The St. Lawrence Choir is a Canadian mixed-voice choir that performs music from the classical choral repertoire as well as contemporary works by Canadian and other composers. It was founded in 1972.

History

St. Lawrence Choir was formed in 1972 by

Iwan Edwards Iwan Edwards (October 5, 1937 – March 4, 2022) was a Welsh-born Canadian choral conductor. Over a forty-year span he founded and conducted several choirs. He was appointed Member of the Order of Canada in 1995.West Island The West Island () is the unofficial name given to the cities, towns and boroughs at the western end of the Island of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada. It is generally considered to consist of the Lakeshore municipalities of Dorval, Pointe-Cla ...

of Montreal. Concerts were presented in Lachine until 1983 when the Choir relocated to

downtown Montreal Downtown Montreal ( French: ''Centre-Ville de Montréal'') is the central business district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The district is situated on the southernmost slope of Mount Royal, and occupies the western portion of the borough of Vil ...

. Between 1986 and 2009, the Choir regularly appeared with the

Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orche ...

as the amateur component of the Montreal Symphony (OSM) chorus, and made numerous recordings with the symphony. With the OSM, the Choir appeared in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Philadelphia, Saratoga Springs and at the Lanaudière International Music Festival. In 1992, the Choir was involved in two concerts to mark the 350th anniversary of the founding of Montreal. On November 1, 1998, the Choir performed with a gala philharmonic orchestra and a number of children's choirs to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the State of Israel, with proceeds going to the

Montreal Children's Hospital Montreal Children's Hospital (french: Hôpital de Montréal pour enfants) is a children's hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1904, it is affiliated with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University, Faculty of M ...

Foundation. In 1999 and 2000, St. Lawrence Choir performed with the OSM and

Charles Dutoit Charles Édouard Dutoit (born 7 October 1936) is a Swiss conductor. He is currently the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and co-director of thMISA Festival in Shanghai In 2017, he became the 103rd recipient of th ...

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

and the

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

to critical acclaim, presenting works by

Faure Faure is an Occitan family name meaning blacksmith, from Latin ''faber''. It is pronounced differently from the accented surname Fauré, as in Gabriel Fauré, French composer and organist. People Politicians * Dominique Faure (born 1959), Frenc ...

Dallapiccola Luigi Dallapiccola (February 3, 1904 – February 19, 1975) was an Italian composer known for his lyrical twelve-tone compositions. Biography Dallapiccola was born in Pisino d'Istria (at the time part of Austria-Hungary, current Pazin, Cro ...

, Szymanowski,

Orff Carl Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, best known for his cantata ''Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Schulwerk were influential for children's music education. Life Early life Carl O ...

de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first hal ...

, and

Theodorakis Theodorakis () is a Greek surname. Notable people with this surname include: * Mikis Theodorakis (1925–2021), Greek composer and politician * Maria Theodorakis Maria Theodorakis is an Australian actress who has many credits in television, mov ...

. In 2007-2008 the St. Lawrence Choir was directed by Marika Kuzma during her sabbatical from University of California, Berkeley. From 2008 to 2013 it was directed by Swiss-born conductor Michael Zaugg, now director of Pro Coro Canada in Edmonton, Alberta. In 2014, versatile and passionate choral musician, Philippe Bourque was appointed Artistic Director of the choir and has led the choir on new-concept collaborations. Philippe Bourque studied choral and orchestral conducting with

Julian Wachner use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

Robert Ingari
,

Alexis Hauser Alexis Hauser (born May 25, 1947) is an Austrian conductor and professor at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Winner of the Koussevitzky Conducting Prize of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglew ...

and Ivars Taurins, and graduated from the McGill University Schulich School of Music with distinction. He is the recipient of a Lieutenant Governor's Award at the Vincent-d'Indy School of Music and is a Fellow of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Since its inception, the St. Lawrence Choir broadcast numerous concerts across Quebec, the rest of Canada and Europe, over the French and English channels of the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and via

Euroradio The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Co ...

Notable Collaborations

Soloists and Orchestras

The St. Lawrence Choir has worked with excellent soloists and orchestras including: *Baroque ensemble Les Boréades *the McGill Chamber Orchestra *the Ensemble Amati *

Victoria de los Ángeles Victoria de los Ángeles López García (1 November 192315 January 2005) was a Catalan Spanish operatic lyric soprano and recitalist whose career began after the Second World War and reached its height in the years from the mid-1950s to the mid- ...

*John Avey, Theodore Baerg *

Colette Boky Colette Boky (born Marie-Rose Élisabeth Giroux; June 4, 1935), is a French-Canadian operatic soprano, particularly associated with lyric roles in the French, Italian, and German repertories. Life and career Born Marie-Rose Élisabeth Giroux, ...

*Benjamin Butterfield *

Ben Heppner Thomas Bernard Heppner (born January 14, 1956) is a Canadian tenor and broadcaster, now retired from singing, who specialized in opera and other classical works for voice. Early life and career Heppner, of Mennonite descent, was born in Mur ...

*Gaëtan Laperierre *Daniel Lichti *

Richard Margison Richard Charles Margison, OC (born 16 July 1953) is a Canadian operatic tenor and lives in Stouffville, Ontario, Canada. Background Margison began his career in Victoria, BC, where, he sang folk songs in the coffeehouses and clubs. He appeared ...

*Kevin McMillan *

Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears ( ; 22 June 19103 April 1986) was an English tenor. His career was closely associated with the composer Benjamin Britten, his personal and professional partner for nearly forty years. Pears' musical career started ...

*Gary Relyea *Henriette Schellenberg *

Daniel Taylor Daniel, Dan, or Danny Taylor may refer to: Sportspeople * Dan Taylor (shot putter) (born 1982), American shot putter * Dan Taylor (cricketer) (1887–1957), South African cricketer * Dan Taylor (footballer, born 1993), English footballer * Dan Tayl ...

*Nathaniel Watson.

Notable performances by conductor

The Choir has worked alongside the

to perform classic pieces under their conductors such as: *

Franz-Paul Decker Franz-Paul Decker (June 26, 1923 – May 19, 2014) was a German-born conductor. Life Decker was born in Cologne, Germany, where he studied at the Hochschule für Musik with Philip Jarnach and Eugen Papst. He made his conducting debut at the ag ...

conducting

Handel's Messiah ''Messiah'' (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 ...

conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 8, Berlioz's Requiem,

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a choral symphony, the final complete symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, composed between 1822 and 1824. It was first performed in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The symphony is regarded by many critics and music ...

Verdi's Requiem The ''Messa da Requiem'' is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass ( Requiem) for four soloists, double choir and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi admired. The first performance, at ...

, and Dvorak's Stabat Mater *

Iwan Edwards Iwan Edwards (October 5, 1937 – March 4, 2022) was a Welsh-born Canadian choral conductor. Over a forty-year span he founded and conducted several choirs. He was appointed Member of the Order of Canada in 1995.Handel's Messiah ''Messiah'' (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 ...

, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Bach's B minor Mass, Mendelssohn's Elijah *Grossman conducting

Nicholas McGegan James Nicholas McGegan OBE (born 14 January 1950 in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, England) is a British harpsichordist, flutist, conductor and early music expert. Biography McGegan received his early education at Nottingham High School. He subs ...

conducting

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the foun ...

conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 2 *

Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best known works include ''Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', ''Polish Requiem'', ''A ...

conducting Penderecki's Polish Requiem * Robert Shaw conducting Beethoven's Missa Solemnis *

Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...

conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 3

Works by Canadian Composers

The St. Lawrence Choir is proud to have presented works by Canadian composers such as: *

Victor Davies Victor Albert Davies is a Canadian composer, pianist, and conductor, best known for his opera ''Transit of Venus'' and '' The Mennonite Piano Concerto''. Biography Davies was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1939. As a child and teenager, he st ...

Ruth Watson Henderson Ruth Louise Watson Henderson (born 23 November 1932) is a Canadian composer and pianist. She was the accompanist for the Festival Singers of Canada under Dr. Elmer Iseler for many years, where she developed her ear for composing mixed-choral wor ...

Jacques Hétu Jacques Hétu (August 8, 1938 – February 9, 2010) was a Canadian composer and music educator. Biography Jacques Hétu was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec; he began his professional training at the University of Ottawa where he was a pupil ...

*Jean Laplante *

Donald Patriquin Donald Patriquin (born October 21, 1938 in Sherbrooke, Quebec) is a Canadian composer, organist, and choral conductor. Known internationally for choral and instrumental arrangements of folk music, Patriquin was a member of the Faculty of Music of Mc ...

Imant Raminsh Imant Karlis Raminsh ( Latvian: Imants Kārlis Ramiņš, born 18 September 1943) is a Canadian composer of Latvian descent, best known for his choral compositions. He resides in Coldstream, British Columbia. Early life and education Born in ...

*Bruce Ruddell *Patrick Wedd * Gilles Tremblay for the premiere of ‘Avec’ *

Alain Gagnon Alain Gagnon (22 May 1938 − 26 March 2017) was a Canadian composer and music educator based in Laval, Quebec. His compositions have been performed by ensembles throughout Canada. Early life and education Gagnon was born in Trois-Pistoles, Queb ...

for the Canadian premiere of ‘Chansons d’Orient’ in 2011 *Ivo Antognini for the world premiere of ‘Brink of Eternity’ in 2011

References

External links

"St. Lawrence Choir"
''Encyclopedia of Music in Canada''

{{authority control Musical groups established in 1972 Canadian choirs Musical groups from Montreal