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The Victoria Children's Choir

In September, 2001, at the request of the Victoria Symphony, Madeleine Humer and interested friends and family laid the foundations for a community choir to sing in the Christmas Pops Concert that year, under the name Victoria Symphony Children’s Choir. More than 150 young singers auditioned!

 

Renamed the Victoria Children’s Choir the following season, the choir has since been invited to collaborate on a regular basis with the Victoria Symphony, Pacific Opera Victoria, the Victoria Choral Society, and Fretwork Viol Consort. In particular the Choir has earned an extraordinary reputation through their 13-year relationship with the Pacific Baroque Festival in Victoria, led by Marc Destrubé and featuring performances of works primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Madeleine Photo 2020-small.jpeg

Each season the choir presents two major concerts, and also perform as Guest Artists for national and local events. Some of these events include:

  • the Finale of the Tour de Rock Marathon (honouring Victoria Police who cycle the length of Vancouver Island, raising funds for Cancer Research)

  • a Remembrance Day concert at the Royal BC Museum

  • the Candlelight Ceremony at God’s Acre

  • Lights Across Canada

  • as well as supporting various local charities and sports teams

 

The choir was also invited to sing for:

  • Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip during the Golden Jubilee Tour of Canada in 2002

  • The Prince of Wales and Camilla The Duchess of Cornwall

  • The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

  • as well as for various Governors General and Canadian Prime Ministers

 

National and International tours and special events:

  • Olympic Games Vancouver, 2010 (Arrival in Canada of the Olympic Flame, and the Start of the Olympic Flame Relay across Canada)

  • Austria, 2011 (1st place in Summe Cum Laude World Music Festival)

  • The Netherlands, 2015 (Represented Canada at Official Ceremonies commemorating 70 years Liberation of The Netherlands by Canadians)

  • Canada’s Maritimes, 2017 (Represented BC at Official Canadian Sesquicentennial Events)

  • Festivals in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and California, USA

  • Vancouver Island, 2020

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Having a professionally trained children’s choir in the city, performing challenging repertoire at a professional standard, has created a confidence within the Greater Victoria arts community that any collaboration will be a reliable partnership. The singers have been honoured to work with composers and musicians from around the world, earning high praise from Marc Destrubé and members of the Pacific Baroque Festival Orchestra, Louise  Rose, The Irene Becker Trio (Denmark),The Canadian Tenors, Stephen Hatfield, Gavin Bryars (England), some of whom composed or arranged works specifically for the VCC. The choir has collaborated in workshops and concerts with choirs from Europe, Canada and Australia. 

 

The choir is renowned for the choral music they perform, repertoire spanning the 12th to 22nd centuries, including:

  • Gregorian Chant and Renaissance motets 

  • R. Murray Shafer - Snowforms, Epitaph for Moonlight, Gamelan

  • J.S.Bach and many other major works by well known and recently “discovered” Baroque composers, including Gloria by A.Vivaldi in the original setting of SSAA

  • B.Britten - Noye’s Fludde, Golden Vanity, Missa Brevis (in d minor)

  • Mozart - Bastien und Bastienne

  • O.Gibbons - The Cries of London

  • I.Becker - I Mørkets Stjernegnist

 

The Victoria Children’s Choir is justly proud of those VCC Alumni who decided to pursue further studies in voice and are now enjoying successful solo careers. 

 

In 2020, Madeleine Humer retired, and Teodora Georgieva was appointed the new Artistic Director of the Victoria Children’s Choir.  In 2022 David Stratkaukas was appointed the new Artistic Director. We are excited for the next phase of this amazing organization under David's leadership!

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