"Music is one of the most visible and cherished aspects of life at Christ Church Cathedral. From week to week, music fills this historic and vibrant place with something bigger than everyone - inviting all, for a moment, to leave behind the cares and concerns of daily life and be transported into an atmosphere of great beauty. Music is an offering that serves to glorify God and, by its very nature, draws people into contemplation of God's grace."
Shane Parker ♰
Dean of Ottawa and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral
"We are inheritors of a laudable tradition of music-making at Christ Church Cathedral - one that is unique in Canada.
Our ministry to young people through the art of music is of particular note. Music has been, and continues to be, a gateway to a life of faithful service through which the boys and girls of the choirs enter. Through the music they make, they encounter God and learn of Him. They seek to know Him. They grow as individuals and as a community in the knowledge of Him.
The people of Christ Church Cathedral strongly support this ministry. The Music Ministry at Christ Church Cathedral is, in a very large sense, founded in tradition. At the same time, it is always new - as every year we welcome new members into our community and embrace them in a spirit of diversity and inclusiveness. Together, we celebrate our mutual love of music, of church, of community, and most importantly, of God. Indeed, it is our vocation to be telling His salvation from day to day, from week to week in this community and beyond."
Matthew Larkin
Organist and Director of Music
The Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa Choir of Men and Boys - the Cathedral's principal choir - was formed in 1891 and is one of the few remaining choirs of
men and boys in North America.
Under the direction of Matthew Larkin, well-known organist, composer and choral conductor and Director of Music at the Cathedral, the Choir sings regularly
at Cathedral liturgies, in
Sunday at Twilight music liturgies, at all major Cathedral events, and in recitals and concerts.
The Choir's offerings at Holy Days and Seasons - for example, Advent Carol Service, Service of Nine Lessons and Carols - draw a broad Ottawa-area community to the Cathedral.
The Choir of Men and Boys also reaches out from the Cathedral, to perform in major sacred-music venues in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2007, the Choir was invited to sing a performance tour in New York City. At Trinity Wall Street, the Choir performed Choral Eucharist for a September 11 Memorial Service. At St. John the Divine, the Choir performed Choral Evensong. In 2008, the Choir performed at St. John's Church, Elora - a noted seat of choral excellence in Canada. In 2009, the Choir served as Choir-in-Residence at Ely Cathedral in England, and performed at St. Paul's Cathedral (London) and Selwyn College, St. John's College. In 2010, the Choir returned to perform in New York: It sang Choral Eucharist at St. Thomas' Fifth Avenue and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and presented a
concert at the Church of St. Mary the Virgin. In 2011, the Choir embarked on its most ambitious tour to date, travelling to both France and England. In France, it visited the Barlin Cemetery to pay its respects to a former chorister who died in France during the First World War. The Choir presented concerts in Barlin, as well as at Chartres Cathedral. In Paris, it sang services at Notre Dame Cathedral and at the American (Episcopal) Cathedral. In England, the Choir spent six days in Salisbury where it sang Evensong daily at Salisbury Cathedral. It also sang two services at Bath Abbey, before returning to St. Paul's Cathedral to perform Evensong.
The Choir also performs, quite regularly, as part of the Cathedral Arts program and in guest appearances with the Ottawa Choral Society and National Arts
Centre Orchestra. . Most recently, the Choir was invited by the National Arts Centre to join the NAC Orchestra in a concert observing the tenth anniversary of the tragic events of 11 September 2001 that took place in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. The concert will be conducted by Peter Oundjian, Music Director of the Toronto Symphony. The choir will sing three pieces, including the first piece on the program.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has recorded the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys on a number of occasions.
For example, it recorded the Choir's showcase "From Handel to Howells, and from Byrd to Britten" concert for broadcast in CBC's
Choral Concert series. In December 2010, the Choir participated in a concert at the Très-Sainte-Trinité in Rockland, Ontario. The concert featured artists Amanda Forsyth (cello), Jean Desmarais (piano), Kerson Leong, (violin), Stanley Leong (cello), mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah, and L'ensemble vocal senior De La Salle. The concert was broadcast several times over the Christmas season on CBC Television and Radio Canada Television.
The music of the Choir of Men and Boys can be enjoyed on its CDs "New Jerusalem" and "Live From England 2009", as well as on Youtube.
The boys of the Choir are boys with unchanged voices, beginning at age seven. The Cathedral Boys' Choir performs a large and wide-ranging repertoire of European and North American church music. It does so to wide acclaim - to a standard that rivals virtually any professional adult church choir in Canada.
The Boys' Choir performs most often as part of the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. It also performs independently. The Boys' Choir participated in the Ottawa Choral Society's performance of Orff's
Carmina Burana. With the National Arts Centre Orchestra, it performed Kodaly's
Psalmus Hungaricus; and, with the NAC Orchestra and Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, under conductors Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Duain Wolfe, the Choir participated in the performance of Mahler's
Eighth Symphony.
All boys wishing to join the Choir are welcome! No formal audition is required.
The boys of the choir are supported by a talented and professional group of men. The Men's Choir is privileged to count as members some of the most noteworthy choral and vocal artists in our community. They provide mentorship, role models and ministry to the younger members of the Cathedral choirs.
Membership in the Men's Choir is by invitation or audition, when spaces warrant.
Founded in 2001, the Girls' Choir of Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa is the only all-girl Cathedral choir in Canada. Since its inception, it has been directed by Timothy Piper, talented composer and Associate Organist at the Cathedral. Membership in the Choir currently stands at 28 choristers, between the ages of eight and 21. The Girls' Choir sings regularly at Cathedral liturgies, in
Sunday at Twilight music liturgies, and at major seasonal services. The Choir also sings at high-profile events in and around the National Capital Region and has concerted in Kingston, Montréal, Québec City and Washington DC.
The Choir performs a diverse repertoire - many new compositions by Canadian composers, traditional Anglican sacred music, contemporary church music of all styles, major concert works, folk songs, spirituals, and works with a jazz/pop flavour, in a number of languages.
A sampling of the Choir's current repertoire includes:
- Britten Ceremony of Carols
- Chilcott A Little Jazz Mass
- Fauré Messe Basse
- Pergolesi Stabat Mater
- Piper Civil War Medley
- Piper The Mystic Centre
- Rutter Sprig of Thyme
- Vivaldi Gloria.
Recent performances of the choir include:
- singing for HM Queen Elizabeth II as part of Her Majesty's 2010 visit to Canada
- participating in the performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony at the National Arts Centre and Place des Arts in Montréal
- presenting Vivaldi's Gloria with Juno Award-winning soprano Shannon Mercer
- participating in the Memorial Service for Former Parliamentarians in the Senate Chamber of Parliament Hill
- singing at the Museum of Nature's 100th Anniversary and Grand Re-Opening
- performing at Fourth of July celebrations at the home of the United States Ambassador
- guest-choir performances at the celebration of Québec City's 400th Anniversary.
In July 2010, the Cathedral Choir served as Choir-in-Residence at Washington National Cathedral and performed a number of concerts at several other venues in the DC area, including the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
The Choir also performs at various community events, such as "Westfest" in the Ottawa Westboro community, and for local media - CBC, the A-Channel.
Please visit the
Performance Gallery of the Cathedral Girls' Choir.
All girls who wish to join the Choir are welcome. No formal audition is required.
For many years, the Chancel Organ of the Cathedral was a Casavant pipe organ. In April 2007, seven independent organ experts concurred that the ailing pipe organ required significant refurbishment or replacement to meet the basic needs of the Cathedral's Music Ministry. In November 2007, Parish Council Executive Committee chose to pursue the replacement option. In June 2008, PCEC endorsed the recommendation to purchase a Létourneau pipe organ specifically designed and crafted to the unique musical and acoustic requirements of Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa. A survey of the Parish, conducted in October 2008, essentially supported this decision. It is the intention of the Cathedral to pursue the purchase of said Létourneau pipe organ; however, as any organ replacement initiative requires significant capital and fundraising, this project is suspended until the current debt of the Cathedral is retired....or private sources of funding (specific donations, testamentary bequests, etc.) are offered for the purchase of a new pipe organ for the Cathedral.
Organ Replacement Initiative
Since December 2007, organ music at the Cathedral has come from a digital organ manufactured by Rodgers Corporation. From 2007 through mid-2009, this rental was funded by a private consortium. In June 2009, the Cathedral assumed the lease and rental payments. In December 2009, the Cathedral purchased the instrument, using funds borrowed from the Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa Music Trust. In purchasing this instrument, the Cathedral Corporation and Parish Council Executive Committee emphasized: "This does not close-out or conclude any long-term permanent organ replacement options, once the Cathedral's debt situation is solved and its debt retired.... or a significant donation enabling the purchase of the new pipe organ is made."
The Cathedral's current Chancel Organ is a Rodgers Trillium Masterpiece 958. The organ has 54 stops and and 56 Voice Palette
TM stops. It speaks from both sides of the chancel area and from behind the choir stalls.
The instrument is comprised of five divisions, playable over three manuals and pedals: Great, Swell, Choir, Solo (floating) and Pedal. Within the organ's specification are fully independent principal choruses on all primary divisions, two Festival Trumpets, and two English Tubas of varying tonal colour and available on different manuals. The tonal scheme of the organ allows for traditional English cathedral music to be performed easily, while still providing enough versatility to perform music from all other major musical schools and eras.
The audio system is comprised of 14 audio channels and is customized to meet the unique acoustic characteristics of the Cathedral's chancel and to achieve optimal projection of sound throughout the church.
The one-manual, four-rank portative tracker-action organ was built by Karl Wilhelm of St. Hyacinthe, Québec. Its purchase, in 1987, was enabled by memorial bequests made to the Cathedral. This organ is used when the choirs sing music of earlier historical periods, such as renaissance and baroque repertoire.
The Gallery Trumpets - "Trompette en Chamade" - were installed and dedicated in May 1997 to celebrate the centennial of the consecration of Christ Church Cathedral. The organ pipes are located in the second-story West Gallery of the Cathedral, on both sides of the West Memorial Window.
Since the decommissioning of the Cathedral's former Chancel Pipe Organ, the Gallery Trumpets have not been played. A way to link the Gallery Trumpets to the current Chancel Digital Organ has been developed and awaits a means of funding to be realized.
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