The JUNO award-winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC), founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, offers audiences a wide range of choral music of the finest quality, performing music from all historical periods while keeping Bach’s choral œuvre as the focus of its repertoire. Through a combination of both a scholarly and emotional approach to choral music, the ensemble expands all aspects of the artistic spectrum. Joining some of Canada’s most accomplished artists and top choristers from the National Capital region and beyond, the professional choir has received national and international recognition.

Now entering its 23rd season, the Ottawa Bach Choir performs a large subscription concert series in Ottawa and travels extensively in Canada and abroad. In 2022, the choir was invited to return to Bachfest Leipzig as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide (and the only Canadian ensemble) to present Bach’s entire chorale cantata cycle. In 2018, the choir sang, for the fourth time, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, and in 2016, the choir toured China, where it was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious festival, Meet in Beijing 2016, in Beijing and Shanghai. Performances in 2015 included an invitation to sing R. Murray Schafer’s Apocalypsis in the Luminato Festival in Toronto with 12 choirs from across Ontario as well as over 1000 performers. In 2014, the choir received an invitation to perform in the prestigious international festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2014. The choir also performed other concerts in Venice, Lübeck, Groningen and Amsterdam. In 2012, the choir sang a 10th anniversary performance of Bach’s Matthäus-Passion (the very work with which the OBC began in 2002) as well as an invitation to perform at Podium 2012, the biennial conference of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC). In 2010-11, performances included a tour to New York City, highlighting debut performances at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Arts at the Park concert series and the Consul-Général de la France in New York.  In addition, the Choir received its third invitation to sing at Roy Thomson Hall in the Choir and Organ Series, at Redpath Hall in Montreal, and in the Music and Beyond Festival in Ottawa.  In 2008-09, performances included the Festival Música Santa Fe concert series in Mexico City, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival and a third tour to Europe, performing for the third time at Bach’s church, the Thomaskirche, in Lepizig, as well as at St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Foundling Museum in London, Cathédrale Notre-Dame, Église de la Madeleine and The American Church in Paris.  Past appearances have included concerts at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Podium 2008 – the biannual conference of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities (ACCC) in New Brunswick, the Montreal Bach Festival, Montreal Chamber Music Festival and Festival de musique classique des Hautes-Laurentides in Quebec and Musique Saint-Bernard in Nova Scotia. The Choir was invited to perform and take over the duties of the Thomanerchor in May 2005 at the Thomaskirche, in Leipzig, and again in 2007.  The choir has also performed in Bayreuth, Prague, Salzburg, Stuttgart and Vienna.