Parish Choir

The choir of St. John's Anglican Church may not have been in existence since the church's founding in 1842, but music has been the mainstay of the parish worship for many years. The present choir is composed of members of neighbouring universities' music faculties and their graduates, as well as other fine singers who have come into the parish. Under Noel Edison, its conductor for the past twenty years, the choir leads the congregation in Choral Mattins twice monthly, in the occasional Evensong and in the Choral Eucharist on other Sundays. Its repertoire is extensive with an emphasis on contemporary Canadian and European music. In 1989 the choir received the Healy Willan Award granted by the Canada Council. In the summer of 2000, the St. John's Church choir toured England, where they were in residence at St. Paul's Cathedral, at Coventry Cathedral, St. George's Chapel in Windsor and also at Leicester Cathedral. In the summer of 2005, the choir was invited back to sing the daily services for a week at St. Paul's Cathedral in London England, and at Canterbury Cathedral.

The Choir has four CDs currently available - Psalms for the Soul, Faire is the Heaven, Christmas Presence and Hymns from Elora. A new CD entitled Hear My Prayer, featuring soprano soloist Karina Gauvin, will be released in May 2006. The choir just finished recording a second Psalms CD entitled Psalms for the Spirit due for release in 2007.