Choir Profile

Chor Leoni 2009 Photo: Travis Caperton

Chor Leoni has a polish, a sound, a spontaneity and a style that I feel is unequalled by any male voice choir that I have ever heard…
Maestro Bramwell Tovey,Vancouver Symphony

Now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, Vancouver’s Chor Leoni Men’s Choir was founded in 1992 by Artistic Director, Diane Loomer, C.M. The choir is regarded as a leader in the Canadian male choir movement, and acts as mentors and inspiration to choirs across the country. Chor Leoni’s concert and outreach programs have been emulated across the country.

The choir is committed to fostering young composers, young male singers, and conductors. PROMYS (PROgram for Mentoring Young Singers, invites talented singers from surrounding high schools to join with Chor Leoni in rehearsals and performances of their annual Remembrance Day concerts.

MYVoice (Mobilizing Young men’s Voices) is a program that provides an opportunity for teenage boys across Metro Vancouver to come together in all-male choirs to learn music, find their changed voices, develop their confidence, and nurture their interest and commitment to music and culture.

Chor Leoni has won many awards at the national and international level and has represented Canada in the BBC Let the Peoples Sing international choral competition. In July 2012 the choir won a dozen awards at the 51st Concorso Internazionale di Canto Corale “Seghizzi” (Italy), including two Audience Favourite awards, a special prize for the Most Interesting Artistic Program, and 2nd place Grand Prix overall.

Whether it is a somber moment of reflection during a Remembrance Day performance or a joyful turn of comedic phrasing at a Summer Solstice show, Chor Leoni is renowned for reaching across the footlights and transforming the performance from ‘concert’ to ‘conversation.’ The “singing lions” live up to their name as they fearlessly move between musical genres, always aiming to communicate, engage, and entertain. Engendering tears of emotion, peals of laughter, and gasps of awe from their audiences, Chor Leoni prides itself on its ability to perform in many languages and styles, always sung with fresh energy and poise.

The choir’s has produced 11 CDs. Their Yuletide Fires CD was voted the Outstanding Choral Recording of 2004 by the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors, and won a Western Canadian Music Award as the 2004 Outstanding Classical Recording. Circle of Compassion, featuring repertoire from recent Remembrance Day performances, was the recipient of the 2008 National Choral Award for Outstanding Choral Recording given by the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors (ACCC), and their Healing Voices recording project, featuring music that focuses on healing and calming, also received the 2008 Outstanding Sponsorship Award from the ACCC.

Healing Voices is marketed through the Vancouver-based Callanish Society. Undertaken specifically as a non-profit recording project for use in the hospice and palliative care field, Healing Voices is a collection of contemplative works that engenders compassion, understanding, and affirmation of life's purpose.

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