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 8 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 Girls' Choir, Youth Singers, Young Men's Chorus and Madrigal Singers. 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.
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's 12th season, LUMINARIA begins in November. //click// for full details or to subscribe!
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 Juenesse to name a few.
With the generous assistance of our principal corporate sponsor, Cancoil, Cantabile has released five CDs, and will release it's sixth in the fall of '07. Selections from Cantabile recordings are frequently heard on CBC and National Public Radio in the US.
THANK YOU to our enthusiastic patrons, generous personal donors and corporate sponsors!