Grand Philharmonic Choir

An epic musical feast like no other! The Grand Philharmonic Choir performs Orff's "Carmina Burana" with 200 musicians on stage including our children and youth singers!

Sat. Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m. Centre In The Square, Kitchener. Pre-concert talk at 6:45 p.m. Box office: 519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com

Grand Philharmonic Choir The Grand Philharmonic Choir includes four choirs in one organization: a large adult choir, a chamber adult choir, a youth choir and a children’s choir.

On Oct. 26, the Grand Philharmonic Choir will perform “Mamachimowin” by composer Andrew Balfour.⁠
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This work is a moving setting of Psalm 67 in Cree, which explores the difficult relationship between Indigenous spirituality and the impact of Christian culture on First Nations people.⁠
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Andrew is of Cree descent. He founded and directs the innovative Winnipeg vocal group Dead of Winter. He also works on music education and outreach projects, particularly on northern reserves and in inner-city Winnipeg schools.⁠
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We are honoured to present his “Mamachimowin” as part of our opening concert, which also features Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Runestad’s “Into the Light.”⁠
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And you can meet Andrew at our pre-concert talk, 6:45 p.m. Sat. Oct. 26, at Centre In The Square, Kitchener.

The drinking song in Carmina Burana is one of the highlights of the performance! Our tenors and basses will be belting it out for you in 13th-century Latin. But you won't need to read the translation to understand what it's all about!

Join the Grand Philharmonic Choir and friends for this epic opening concert on Sat. Oct. 26, with 200 musicians on stage.

Tickets from Centre In The Square box office, Kitchener. 519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com

Prepare to be overwhelmed!

There will be 200 performers on stage -- orchestra, soloists and more than 150 singers from our adult, youth and children's choirs -- as we perform Carl Orff's epic work, Carmina Burana, on Sat. Oct. 26 at Centre In the Square, Kitchener.

This music is a huge hit with audiences. It's a collection of songs from the Middle Ages, celebrating springtime, love songs, time in the pub, dancing, and a powerful ode to the fickleness of Fate.

Come and experience it! Tickets are available at Centre In The Square, 519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com

We're training the next generation of choral singers!

Our children and youth choir singers receive a great music education, plus wonderful performance opportunities

Hear them for yourself at our Carmina Burana concert on Oct. 26 at Kitchener's Centre In The Square!

Take your child along too - tickets for children are only $10, anywhere in the house.

Tickets at Centre In The Square box office, 519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com

Do you have your tickets yet to our stunning 2024-25 season? Get a subscription for best prices -- and enjoy epic Carmina Burana, beloved Messiah, Bach's moving St. Matthew Passion, and much more! We offer magnificent choral performances, many with Musicians of the KWSymphony at Centre In The Square.

Check out our full season at www.grandphilchoir.com or head straight to the Centre in The Square box office: 519-578-1570 or www.centreinthesquare.com

A warm Philharmonic Choir welcome to Emily Burnett, our new conducting assistant for the children and youth choirs!

Emily is already our children's and youth choir administrative co-ordinator. Now she is taking on an additional role. Emily has a bachelor of music education degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, and is a core member of the Parish Choir at St. John the Evangelist in Elora, Ont., one of Canada's few fully professional church choirs. She has also served as section lead at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Kitchener and St. Thomas Anglican Church in Toronto.

A former member of the Ontario Youth Choir, Emily served as the co-ordinator for that choir in summer 2024. She has also worked as a vocal coach with VIVA Singers Toronto, guiding young singers in music theory and performance in personalized sessions.

With Emily's help, we look forward to a great season with our children and youth singers!

A warm Philharmonic Choir welcome for Greer Schatz, our new youth choir conductor, who will also serve as outreach co-ordinator for all our choirs!

Greer has a master's degree in choral conducting and a bachelor's degree in education with a specialty in music, both from Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland. She also has a bachelor's degree in music from Wilfrid Laurier University. She's a registered member of the Ontario College of Teachers, with a focus on intermediate and music education.

Greer has been recognized with several awards and scholarships, including the JUNO Legacy Award in 2022, and she has worked on the artistic teams of the Hamilton Children's Choir, Atlantic Girls Choir, Cantus Vocum Chamber choir, which is based in Newfoundland, and Opera on the Avalon.

Welcome, Greer, and we look forward to working with you!

Our children's and youth choir singers are on the move!

We're planning a special trip in June 2025 to the Sing A Mile High choral festival in Denver, Colorado!

It's not too late to join our choir and be part of this fantastic tour experience!

That festival follows an incredible season of music activities and performance opportunities that will enrich your child's life, whether they are on the tour or not.

More information is on our website at https://grandphilchoir.com/join-us-childrens-and-youth-choirs/

Send us an email at [email protected] if you are interested!

All choirs, one home! 🏠 The Grand Philharmonic Choir page now features updates on our Children's and Youth Choirs, as well as our adult Symphonic and Chamber Choirs. Follow us to stay informed!🎶

One family, one page! 🎵 The Grand Philharmonic Choir page is now your go-to spot for all our choir news—from the youngest voices to our Symphonic and Chamber Choirs. Stay connected with us here!✨

Meet Sean Wi******er! He joined our choir during the pandemic and vividly remembers an October performance in which we sang outdoors, in a forest west of Waterloo, while audience members walked along nearby trails.

"The autumn atmosphere made it all a bit surreal, and the opportunity to be singing together in the midst of COVID restrictions made it quite special," Sean says.

"Music and community are inseparable for me. Singing is, I believe, one of the most natural forms of music making and is most fulfilling when it is done with others."

Sean, who sings tenor, has done some choral conducting himself, and appreciates everything he learns from our weekly rehearsals with artistic director Mark Vuorinen.

Would you like to know more about joining the Grand Philharmonic Choir for our upcoming season? Email us at [email protected]

Meet Claire Cunin, who just moved to Waterloo Region recently, and has been singing for the past year with the Grand Philharmonic Choir!

Claire plays other musical instruments, but "using my own body as a musical instrument is another way to express myself," she says. "Professionally, as I often have to talk to people, it’s giving me more confidence and helping me to 'build up' my voice."

At our Monday evening rehearsals, Claire enjoys the camaraderie, the homemade rehearsal snacks, and "discovering a new part of a piece and hearing it getting better week after week!"

If you'd like to join the choir, please email us at [email protected]

Meet Josh Rampersad, who sings bass in our choir!

Josh says his most memorable concert with the choir was "Considering Matthew Shepard" in 2018.

This work tells the story of a young gay man in Wyoming who was badly beaten, tied to a fence all night and died a few days later.

"Exploring this terrible event through the thoughtful and moving composition by Craig Hella Johnson showed the power of music to grapple with difficult ideas, experiences, and stories. The choir and the audience connected at a musical level and at a human level," Josh reflects.

"It was truly a transcendent experience."

If you are interested in joining the choir for the 2024-25 season, please send us an email at [email protected]

A summer concert is a wonderful thing!

The Ontario Youth Choir is performing in Kitchener on Friday August 9, Peterborough on Saturday the 100th, and Toronto on Sunday the 11th.

"Love Unfolding in Time" is conducted by Elaine Choi, with collaborative pianist Yvonne Choi.

Details and ticket information at https://choirsontario.org/events/

We are so proud of Sophia Kagolovskaya, who is also collaborative pianist with the Grand Philharmonic Children’s Choir! Congratulations!

🎉 Congratulations to Wilfrid Laurier University music student Sofia Kagolovskaya!

Sofia has won 1st place in the University Undergraduate Level of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Association (CFMTA) Essay Competition with her essay, “Clara Schumann’s Career and Gender: The Masculine Gender Role and Werktreue Paradigm.” 🏆👏

Sofia shared, "Winning this competition is a recognition of the significance of the topics I discuss in my essay and an encouragement to continue my research in musicology. I am incredibly grateful for Dr. Kirsten Yri's guidance throughout the essay-writing process and for the unwavering support of my family and friends."

Join us in celebrating Sofia's achievement and her outstanding contribution to musicology! 🌟🎶

We’re so proud of Karina, a graduate of our Children’s Choir, who has now made a film that has won international awards. You’re going to go places!

Grade 12 Student Recognized at International Film Festivals | #StudentVoice - Waterloo Region District School Board By Kyo Lee, Grade 11 student in the WRDSB Karina is a Grade 12 student and filmmaker in the Waterloo[...]

Meet Emma Stout, an alto in our choir who says there's something very special about the human voice, and for her, singing in a group "is the purest kind of music there is."

Emma has just completed her first season with the choir, and says the biggest surprise for her happened when she was learning some of the great choral works.

"We know, sometimes from before we can remember, that Mozart and Beethoven and Bach are 'great'" she says. "But it is quite another thing to be immersed in their greatness, and to be made mindful of the intricate details of these major pieces, as if hearing them again for the first time!"

Are you interested in joining the choir? Send us an email at [email protected]

Christopher Cantlon has sung in the bass section of our choir for eight seasons.

Why does he do it? "I sing for pleasure, for the sense of group accomplishment, and for the challenge of learning," he says.

"Singing with the GPC gives my life a focus and a sense of weekly rhythm. It also keeps me learning and active."

Asked about his favourite composers, he says J.S. Bach is top of his list, but he also enjoys the challenge of exploring new and contemporary works.

Would you like to join Christopher and the others in our choir community? Send an email to [email protected] to learn more.

Hannah says her most memorable concert with the Grand Philharmonic Choir was in October 2023 with Mozart's "Requiem" and Estacio's "The Houses Stand Not Far Apart."

"The partnering of the two left me reeling," she said. "Honestly reckoning with difficult, tragic themes, both compositions gave me the opportunity to reflect on war, grief, and mortality and then move forward. It felt important to understand the darker aspects of being alive. It felt important, too, to be grateful for that life and strive to be better. The concert as a whole taught me things about being human that I have not encountered as personally or profoundly anywhere else."

Hannah looks forward to going to Monday evening rehearsals for the "incredibly good artistic direction" from conductor Mark Vuorinen, and also "the challenge of nailing beautiful music, and the camaraderie in singing together!"

Interested in joining our choir community? Send an email to [email protected]

It takes a village to raise a choir! Thank you to the many singers, board members, volunteers and friends of the choir who made our 5K event such a success on Saturday!

We had a fantastic time in beautiful Waterloo Park.

This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, with more than $20,000 raised so far.

You can still donate until May 31 to support the music we make at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/grand-philharmonic-choir/p2p/walk/

With thanks to Jean Knetsch and Angus Sheach for the photos.

Many people can run for five kilometres... but only a few would do it in long black choir robes!

Meet Jenny Hill, who sings soprano in the Grand Philharmonic Choir and is one of the participants in our 5K walk and run fundraiser next Saturday, May 11 in Waterloo Park.

If Jenny reaches her fundraising goal, she will run the course in her gown! Now, that's dedication to the cause!

Click on this link to donate on Jenny's page. And thank you for supporting choral music! (Donors of $20 or more receive a charitable tax receipt, too)

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/grand-philharmonic-choir/p2p/walk/page/jenny-hill?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1oPVsuaIn51KWtgJnrDyEIUU1Q4kRvwyRJv_msOzjnRJkW6shPCDgX8fU_aem_Ab5NBLOLWAjci-KQcsBRxjE-woRt-TdnNO-kiMcxzDzAGWlEJg8NiLZCF8hlobRjFY8lGIq425-Dvd7KBPhMGMDI

Grand Philharmonic Choir The Grand Philharmonic Choir includes four choirs in one organization: a large adult choir, a chamber adult choir, a youth choir and a children’s choir.

Thank you to all, especially our youngest audience members, for coming to our concert on Saturday. Music for a Changing Earth, shared beautiful music about the Earth and our environment, and challenged us all to reflect on how we can be part of the solution to a changing climate.