' (Presqu'ile PE 13501) ----

Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir

* ''Highway to Heaven'' ( Justin Time JUST 10-2, 1986) * ''Jubilation II'' (Justin Time JUST 21-2, 1988) * ''Jubilation III - Glory Train'' (Justin Time JUST 35, 1990) * ''Jubilation IV - A Capella'' (Justin Time JUST 46-2, 1992) * ''Song of Songs'' (

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...

ENJ-7057 2 1993) * ''Jubilation V - Joy to the World'' (Justin Time JUST 54-2, 1994) * ''Jubilation VI - Looking Back'' (Justin Time JUST 66/67-2, 1995) * ''Jubilation VII - Hamba Ekhaya - Goin' Home'' (Justin Time JUST 96-2, 1997) * ''Jubilation VIII - A Capella Plus'' (Justin Time JUST 167-2, 2001) * ''Jubilation IX - Goin' Up Yonder'' (Justin Time JUST-183-2, 2002) * ''Jubilation X - I'll Take You There'' (Justin Time JUST-215-2, 2005) * ''Jubilation XI - Looking Back, Vol. 2'' (Justin Time JTP 7502-2, 2008)

Awards

;Association of Gospel Music Ministries' Golden Note Award * 1987 Outstanding Recording Artist ;

s * 1990 nominee, Best Roots and Traditional Album: ''Jubilation II'' * 1991 nominee, Best Roots and Traditional Album: ''Jubilation III - Glory Train'' *

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

Best Blues/Gospel Album: ''Jubilation V - Joy To The World'' * 2003 nominee, Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album Of The Year: ''Jubilation VIII - A Capella Plus''

References

External links

Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir official site

MJGC Myspace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir Black Canadian musical groups Musical groups established in 1982 Canadian choirs Musical groups from Montreal Juno Award for Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year winners 1982 establishments in Quebec Black Canadian culture in Quebec Canadian gospel music groups Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year winners Justin Time Records artists Black Canadian organizations