Director Pierre Featured in the Ottawa Citizen - and Concert Reviews

Thanks to Lynn Saxberg, Arts editor of the Ottawa Citizen newspaper for the wonderful interview with Pierre which graced the cover of the Arts section on Saturday Dec 3rd!

This assured a successful Christmas concert season for the choir. Both concerts at Southminster United Church and St. Columba Anglican were packed (with a little space considering the pandemic) 

Early reviews of the concerts state unequivocally that the masks did not get in the way of the sound.

What a relief to hear!

Dec 14, 2022 - David Rain 

What a delight it was to hear you guys live last nite, after such a long gap!

So many familiar carols, I found it really tough to resist singing along, having memorized most of the tenor parts of course. 😊

It was really cool to hear you sing Carol of the Bells in Ukrainian, hope that becomes a lasting tradition.

My other favourites were Personent Hodie, En el portel (you guys were rocking!), Un flambeau, Dors ma colombe, and then it is a toss up for me which I liked better, they were both so good: Psallite or the Breton carol, a real winner, that one should come back again too!

The imaginative concert program design was just about the best I’ve seen, Dr Brynaert, I presume?

Keith, your song introductions were brilliant, and there were lots of chuckles in my 

section toward the back.

And Holly, your “cloaking devices” have definitely stood the test of time, and with 

the matching masks, you all looked great on stage.

Speaking of masks, I take mine off to salute you all, having been to 6 choral concerts this year, I have observed how tough it can be to sing just one a cappella piece with masks, but a whole program, that’s a major physical achievement, on its own terms. Plus, you achieved what few others could, a really good articulation of the words, you must have worked long and hard on that.

Again, thank you for a wonderful experience last nite, shared by a couple hundred 

other souls, so glad you got a full house.

Greetings to all!

David

Dec 14, 2022 - MC, Keith Bailey

Thank you for the invitation to MC the Christmas concerts. Such an honour for me; it's greatly appreciated.

I was amazed at the quality of singing (and for almost 90 minutes!) through those damp and muffling masks.  Well done everyone. The repertoire was perfectly chosen for the occasion and locations.

Please convey my congratulations and appreciation to Pierre, the Steering Committee, and the members. 

With my best wishes to you all for Christmas and The New Year,

Keith

Spring 2023 Auditions - Sing with us!

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie created our a cappella choir in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. With wins in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions, we are ranked among the best of Ontario choirs. 

A registered Canadian charity, The Carollers also help local charities with net proceeds from concert tickets, CDs, Digital Downloads and Streaming sales.  Since 1997 we have donated over $143,800 to local charities and scholarships.

Southminster Concert was the perfect start to my Christmas season!

Our first Xmas concert in 3 years was about to happen! I was a bit concerned about the look of the masks with our cheerful Christmassy cloaks, but no worries we were still cute as buttons ( cloak buttons that is) .

The sound was not affected either by the masks, according to our MC (former bass, but forever Stairweller, Keith). Thanks for being a great MC! We love you!

Warmup time! Pete runs us though the beginnings of all the songs before we go on and hums the first note of the first carol to us all the way till we enter.

 What a great beginning to a new chapter! Southminster was a resounding success! A lovely, warm and generous audience (even some in the choir loft!) and our new members shone!

Denyse said it best " I don't know how long I've been in the choir, it's many years, but this is a brand new choir! And all the new people are Stairwell Carollers just like me! This is your choir"

I just realized our green caroling cloaks are 24 years old! 

I made them 24 years ago!!! Oh... my... goodness...

Well, not ALL of them. Some were made through the years as the group grew larger, but they have weathered very well, and still look fresh and festive. Vogue patterns are the BEST!

Oh, and you may have noticed, the men are in much newer black cloaks - about ten years ago we needed more and surprise - the green fleece was NO LONGER AVAILABLE! 

I was freaking out at that point. We made an executive decision - I think it was Pete who said we could just use black for the guys - luckily the red fleece was still available.

Here is a link to a blog post I did about making the cloaks

But, I digress... 

More thanks are in order!

Thanks to David Ayer (bass) and his crew for lighting and tech setup!

No pics of the concert yet, but we have video "in the can" thanks to Michèle Auger, with closeups by Drew. Combined with professional audio recorded by our old friend Tom Barnes, Pierre will create YouTube videos to upload for next Christmas. I'll try to pull some stills to post from the video if no photos were taken.

And, many many thanks to our CD table and front of house people, headed by Matthieu Brennan.

Looking forward to our final concert of 2022 - this Wednesday at 7:30, St. Columba church 24 Sandridge Rd. Ottawa. 

Online is almost SOLD OUT !

LAST CHANCE Tickets at the door $25 - NO RESERVED SEATING, doors open at 7:00pm.

See you there!

Auditions - Join us!

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie created our a cappella choir in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. With wins in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions, we are ranked among the best of Ontario choirs. 

A registered Canadian charity, The Carollers also help local charities with net proceeds from concert tickets, CDs, Digital Downloads and Streaming sales.  Since 1997 we have donated over $143,800 to local charities and scholarships.

Stream Carols for Christmas - Vol 1, 2 and NEW Vol 3 - the Stairwell Carollers ONLY FROM US!

DID YOU KNOW....

A wide selection of the Stairwell Carollers beautiful music is available for streaming on your favourite streaming service!

Wow, right?

NEW FOR 2022, Carols for Christmas Volume 3 

STREAM ON SPOTIFY

Spotify - The Stairwell Carollers

Spotify - Pierre Massie and The Stairwell Carollers

 

STREAM ON APPLE MUSIC

Apple music - The Stairwell Carollers

Apple Music  - Pierre Massie

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD PURCHASE ON ITUNES

NOT AVAILABLE FROM 3RD PARTY WEBSITES 

DON'T BE SCAMMED

As always, funds from music streams go directly to the Stairwell Caroller charity.

Auditions - Join us!

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie created our a cappella choir in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. With wins in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions, we are ranked among the best of Ontario choirs. 

A registered Canadian charity, The Carollers also help local charities with net proceeds from concert tickets, CDs, Digital Downloads and Streaming sales.  Since 1997 we have donated over $143,800 to local charities and scholarships.

Noël en 7 langues chanté a cappella - Concerts - Les Chanteurs Stairwell

2022 CONCERTS NOËL

 le samedi 10 décembre

Église unie Southminster,

15, avenue Aylmer, Ottawa, 19h30

Obtenir des billets pour le samedi 10 décembre

le mercredi 14 décembre

Église anglicane St. Columba,

24, rue Sandridge, Ottawa, 19h30.

Obtenir des billets pour le mercredi 14 décembre

Obtenez nos enregistrements professionnels ICI

NOS CD ET MP3 SERONT DISPONIBLES À L'ACHAT À TOUS NOS CONCERTS

Au sujet des Chanteurs Stairwell:

C'est en 1977 que notre ensemble vocal naît de l'initiative de Pierre Massie, un étudiant en musique à l'Université d'Ottawa. En tant que lauréats des concours de l'Ontario Music Festival Association de 2010 et 2013, nous pouvons affirmer que nous nous classons parmi les meilleures chorales de l'Ontario.

Nous sommes un organisme de bienfaisance canadien enregistré et les recettes de nos concerts, de la vente de CD, de téléchargements et de streaming nous permettent d'aider notre communauté. Ainsi, depuis 1997, nous avons remis plus de 143 800 $ en dons à des organismes caritatifs locaux et en bourses d'études.

2022 Stairwell Caroller CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERTS - Dec 10th, 14th

Saturday December 10

Southminster United Church,

15 Aylmer Ave, Ottawa, 7:30pm.

Wednesday December 14

St. Columba Church,

24 Sandridge Rd, Ottawa, 7:30pm.

2022 CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERTS

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR DEC 10TH

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR DEC 14TH

  Get our professional recordings HERE.

OUR CDS AND MP3S WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT ALL OUR CONCERTS

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie created our a cappella choir in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. With wins in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions, we are ranked among the best of Ontario choirs. 

A registered Canadian charity, The Carollers also help local charities with net proceeds from concert tickets, CD and cookbook sales.  Since 1997 we have donated over $143,800 to local charities and scholarships.

O nata lux - Christmas Carols LIVE - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

 NEW FOR CHRISTMAS 2022 

/ NOUVEAU POUR 2022 NOËL

O nata lux - Christmas Carols LIVE

Our second LIVE in concert Virtual CD specially produced to celebrate the Stairwell Carollers 45th Anniversary. Only available as an MP3 digital download. 

No waiting, no shipping!

2022 CHRISTMAS CONCERTS

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR DEC 10TH

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR DEC 14TH

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie created our a cappella choir in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. With wins in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions, we are ranked among the best of Ontario choirs. 

A registered Canadian charity, The Carollers also help local charities with net proceeds from concert tickets, CD and cookbook sales.  Since 1997 we have donated over $143,800 to local charities and scholarships.

Choral Workshop with Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor - a Soprano's Take

At the end of April 2022, the Stairwell Carollers did a choral workshop with invited guest Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor, professional choral director and former member of Chanticleer.

Gabe, as he is affectionately known by the choir, had done masterclasses with the Carollers back in 2018 and 2019. After months of pandemic isolation he returned in 2022. Nothing in the world would stop the choir members and their director, Pierre Massie, from missing an opportunity to spend several days with Gabe.

So, here I am, new chorister with the Stairwell Carollers, and not particularly sure of myself. Choir members patiently await Gabe's arrival. He's a master, a specialist in his field, with a doctorate in choral conducting?

Ooof. Really?

What am I getting myself into here? I'm fine...take a deep breath, keep an open mind, after all, it's only one weekend...

Can you guess where I'm going with this? The workshop was just SUPERB, my performance improved by 150%, and the pandemic blues became a thing of the past. Well, not quite! Yes, Gabe is a master professor for sure. Genuine and sincere, he shares his expertise with humour, humility and simplicity, in a way that reaches everyone and unites the choir in song. While respecting Pierre's excellent work, Gabe helped us hone our spring repertoire and sometimes, imagine the songs in a different way. The workshop was also full of practical tips that come up regularly at our Wednesday evening rehearsals.

Still intimidated? Uh, of course, but I also loved the experience. We worked hard, but we also laughed a lot and shared some amazing food (outdoors, of course). The pandemic-related challenges we face are still with us, but what a boost to the group's morale and energy level!

When's the next workshop?

by: Anita Beaudette

**********************************************************************************

JOIN US 

↑FOR AN OPEN REHEARSAL

Wed Nov 2nd 2022↑

OTTAWA AREA PICK UP FOR CD PURCHASES!

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie created our a cappella choir in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. With wins in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions, we are ranked among the best of Ontario choirs. 

A registered Canadian charity, The Carollers also help local charities with net proceeds from concert tickets, CD and cookbook sales.  Since 1997 we have donated over $143,800 to local charities and scholarships.

Press Release - OTTAWA’S STAIRWELL CAROLLERS SEEK TENORS, BASSES AND SOPRANOS

OTTAWA’S STAIRWELL CAROLLERS SEEK TENORS, SOPRANOS AND BASSES 

One of Ottawa’s most beloved choirs, The Stairwell Carollers, is expanding its tenor and bass sections by welcoming new members. 

Now in its 45th year, this fully vaccinated choir has resumed in-person rehearsals in Manor Park since spring 2022. Using the church pews with assigned seating ensures the choir is able to follow provincial COVID guidelines as well as provide added safety for members. 

Last fall, the Carollers staged a virtual Christmas concert. 

We are hoping the Christmas concerts for 2022 can be in-person.

Pierre Massie, creator and director of The Stairwell Carollers (who also sings in the tenor section) chose a variety of choral favourites as the repertoire for the choir’s past Spring season concert June 4th, 2022. 

Read Maggie's joyful response to her concert experience.

The Carollers also arranged a series of in-person Masterclass workshops for the choir in the last week of April 2022 with choral expert Gabriel Lewis O'Conner (formerly of Chanticleer) - a great time was had by all! Workshop post to come :)

 Since its most recent in-person concert in December 2019, The Stairwell Carollers have performed only as a virtual choir with Premiere videos on YouTube.  Each choir member submitted their video and Massie edited together the virtual concert. “Singing alone at home is nothing like performing for a live audience,” says Massie. “Now that we’re back to in-person rehearsals, it’s been gratifying to hear our voices come together in harmony again and enjoy the camaraderie and social interaction unique to a small choral ensemble.” 

However, the choir needs more tenors, sopranos and basses and is now on an active search for new voices.

 “I want to continue pushing our musical repertoire with more challenging pieces and that demands a balance of voices for the multiple parts and complex harmonies,” says Massie. The Carollers are reaching out to tenors and basses looking for a safe, fully vaccinated choral ensemble to sing with. 

A solid voice, a good ear, a great attitude, and proof of vaccination are all candidates need to qualify. Reading music is an asset but not a necessity. Auditions for tenors, sopranos and basses continue until end of August 2022 or until positions are filled. 

Auditions are held via Zoom, Skype or FaceTime with a possibility of some in person auditions end of August 2022. During the audition, the candidate must have access to software to read PDFs and play mp3 audio files. 

Contact Holly at info@stairwellcarollers.com to set up your audition time

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie created the a cappella choir, The Stairwell Carollers, in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. With wins in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions, they are ranked among the best of Ontario choirs. 

A registered Canadian charity, The Stairwell Carollers help local charities with net proceeds from concert tickets, CD and cookbook sales.  Since 1997 they have donated over $143,800 to local charities and scholarships.