Our Story Through Data

Foregrounding the Work of Canadian Composers

Canada has a rich artistic heritage that fuels an immense diversity of creatives in the present day, including in choral music. Recognizing the importance of fostering our own Canadian community, Pro Coro Canada has made a concerted effort to program works by Canadian composers alongisde the multitude of works from the traditional European choral canon and growing contemporary repertoire from across the globe.

Pro Coro Canada has maintained at least 25% of our programmed repertoire being composed or arranged by Canadians since our 2020-2021 season, and even had over 50% of our repertoire in the 2021-2022 be created by Canadians.

  • This data includes works with Canadian composers and/or arrangers programmed through our previous 10 seasons.

    While this reflects the proportions of composers programmed in a season, it does not necessarily reflect the proportion of our programs with Canadian works. For instance, some larger Canadian works like Jason Noble’s Furiouser & Spuriouser or Peter-Anthony Togni’s The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Sharing the Cutting Edge of Choral Art With Our Audiences

  • In the 2024-2025 season, we still shared great new music with our audiences, though we were not able to bring any new works to perform at any of our concerts in the season.

Choral music is a living, breathing art form constantly evolving through the work of celebrated composers across the globe. Pro Coro Canada is always excited to reflect the breadth of innovative and evocative choral works being composed here in Canada and across the globe and share these novel works with our audiences. In many cases, we are lucky enough to be the first ensemble in the world to perform such music, and are also incredibly proud to be the first in North America or Canada to bring a piece of music to life in concert.

World premieres most frequently occur when we have had the privilege of commissioning a contemporary composer to prepare a work specifically for Pro Coro Canada to perform, such as Stuart Beatch’s evocative queer love song a boy and a boy which Pro Coro Canada commissioned and premiered in September 2022. We have also been proud to support rising composers through our Emerging Artist Program, who have the opportunity to compose a piece to be performed by a professional chamber choir early in their careers, such as Mari Alice Conrad’s poignant tribute to the unifying power of music in times of struggle Book of Songs, which we premiered as part of the PIVOT program in May 2022.

Initiatives such as these are made possible through the generosity of our incredible supporters, sponsors, and community partners. You can support this important initiative by contributing to the Russ and Johann Mann Pro Coro Endowment Fund, which facilitates the creation and commission of new choral works by Canadian and International composers for performances by Pro Coro Canada, and choirs across Canada.

Elevating Under-Represented Voices

For centuries, talented musicians and composers have struggled to achieve mainstream recognition in choral art based on their identities. Recognizing the ongoing struggles of composers from diverse backgrounds to have their music be heard, Pro Coro Canada strives to highlight the work of these talented individuals.

Over the past 13 seasons, we have greatly increased the proportion of composers programmed in a season who identify as women, including works made by mixed gender groups. We are especially lucky to operate in such a vibrant artistic ecosystem that we are able to regularly program the works of contemporary Canadian women, including Cecilia Livingston, Laura Hawley, and Marie-Claire Saindon, as well as women from across history and the globe such as Lili Boulanger and Ann-Sofi Söderqvist.

We have also highlighted diverse music from outside the confines of the European choral canon, including through our concerts Let Us Cheer the Weary Traveler with guest conductor Dr. Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, which foreground the vibrant culture of Black American choral music, and Missae IX with guest conductor Jonathan Velasco, which explored the evocative sacred works of contemporary Filipino and Indonesian composers.

  • Where a work has been labeled “F” the composer, and any arrangers if the work is an arrangement are all women. Works labeled “Mixed Gender” have been created by groups of two or more genders—for instance, a female composer and male arranger. Works described as N/A have no known composer and are often traditional songs such as folk songs or spirituals.

Shaping the Choral Leaders of Tomorrow

One of the core values of Pro Coro Canada is to champion choral leadership, and we are passionate about guiding the long-term development of choral art in Canada.

Since it’s inception in XXXX, our Emerging Artist Program has helped kickstart the professional choral careers of XX young musicians—some of them have even gone on to become regular members of our choir! The Emerging Artist Program supports choristers, solo vocalists, composers, and conductors in gaining experience working with a professional choir to grow their talents and artistry.

Former singers in #connect Youth Choir report that the experience was significant for helping build confidence and connecting with a professional network, in addition to developing their artistry and musicianship.