Montreal Children’s Choir

Created in 2001, the Montreal Children’s Choir (MCC) is celebrating its 22th anniversary. The initiative was born of the nationally renowned conductor Iwan Edwards and parents who were determined to make choral singing accessible to all children in the Greater Montreal area. What began modestly with a choir of only 25 children, now includes five choirs composed of more than 135 choristers aged 5 to 21 from more than 30 elementary, secondary and CEGEP schools. Over the years, united by their passion for singing, the young singers have had the privilege of working under the direction of Iwan Edwards (2001-2009), Andrew Gray (2009-2016) and Léa Moisan-Perrier (2016-).

From the very beginning, the CEM has carved out a place for itself on the Montreal cultural scene and has performed on numerous occasions with several renowned classical ensembles such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO). The EMC has also collaborated with many famous pop artists, from Half Moon Run, Patrick Watson and Les Cowboys Fringants for album recordings, to Roger Waters (The Wall) and Kenny Rogers to share the stage.

This year, in order to broaden its reach, the CEM teamed up with the community organization Share the Warmth, whose mission is to foster the development and success of youth in the community through quality programs. This collaboration has resulted in the creation of two extensions of the CEM choirs that rehearse at the organization in Pointe-Sainte-Charles as part of their El Sistema inspired program.

The CEM’s diverse repertoire reflects the multicultural face of Montreal.  Accompanied by professional musicians, each concert presents a different musical adventure in terms of instrumentation, languages sung and styles covered.  Although classical music is an important part of the repertoire, the EMC takes great pleasure in exploring other styles, such as jazz, popular, folk and world music. The choir also pays tribute to the work of Canadian composers and to the musical richness of Quebec.

The CEM has welcomed hundreds of young choristers over the past twenty years and is proud to have built a strong and diverse community. Thanks to the CEM, the future of choral singing is full of hope.

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