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Kurt Ala-Kantti, Director
Joanne Moorcroft, Accompanist Chris
Askwith, Composer-in-Residence
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5th Season
2007-2008 "In Good Company!"
Harmonia Choir,
a choir of about 40 voices, was formed in 2003 to give singers in the
“new” City of Ottawa an opportunity to perform fun and challenging choral
music from Canada and around the world. The result is a group
of singers with a wide range of choral experience from around the city, and
around the globe, performing a broad range of repertoire with a focus on
promoting local, and Canadian composers and compositions. The choir has performed
in concert with various local musicians, including organist Wesley Warren,
pianist and composer James Wright, the Maple Leaf Brass, and the Ottawa Chamber
Orchestra. In 2005 the choir performed for the South African High
Commission, and this year has again been invited to be the choir for Ottawa's
version of "Last Night of the Proms." In addition to commissioning
and premiering new works, and arrangements, in most their concerts, the
choir has taken on various projects:
In Harmonia's second season, Nicholas Piper was invited to be the choir's
first Apprentice Director, beginning a programme to give aspiring
young choral conductors an opportunity to gain some "hands on" experience
with a choir. Nicholas was succeeded last year by Tammy Shaw.
In 2005, Christopher Askwith became the choir's first Composer-in-Residence,
and his additions to our concerts since have been a great asset, and
wonderfully received.
The choir
launched the bi-annnual Canadian Choral Composition Competition in
2006, and after much a difficult time sorting through the substantial number
of quality entries, performed the shortlisted compositions throughout the
season, announcing the winners in May 2007. While entries came from
across Canada, and around the world (Spain, Great Britain, and the US)
what makes the competition unique, is the requirement to utilize a Canadian
text. The Grand Prize winning piece of this first competition, "Margery,
Make the Tea" by Steven Murray, was published by Leslie Music in June, 2007.
Having originally
developed out of a Young Men's chorus, and the director having previously
directed the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir Men's Chorus, Harmonia launches
a programme to solve the (choral) world's problems...the Harmonia Young Men's
Chorus. Every choir, and director, bemoans the lack of men in their respective
choirs, so this is our attempt at doing something about it, at the same
time giving young men with changed voices a chance to develop their new
instrument, in a spirit of comraderie, performance excellence, and fun!
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P.O. Box 96, Cumberland, Ontario, Canada
K4C 1E5
Phone: 613-833-1812 Fax: 613-833-1994
e-mail: info @ harmoniachoir.com
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Auditions being
held this September for Harmonia, and the Young Men's Chorus! Call
or Email!
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