biographical info
EMSB CHORALE • Chorale de la CSEM
The EMSB Chorale was founded in 1980 by Georgie Crawford as the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal Chorale, continuing its success story under the EMSB banner in 1998 with the restructuring of the province’s school boards. It is open by audition to students in the school board and throughout the island of Montreal from Grades 4 to Secondary V who show an aptitude and a serious interest in developping their music skills and singing voice. Over the years, the choir has been fortunate to work with such guest conductors as Wayne Riddell, Patrick Wedd, Nicole Paiement, Boris Brott, Miklos Takacs, Yuli Turovsky, Barbara Clark, Linda Beaupré, Susan Knight, Zimfira Poloz, Scott Leithead, Marika Kuzma, Adam Con and Francisco Nuñez. Winner of numerous awards at the Montreal ARCIM Choral Festival, the choir has twice been a national finalist in the CBC Competition for Amateur Choirs. Artistic Director Patricia Abbott has been with the choir since 1990.
The EMSB Chorale has sung in every major concert venue and church in Montreal, in addition to participating in many special events in and around Montreal, and is a frequent guest artist with other music ensembles. The choir has also toured throughout Canada, in the United States and in Europe. In 2001, the choir had the special privilege of representing Quebec at the World of Children’s Choirs International Festival and Symposium, held in Vancouver. In June 2003, the choir participated in the international choral festival, Festival 500: Sharing the Voices in St. John’s, NF and was selected to perform at the festival again in July 2007. Other performance highlights include numerous CBC/McGill concert broadcasts on CBC Radio One and Two, concerts in the Maison Alcan series, performances with the UQAM Choir, FACE Symphony Orchestra and FACE Young Singers, as well as annual fundraising concerts for the Salvation Army. In 2009, the Chorale participated in the Coastal Sound International Choral Festival in Vancouver, and in 2011 traveled to Denver for the Sing a Mile High International Choral Festival. The EMSB Chorale has once again been selected to perform at Festival 500 and will travel to St. John’s for the 2013 edition of the event.