Forty Five years of singing hearts out with the EMSB Chorale

Celebrating its 45^th anniversary this season, the English Montreal School Board Chorale continues to create amazing choir opportunities for the student population and beyond. Conductor Patricia “Pat” Abbott, who has been at the helm for 35 of those years and is also its executive and artistic director, says this is the only such program offered by a Quebec school board.

The Chorale currently includes 98 choristers and is divided into two choirs – a junior choir of Grade 4 to 6 students and one senior choir, composed of high school students. Gone are the days of auditioning on the spot in front of dozens of other nervous applicants and their parents. Instead, auditions take place individually with the team.

“What we’re looking for are kids who can match pitches easily and who are able to correct easily,” explains Ms. Abbott. “I do believe everybody can sing, but this is meant for kids who have a real interest in music and in singing – and who want to go a step further than what their school program can offer. They have to have a spark in their eye and be willing to commit to a rehearsal schedule.” 

How it works

Several rounds of auditions take place during the season, starting with a spring audition to start forming the choir for the following year, followed by sessions in late August and early September. In January, another audition is offered to those wishing to try out for the spring repertoire and concert.

Rehearsals take place once a week for the junior choir and twice a week for the senior choir, both at Royal Vale School in NDG. A professional pianist provides accompaniment on the baby grand piano in the auditorium. Beyond the two annual concerts – the holiday concert and the spring concert – participants also make guest appearances and have the option of attending two camps a year.

While it takes commitment and drive, the benefits pay off in the experience, according to Ms. Abbott. Working off a vast chorale repertoire spanning some 1,000 years, students are exposed to music from many musical eras and styles. “We aim to give professional concert experiences, with professional musicians, so they have to meet a high level of expectation.” Choristers sing “off-book” (in layman’s terms, this means from memory) during concerts no matter the language, be it in Hungarian or Old Scots.

The EMSB Chorale heeds the call to collaborate with other musical organizations during the year. In 2023, for example the Senior Chorale took part in Hänsel und Gretel, a fully staged opera sung in German with Opera McGill at the Monument-National of the National Theatre School of Canada. In November 2023, they did a pre-concert performance for the Arion Baroque Orchestra and Studio de musique ancienne at la Salle Bourgie.

Costs of running the EMSB Chorale are covered by participant fees of $170, fundraisers, guest appearances, suggested donations and ticket sales from concertgoers at its annual concerts.

A parent volunteer committee, chaired by Julie Tytler (who also works as pedagogical consultant of Elementary English Language Arts at the EMSB), is instrumental in helping organize camps, chaperoning at events and fundraising.

What has moved Ms. Tytler is witnessing how it all comes together. During one recent choir camp while cooking for the participants, she remembers “hearing complete rabble when they first arrive and then you just hear things becoming tighter and better – and more and more beautiful. On the Sunday before the kids go home, they run though the numbers for their parents. When the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, you know they’ve got it.”

Its past

The Chorale’s beginnings date back to 1980 under Georgie Crawford, who worked for the then Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal. Its founding conductor was the late Iwan Edwards (1980-1984), followed by Jean Sult, conductor (1984-1990) and Erica Phare-Bergh, Junior Chorale conductor (1988-1999).

For some, the EMSB Chorale has ties close to home. Several families have been in the Chorale’s orbit for some 15 to 20 years, says Ms. Abbott, as various siblings and cousins take part over the years.

The EMSB Chorale has performed in several impressive acoustical settings over the years, including the former Mountainside United Church in Westmount, at la Maison symphonique at Place des Arts and in la Salle Bourgie, adjacent to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. This year, they will be performing their holiday concert in the Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Montreal.

Over the years, the EMSB Chorale has also successfully auditioned to perform at international choral festivals both in Canada and abroad.

What does the future hold?

“This is a really fine extra-curricular program that the EMSB offers,” says Ms. Abbott, “It’s one that is accessible to any child who wants to sing, learn more about music or improve their singing voice. That we have teenagers there for the 9-in-the-morning rehearsal says a lot!”

Besides its tradition of honing choral skills and developing professional concert skills, the EMSB Chorale also provides life experience, memories and friendships.

Ms. Tytler’s daughter has found enjoyment and friendships in the choir. When she was once asked why she likes it, her reply was: “Where else can you sing your lungs out, turn a bad mood into a good mood and not have to worry about being self-conscious? It’s the choir!”

Dates to note

A 5-à-7 alumni reunion

Friday, April 25, 2025 at the English Montreal School Board building on Fielding Ave. Alumni are invited to reunite with each other and browse a curated selection of memorabilia.

Spring Gala Concert

Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 7 pm at Oscar Peterson Concert Hall at Concordia University’s Loyola campus. Alumni will be invited to sing several selections with current members. Tickets go on sale March 1.