ABOUT CANtabile

The Cantabile Choirs of Kingston, Ontario, Canada were founded in the fall of 1996 under the Artistic Direction of Dr. Mark Sirett.

Over the years, Cantabile has grown to include seven choirs and over 300 voices. From the beginning, Cantabile has provided musical education for choristers and audiences through a high standard of performance of quality choral literature.

Cantabile has enjoyed considerable artistic success including major provincial, national, and international awards for the Young Women's Choir, Youth Singers, Young Men's Chorus and Women's Chorus. Awards have included the Mathieson Trophy at the National and Ontario Music Festivals Finals for the Girls’ Choir; at the Young Prague 2004 Festival the Youth Singers won a Gold Award. The Women's Chorus were semi-finalists in the 2008 CBC Choral Competition.

Cantabile’s choral season of several theme concerts, that often include invited guests, attracts a sell-out audience in our performance home, Sydenham Street United Church. Cantabile will launched its 15th concert season, VOYAGES, in fall 2010.

Cantabile’s Artist-in-Residence programme has brought renowned musicians and composers to work intensively with the Choirs. Previous artists include percussionist Kathy Armstrong, composer Stephen Hatfield, pianist/composer Paul Halley, and composer Bob Chilcott. The choirs also host guest choirs and musicians from across Canada. Cantabile’s guests include the Elora Festival Singers, Guelph Youth Singers, Amabile Youth Singers, Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Victoria Scholars, Ottawa Regional Youth Choir, and La Jeunesse to name a few.

With the generous assistance of our principal corporate sponsor, Cancoil, Cantabile has released six CDs; the most recent recording MIDWINTER was released in fall 2007. Selections from Cantabile recordings are frequently heard on CBC and National Public Radio in the US.

Cantabile is governed by our Board of Directors. They meet the first Thursday of the month and hold an AGM in the fall.