“Join the OBC for a concert celebrating the coming of spring with some of the best madrigals and chansons of the Renaissance period paired with Haydn’s rarely heard part-songs,” says Founder and Artistic Director, Lisette Canton. “We invite you to immerse yourself in the beauty of the season with this magnificent music.”

The Ottawa Bach Choir was founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton and offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best. 

The Ottawa Bach Choir has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe. The OBC recently returned from a two-week tour of Venice, Leipzig, Lübeck, Groningen, and Amsterdam. The OBC had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, the Bachfest Leipzig. The choir will participate this June in a performance of Schafer’s Apocalypsis in the Luminato Festival in Toronto.

For interviews and information, please contact:

Nicholas Simpson Read, Administrative Manager, 604 722-2320, nicholas.read@ottawabachchoir.ca 

Dr. Lisette Canton, Founder & Artistic Director, 613 222-1882, lisette.canton@ottawabachchoir.ca

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

Lisette Canton, Conductor

Now is the Month of Maying 

featuring Morley’s Now is the Month of Maying, Janequin’s Le chant des oiseaux, Weelkes’ As Vesta was from Latmos Hill, Passereau’s Il est bel et bon,Monteverdi’s Ecco Mormorar l’onde, Lassus’ Matona mia cara, Haydn’s 13 Part-Songs, and many more.

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 8PM

St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, 130 Glebe Avenue, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $50, Adult $40, Senior $35, Student & Youth $15

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca, by phone: 613-270-1015, or at the following outlets:

The Leading Note, 370 Elgin Street, Ottawa

Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa

Information: www.ottawabachchoir.ca or 613-270-1015

The JUNO award winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) has been invited to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2022, as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide—and the only Canadian ensemble—to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach, performing with the Pauliner Baroque Ensemble. As part of its fifth European tour this June, the choir also embarks on  A Bach Pilgrimage, following its two performances at Bachfest Leipzig, to the places where Bach lived and worked, including Eisenach, Arnstadt, Mühlhausen, Weimar, and other influential venues in Wittenberg, Halle and Berlin. Canadian soloists, soprano Jana Miller, countertenor Nicholas Burns, tenor Nils Brown and baritone David John Pike, along with organist Jonathan Oldengarm, join the choir on this historic tour.

In preparation for the tour, the OBC presents this repertoire to Ottawa audiences as part of the final concert of its 20^th anniversary season, Prelude-Europe 2022, on Saturday, May 7, 2022, 8 PM, at St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Avenue, in Ottawa. The music includes works by German baroque masters, Bach, Schütz, Telemann, Pachelbel, and others, Renaissance masters, as well as Contemporary gems by Mealor, Ottawa composer Kelly-Marie Murphy, and more. Canadian organist Jonathan Oldengarm joins the choir for this thrilling concert.

“We are honoured to be invited to return to Bachfest Leipzig, performing in the Thomaskirche, where Bach was   employed for 27 years, in the worldwide presentation of his second cycle of chorale cantatas,” says Founder and  Artistic Director, Lisette Canton. As part of our Bach Pilgrimage Tour throughout Germany, performing in the very places where Bach lived and worked and other prestigious venues, we present this exciting repertoire for Ottawa audiences. Join us for this spectacular evening of music!”

The Ottawa Bach Choir, founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best. The OBC won the 2020 JUNO Award for its album, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets, in the category “Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral”. The professional ensemble has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, Europe, and China.

For interviews and information, please contact:

Dr. Lisette Canton, Founder and Artistic Director, lisette.canton@ottawabachchoir.ca

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

with organist Jonathan Oldengarm

Lisette Canton, conductor                                             

Prelude-Europe 2022

Live In-Person

Saturday, May 7, 2022, 8:00 PM

St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Avenue, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $50, Adult $40, Senior $35, Student $20, Children 12 and under free

Tickets are available online or by phone. To view the concert in our Digital Concert Hall, please see the website www.ottawabachchoir.ca.

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca

The JUNO award-winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) presents the second concert of its 22^nd season, The Maestro of San Marco, on Saturday, March 2, 2024, 8:00 p.m., at Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street, in Ottawa. The concert features sacred and profane music by Claudio Monteverdi, who was Maestro di cappella of San Marco in Venice over the course of 30 years, from 1613-1643. Works include his Messa a quattro voci da cappella and selected Madrigals from Books 1-8, a prolific output of works that marked the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque. The choir is joined by a chamber instrumental ensemble and soloists from the choir.

“We are delighted to present rarely heard music by the Italian Baroque master, Claudio Monteverdi, which traces the journey from the balanced counterpoint of the Renaissance to the dramatic text-inspired music of the Baroque,” says Founder and Artistic Director, Lisette Canton. “Experience this passionate music in both the sacred and profane contexts – you’re sure to be inspired!”

The Ottawa Bach Choir, 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 oeuvre as the focus of its repertoire. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best. The OBC won the 2020 JUNO Award for its album, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets, in the category Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral, and returned from the prestigious international festival, Bachfest Leipzig, in June 2022. The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, Europe, the United States and China, and had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in Bachfest Leipzig 2014. The choir’s eighth album, Johann Sebastian Bach: Six Motets, on the ATMA Classique label, critically acclaimed as “one of the finest on record” (The WholeNote), is available on all streaming platforms as well as on the choir’s website.

For interviews and information, please contact:

Karen Frank, General Manager, karen.frank@ottawabachchoir.ca

Dr. Lisette Canton, Founder and Artistic Director, lisette.canton@ottawabachchoir.ca

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

with chamber ensemble and soloists

Lisette Canton, conductor

The Maestro of San Marco

Saturday, March 2, 2024, 8:00 p.m.

Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $55, Adult $45, Senior $40, Student $20, Children 12 and under free

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca

Ottawa (Canada)- The Ottawa Bach Choir is pleased to have been awarded a Resilient Communities Fund Grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and to support efforts in rebuilding resilience and capacity for the return of healthy vibrant communities.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

The Resilient Communities Fund Grant has helped the Ottawa Bach Choir to reimagine its entire season, including the purchase health and safety supplies, equipment and capital, a larger virtual presence, including technical production for a new digital series of pre-recorded and livestreamed concerts in its new Digital Concert Hall, increased marketing and new possibilities for partnerships and artistic collaborations. “The resources from the Resilient Communities Fund Grant provided a bridge in the Ottawa Bach Choir’s artistic programming and community outreach, allowing for new technological advances for present and future concerts and events. We are grateful for this much-appreciated support through this grant initiative from the Ontario Trillium Foundation,” says Founder and Artistic Director, Dr. Lisette Canton.

The Ottawa Bach Choir, founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best. The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) won the 2020 JUNO Award for its album, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets, in the category Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral. The choir has also been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2022, as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide (and the only Canadian ensemble) to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach.

What’s next for The Ottawa Bach Choir?

Bach: Mass in B Minor, Saturday, November 27, 2021, in honour of the OBC’s 20^th anniversary, the season begins with Bach’s masterpiece, considered the greatest work of all time and all people, with Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra and soloists, performed both in person and livestreamed in its Digital Concert Hall.

Ottawa (Canada) – Ottawa Lovers of motets and part-songs are in for a treat! Founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, the Juno Award-winning Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) will grace the stage with a programme created just for Chamberfest featuring motets by Johann Sebastian Bach and Anton Bruckner (in honour of his 200th birthday), plus works by Isabella Leonarda, Clara Schumann, Monteverdi, Purcell, Pärt, and Taverner. Don’t miss this expert performance of beloved repertoire delivered with OBC’s signature “…bright, clear, and transparent sound, springy feel for rhythm, beautifully shaded dynamics, and exemplary diction…” (Steve Smith, NY Times)

Works include baroque favourites by Bach, Schütz, Purcell, Monteverdi and Isabella Leonarda, along with later motets by Bruckner, Clara Schumann, Canadian Rupert Lang, Pärt and Tavener, and part-songs by Lasso and Saint-Saëns.

The Ottawa Bach Choir, 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 oeuvre as the focus of its repertoire. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best. The OBC won the 2020 JUNO Award for its album, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets, in the category Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral, and returned from the prestigious international festival, Bachfest Leipzig, in June 2022. The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, Europe, the United States and China, and had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in Bachfest Leipzig 2014. The choir’s eighth album, Johann Sebastian Bach: Six Motets, on the ATMA Classique label, critically acclaimed as “one of the finest on record” (The WholeNote), is available on all streaming platforms as well as on the choir’s website.

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

with Jonathan Oldengarm, organ; Jean-Christophe Lizotte, cello; Joseph Phillips, double bass

Lisette Canton, conductor

Flights of Angels

Saturday, July 27, 2024, 7:00 p.m.

Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St., Ottawa

Tickets are available online on the Chamberfest website

Information: info@chamberfest.com

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) would like to welcome you to its seventeenth season of glorious choral music. Over the past sixteen years, the professional ensemble has travelled the world and received national and international recognition. Last season, the choir recorded its seventh CD and performed – for the fourth time – at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. In  2016, the choir released its JUNO-nominated CD, ‘Twas But Pure Love, to critical acclaim, and toured China, where it was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious festival, Meet in Beijing 2016. In 2014, the OBC completed its 4th European tour, which included an invitation to perform in the Bachfest Leipzig 2014 at the Thomaskirche, in Leipzig, Germany, as the first Canadian choir ever to be invited. The choir has also performed at Carnegie Hall, across Canada, and in Europe, in Germany, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, as well as in Mexico, and more.

Performances this season include a Subscription Series, the release of the choir’s seventh CD, Baroque Passion, and several Special Events.

The Subscription Series offers three spectacular concerts:

Christmas in Venice – December 1, 2018, 8 PM

La Sainte-Chapelle – March 2, 2019, 8 PM

Mozart Celebration – May 4, 2019, 8 PM

The Ottawa Bach Choir is pleased to offer its audiences a subscription series for a limited time only. Get the entire 2018-2019 concert season for 10% less than regular ticket prices. This offer ends on November 30, 2018.

Join us and discover the best that choral music has to offer!

Lisette Canton
Fondatrice et directrice artistique

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) would like to welcome you to its eighteenth season of magnificent choral music. Over the past seventeen years, the professional ensemble has travelled the world and received national and international recognition. This season, the choir has been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020, as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide (and the only Canadian ensemble) to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach. Last season, the choir released its seventh CD, Handel, Bach & Schütz, on the ATMA Classique label to rave reviews (“…this new one is among the very best,” American Record Guide 2019), and in 2016 the choir toured in China, where it was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious Meet in Beijing festival. The choir has also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, across Canada, in Mexico, and in Europe in Germany, England, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and more.

Performances in the 2019-2020 season include a Subscription Series, several Special Events, as well as a 5^th European tour in June 2020.

The Subscription Series offers three spectacular concerts:

A Bach Christmas – November 30, 2019, 7:30 PM (Toronto); December 1, 2019, 7:30 PM (Ottawa)

The Genius of Josquin – March 7, 2020, 8 PM

Prelude-Europe 2020 – May 2, 2020, 8 PM

The Ottawa Bach Choir is pleased to offer its audiences a subscription series for a limited time only. Get the entire 2019-2020 concert season for less than 10% less than regular ticket prices. This offer ends on November 30, 2019.

Join us and come discover the best that choral music has to offer!

Lisette Canton
Founder and Artistic Director

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) would like to invite you to the 2020-2021 season and its nineteenth season of glorious choral music! The professional ensemble has not only travelled the world and received national and international recognition, it also has many ‘firsts’ to its credit. And now, in 2020, the OBC received its first JUNO nomination and, this past summer, won its first JUNO award, in the category Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral, for our album Handel: Dixit Dominus, Bach & Schütz: Motets! After several months of uncertainty, the choir is delighted to be able to safely offer an entire season of choral music in its new Digital Concert Hall, along with Live Concerts beginning in March 2021 (dependent on performance venue limitations). The choir will record its eighth album this season, and has been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig, in 2022 (postponed from 2020), as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide (and the only Canadian ensemble) to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach. We look forward to welcoming you to our new season and invite you to join us online in our new virtual format, and eventually in person. Come discover the best that choral music has to offer!

The Season Series offers three spectacular concerts:

(1) Hodie, Saturday, December 5, 2020, 8 PM, available in OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

(2) The French Renaissance, Saturday, March 6, 2021, 8 PM, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St. & OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

(3) Bach Motets, Friday, April 30, 2021, 8 PM, St. Jean Baptiste Church, 96 Empress Ave. & OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

Join us and come discover the best that choral music has to offer!

Lisette Canton, Founder and Artistic Director  

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) is excited to welcome you to its 20^th anniversary season of stunning choral music! The professional ensemble has not only travelled the world and received national and international recognition, it also has many ‘firsts’ to its credit, including a recent JUNO award for our album Handel: Dixit Dominus, Bach & Schütz: Motets! The choir will record its eighth album this season and has been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig, in June 2022 (postponed from 2020), as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide (and the only Canadian ensemble) to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach.

The choir is delighted to be able to safely offer an entire season of choral music in 2021-2022, with in-person live concerts as well as in our successful Digital Concert Hall. We also introduce our new Administrative Manager, Emily O’Kane, who brings passion and enthusiasm to the OBC.

The Season Series offers three magnificent concerts:

(1) Bach Motets, Available as of October 2, 2021, 8 PM, in OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

(2) Bach: Mass in B Minor, Saturday, November 27, 2021, 7:30 PM, Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St. & OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

(3) French Baroque Treasures, Saturday, March 12, 2022, 8 PM, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St. & OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

(4) Prelude Europe 2022, Saturday, May 7, 2022, 8 PM, St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Ave. & OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

Join us and come discover the best that choral music has to offer!

Lisette Canton, Founder and Artistic Director  

Welcome to the 2022-2023 season and the Ottawa Bach Choir’s 21st season of glorious choral music! The professional ensemble has travelled the world, received national and international recognition, and also won a JUNO award in 2020 for Best Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral, for its album Handel: Dixit Dominus, Bach & Schütz: Motets! Fresh from its return from Bachfest Leipzig 2022 this past June, the choir’s second invitation to the prestigious festival, the OBC presents three concerts, including a Baroque Christmas with music by Heinrich Schütz in commemoration of the 350th anniversary of his death in collaboration with Schützfest, Brahms’ glorious Ein deutsches Requiem in the chamber version for piano four-hands, and a beautiful Spring Serenade with secular part-songs by Haydn, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Ottawa native Nicholas Piper, and more. The choir also releases its 8th album in 2023 on the ATMA Classique label. We are delighted to offer in-person performances, select virtual concerts through our Digital Concert Hall and to share our passion for choral music. Come discover the best that choral music has to offer!

The Ottawa Bach Choir is pleased to offer three magnificent concerts in its 2022-2023 Season Series:

(1) Baroque Christmas, Saturday, November 26, 2022, 8 PM, Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, 355 Cooper St. & OBC’s Digital Concert Hall

(2) Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem, Saturday, March 11, 2023, 8 PM, St. Matthew’s Church, 130 Glebe Ave.

(3) Spring Serenade, Saturday, May 6, 2023, 8 PM, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St.

We are overjoyed to share our passion for choral music with all patrons. Come discover the best that choral music has to offer!

Lisette Canton, Founder and Artistic Director  

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) has won the Outstanding Choral Recording 2020 Award for its recording, Handel: Dixit Dominus; Bach & Schütz: Motets, from Choral Canada. Featuring soloists, countertenor Daniel Taylor, sopranos Kathleen Radke and Kayla Ruiz, and accompanied by the award- winning Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra, the recording was released on the ATMA Classique label and exclaimed as “staggering and movingly performed” (Gramophone Magazine), “among the very best” (American Record Guide) and “awe-inspiring” (The WholeNote).

“We are thrilled to have won this prestigious award and honoured to be in the company of such talented choral musicians from across the country,” says Founder and Artistic Director, Lisette Canton. “Congratulations and sincere thanks to the choir, soloists, Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra, sound engineer Carl Talbot and ATMA Classique!”

Founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, the OBC offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best.

The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious Meet in Beijing arts festival in Beijing, China, in April 2016. In 2014, the choir had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in Bachfest Leipzig 2014.

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca

PANM 360

OTTAWA BACH CHOIR – SIX MOTETS

by Elena Mandolini

“Johann Sebastian Bach’s six motets are part of the well-known repertoire of choral music. Despite (or perhaps thanks to) their great popularity, numerous recordings of these works exist, always offering a renewed listening experience. The Ottawa Bach Choir, under the direction of Lisette Canton, presents an exceptional interpretation of it in its most recent album, released on the ATMA Classique label. Since 2002, the choir has offered an exploration of choral music through the ages, but always keeping Bach’s work at the heart of its repertoire. Joining the choir are musicians Jonathan Oldengram (organ), Matthew Larkin (harpsichord), Lucas Harris (theorbo), Jean-Christophe Lizotte (cello) and Reuven Rothman (double bass). We will appreciate on the album the lively and nuanced interpretation of Bach’s motets. Each voice (human or instrumental) is distinct, we hear all the subtleties of the compositions. But you can also take a step back and appreciate the overall effect, where each detail fits together precisely. The contrast effects and the interpretation of nuances, forte or piano, are very successful and contribute to this dynamism that can be heard throughout the listening. All these elements also create a depth to the sound, which allows you to immerse yourself in listening.”

© April 27, 2023

Who: Ottawa Bach Choir, Lisette Canton, conductor, Jennifer Loveless, organ
Where: St. Matthew’s Church
Reviewed on: Saturday, May 10, 2014 – 8 PM

OTTAWA — Lisette Canton and her Ottawa Bach Choir concluded their 12th season Saturday evening with an eclectic program that will form the backbone of their five-city European tour in June. There was only one work by Bach, but a feast of music from every century from the 16th through the 20th was presented. And a couple of modern folk song arrangements were thrown in as a kind of dessert.

The program’s centrepiece was the Bach Motet, Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225 a work that the choir will sing in Leipzich’s Thomaskirche, the very church where the great composer spent more than half of his career. Although the performance was good, conductor Lisette Canton will probably want to polish up the melisma, and even the intonation in one or two spots in the first movement. The melisma in the Alleluja was excellent

Also on the program were works by Giovanni and Andrea Gabrielli, the latter composer’s Missa Brevis in F being especially beautiful and, like virtually every item on the program, sung to best effect. Palestrina’s Ave Maria for Five Voices was another fine listening experience.

Heinrich Hassler’s Tibi laus, Tibi gloria ushered in a series of German works, two of them by Buxtehude. (The choir will also be performing in Lübeck, where Buxtehude spent most of his working life.) The first of them was a two-movement Missa Brevis, which has a sunny sound for Lutheran church music of the time.

The next was the Toccata in D minor, an organ piece played nicely by Jennifer Loveless who will be accompanying the choir on the tour – accompanying in both senses of the word.

The pearl of the first half of the program was the Deutsches Magnificat by Heinrich Schutz. Schutz was one of the greatest composers of the first decades of the 17th century, and certainly the greatest of the Germans. The Magnificat is a work of the greatest depth and beauty, and Canton and her choir rendered it just so.

Organist Loveless introduced the 19th-century segment with a sonata movement by Mendelssohn, then Canton led the choir in Calmes des nuits by Saint-Saëns.

A selection of works by living composers Rupert Lang, Eric Whitacre and Nicholas Piper followed and were followed in their turn by folk song arrangements by Diane Loomer and Moses Hogan, all of them lovely and even haunting.

By the way, the soloists were all drawn from the choir and were all terrific.

By Wolfgang Adam

“Then at noon in the Thomas Church a musical surprise. Three superb Bach cantatas (BWV 124, 3, 111) performed by a powerful Canadian choir. This ‘Ottawa Bach Choir’ conducted by Lisette Canton showed us that the choral basses can be dominant in the polyphonic network of voices. Not the choir sopranos, but this time the men offered the powerful voiced basis. In the soloist quartet, the baritone was also the star of the performance for me.”

Rezensionen und News nach Beendigung vom Bachfest Leipzig 2022

Dann In der Mittags-Zeit in der Thomas-Kirche eine musikalische Überraschung. Drei hochkarätige Bach-Kantaten( BWV 124,3,111), aufgeführt von einem machtvollen Chor aus Kanada. Dieser ‘Ottawa-Bach-Chor’ unter Lisette Canton zeigte uns, dass die Chorbässe im polyphonen Geflecht der Stimmen die Dominanz haben können. Nicht der Chor-Sopran, sondern diesmal die Männer boten die stimmgewaltige Grundlage. Im Solistenquartet war auch der Bariton für mich der Star der Darbietung.

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) presents its second subscription concert in this season of magnificent choral works: Songs for Chamber Ensemble, Saturday, January 30, 2016, 8:00PM, at Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue, Ottawa. A small ensemble of solo singers from the OBC will perform with pianist Frédéric Lacroix in an intimate setting. The concert will feature Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder, Debussy’s Trois chansons de Charles d’Orléans, Poulenc’s Un soir de neige, as well as works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Ottawa’s own Nicholas Piper, Schütz, Monteverdi, Pearsall, and more.

One of the main features of the evening will be Brahms’ Zigeunerlieder (“Gypsy Songs”). First performed in Berlin in 1898, the piece is a song cycle with texts based on Hungarian folk songs and originally written for solo singers. Although the origin of these songs is Hungarian, the entire cycle is sung in German; the original Hungarian text having been translated into German before the composition by Brahms. Another work of note is Poulenc’s Un soir de neige (“An evening of snow”). The work is another short cycle of sung poems describing the beauty and solitude of winter. This concert also features Deux chansons de la Belle Cordière by Ottawa’s very own Nicholas Piper. 

The Ottawa Bach Choir was founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton and offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best.

The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe; most recently returning from a two-week tour of Venice, Leipzig, Lübeck, Groningen, and Amsterdam. The choir had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, the Bachfest Leipzig 2014. The OBC also recently performed in the much-anticipated Apocalypsis by Canada’s own R. Murray Schafer at the Luminato Festival, Toronto in June 2015.

Ottawa Bach Choir

SONGS FOR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Saturday, January 30, 2016, 8:00PM

Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $50, Adult $40, Senior $35, Student $15

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca, by phone: 613-270-1015, or at the following outlets: The Leading Note, 370 Elgin Street, Ottawa; Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca or 613-270-1015

Join the Ottawa Bach Choir, in collaboration with Ars Nova and the Rideau Club of Ottawa, for a delightful Spring Party, featuring beautiful music performed by the choir, along with delicious hors d’oeuvres, sumptuous desserts, wine and cocktails, and the good company of Ottawa’s cultural, business and diplomatic community, at the prestigious Rideau Club. Space is limited – don’t miss out!

Proceeds from this fundraising event will help support the great work of this world-class choir.

Friday, May 25, 2018, 5:30 PM
Rideau Club
99 Bank Street, Ottawa

Tickets: $85 ($60 tax receipt available upon request)

Who: Ottawa Bach Choir, Lisette Canton, conductor, with Ensemble Caprice
Where: St. Matthew’s Church
Reviewed on: Saturday, November 30, 2013 – 8 PM

OTTAWA — For its season opener, the Ottawa Bach Choir presented an evening of music by four major Baroque composers and one minor one. The minor one, though, bore the name of Bach. That’s no small distinction and there’s no denying that he had a share if the family talent.

The first offering was by Georg Philipp Telemann, who was one of the composers to whom the authorities in Leipzig would offer the job that J. S. Bach eventually got. In fact, Bach was their reluctant third choice.

Telemann’s Motet Saget der ruft Tochter Zion is a nicely centred work with a mature and confident musical language, and conductor Lisette Canton led a vigorous and persuasive account of it.

Johann Friedrich Christophe Bach was Johann Sebastian’s ninth son. His Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme quotes briefly from his father’s cantata of the same name and indeed one can hear the older man’s musical idiom, slightly modern and slightly less genius-laden. It’s still a solid piece. Canton led the choir and members of Ensemble Caprice gave a rendition that brought out the very best in the score, even if the melisma in the first movement was a little unfocused, not sparkling quite as it should have.

Listeners who sometimes find the church music of J.S. Bach a bit dour and difficult generally like that of Dietrich Buxtehude. He was almost 60 years Bach’s senior and wrote in a less-evolved Baroque style which, for some listeners, is more approachable. Canto and company delivered a joyful account of his Alles, was ihr tut. This was the first opportunity the Ensemble Caprice members had to be heard apart from the choir. The second half of the program opened with a Magnificat by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, another pre-Bach composer. Being music written for Catholic France it is different in sound from the German Lutheran repertoire that made up the rest of the evening. As usual the performance was marvellous.

The concert concluded with a cantata by the man himself, J. S. Bach. Generally good solo work and a firm sense of direction made this a fine conclusion to a fine evening.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

DONATE BETWEEN JUNE 1 AND JUNE 30, 2021

The Great Canadian Giving Challenge is a contest sponsored by CanadaHelps that will give the Ottawa Bach Choir a chance to win a $20,000 prize! Every dollar donated between June 1 and June 30 gives the choir another chance at winning the grand prize. All donations will receive a tax receipt issued by CanadaHelps on behalf of the Ottawa Bach Choir.

Please consider giving through this wonderful opportunity so that the OBC can share with you a special 20th anniversary season in 2021-2022. We appreciate your ongoing support during this challenging time and thank you for making the OBC a part of your musical life!

Participate by clicking the link: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/the-ottawa-bach-choir/

The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) launches its newest recording of music by Handel, Bach & Schütz on the ATMA Classique label at a CD Release Party on Friday, December 14, 2018, 7 PM, at the Rideau Club, 99 Bank Street, in Ottawa. The recording comprises stunning music from the baroque period, including Handel’s thrilling Dixit Dominus, Bach’s beautiful motet, Komm, Jesu, komm, BWV 229, and Schütz’ rarely-heard Passion Motets. The choir is accompanied by the baroque orchestra Ensemble Caprice, organist Matthew Larkin and spectacular soloists, including world renowned countertenor Daniel Taylor.

“The music on this CD showcases works by three of the most important composers of the German Baroque period – Handel, Bach and Schütz,” says Founder and Artistic Director Lisette Canton. “While all three remained faithful to their German roots, they also explore devices from the Italian Baroque, brilliantly displayed in Handel’s virtuosic work, Dixit Dominus, and in the motets by Bach and Schütz. The magnificent sound of the choir, soloists and orchestra come together in this fantastic recording.”

The choir has also been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020, as one of eighteen ensembles worldwide asked to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach.

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

Lisette Canton, Conductor

CD Release Party

Friday, December 14, 2018, 7 PM

Rideau Club, 99 Bank Street, 15th Floor, Ottawa

Tickets: $85 – CD included with ticket ($50 tax receipt available upon request)

Tickets available at:

Online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca

Information: www.ottawabachchoir.ca or 613-270-1015

Ottawa (Canada) – The Ottawa Bach Choir (OBC) presents the first concert of its 18^th season of magnificent choral music, A Bach Christmas, on Saturday, November 30, 2019, 7:30 PM, at Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Road, in Toronto; and Sunday, December 1, 2019, 7:30 PM, at Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street, in Ottawa. The concert features festive repertoire for Christmas by Bach, including the cantatas the choir will perform at Bachfest Leipzig 2020, Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht, BWV 124; Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3; Was mein Gott will, das g’scheh allzeit, BWV 111, and more! This spectacular presentation includes the Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra, as well as Canadian soloists, soprano Meredith Hall, countertenor Nicholas Burns, tenor Philippe Gagné and bass Andrew Mahon. 

“The OBC is thrilled to be invited to perform this rarely heard music by Bach at the most prestigious Bach festival in the world, Bachfest Leipzig, in June 2020, and we’ll share this beautiful music for the Christmas season with audiences in Ottawa and Toronto,” says Founder and Artistic Director, Lisette Canton. “You won’t want to miss these brilliant concerts with some of Canada’s most celebrated artists in such inspiring venues.”

The OBC’s seventh CD, Handel: Dixit Dominus, Bach & Schütz: Motets, was released on the ATMA Classique label and exclaimed as “among the very best” (American Record Guide) and “staggering and movingly performed” (Gramophone Magazine). The choir has also been invited to return to the world’s most prestigious international Bach festival, Bachfest Leipzig 2020,as one of a select number of ensembles worldwide (and the only Canadian ensemble) asked to present the entire chorale cantata cycle of Bach, in June 2020.

Founded in 2002 by Dr. Lisette Canton, the OBC offers a wide range of choral music from all historical periods, featuring some of Canada’s top choristers. With the combination of a scholarly and emotional approach, the OBC provides an unforgettable experience of choral music at its best.

The OBC has toured extensively in Canada, the United States, and Europe, and was invited to perform as Canada’s choral representative in the prestigious Meet in Beijing arts festival in Beijing, China, in April 2016. In 2014, the choir had the honour of being the first Canadian choir ever to be among the performers in Bachfest Leipzig 2014.

For interviews and information, please contact:

Dr. Lisette Canton, Founder & Artistic Director, 613-222-1882, lisette.canton@ottawabachchoir.ca

Listing information:

Ottawa Bach Choir

Dr. Lisette Canton, Conductor                                                   

A Bach Christmas

with Ensemble Caprice baroque orchestra and soloists

Saturday, November 30, 2019, 7:30 PM: Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Road, Toronto

Sunday, December 1, 2019, 7:30 PM: Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street, Ottawa

Tickets: Reserved $50, Adult $40, Senior $35, Student $15, Children 12 and under are free

Tickets are available online: www.ottawabachchoir.ca, by phone: 613-270-1015, or at the following outlets:

Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street, Ottawa

Information: info@ottawabachchoir.ca