New to the Stairwell, and loving it!

New Stairwell Carollers - Cathy and Celina

 
Cathy: It is such a pleasure to sing with the Stairwell Carollers! I joined through audition a couple of months ago. 

Celina: Stairwell Carollers is the first a capella choir where I participate, therefore, it’s challenging, but amazing at the same time.
 

What’s your first impression of our director and founder of the choir, Pierre Massie? 

 

Cathy: Pierre Massie is a retired music teacher who has been directing the choir for 45 years now. He has a great deal of musical experience and is very dedicated to the choir.

 

Celina: I feel that only in 3 months my level has improved... and I still have a lot of work to do!

How do you like our repertoire for Christmas 2022?

 
Cathy: The repertoire is wonderful. The music is challenging and fun but not extremely difficult. Pierre is a talented composer and has written or arranged some of the beautiful pieces himself. Choir members are encouraged to give their input into the repertoire for the next term.

Could you describe the choir in a few words?

Cathy: I would describe the choir as an advanced, high-caliber choir.

Celina: It’s being a long time since I was in a choir where I had to practice almost every day, but when our voices mix together, the result is so beautiful that all the effort is worth it! 

First impressions of being a Stairweller?

Cathy: We are expected to gain a preliminary grasp of the music on our own, with the help of recordings and music software, which allows us to isolate our own part and reduce the speed, as necessary. Our time in rehearsals focuses on dynamics, working through difficult parts and polishing the sound.

 Celina: My very first time singing with the choir I was super impressed of the quality of the voices and how everybody puts a big effort to be prepared for the rehearsals.

What’s the organization of the chorale like?

 
Cathy: Everything is extremely well organized. Members know dates of concerts and rehearsals far in advance and a weekly update from the director keeps everyone well informed. At the beginning of the term, members are told specifically which pieces will be worked on at each rehearsal, which makes it much easier to prepare.

Celina: I am impressed with the way our together time every week is more productive (compared to other choirs where I sang with in the past).

Tell me some things you really love about the choir so far.

 
Cathy: Over the years, the choir has given a significant amount of money towards scholarships and donations to local charities.
It is a well-disciplined choir. Everyone is very friendly, but chatting during rehearsals is kept to a minimum.  The choir makes efforts to welcome newcomers and social events are being planned so that members get to know each other.

Celina: I’m very grateful for the patience that the carollers have with my volume, with my accent, with my high notes, thank you everybody for contributing and help me somehow to become a real caroller at the same level!

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.

Sad Departure - The Stairwell Interviews

It's not always that when a singer departs, she leaves a gaping hole in our hearts. 
That rhymes! How fitting! Katherine style. 
I'll mostly miss her devilishly adorable sense of humour, her dancing with and miming out song lyrics, her fantastic crochet and knit creations, her beautiful photos - and, well, just HER. 
XO Holly

It seems so appropriate that I get to bookend my time in the Stairwell Carollers with a "choral boot camp," first at the Galilee Centre in 2018 when I had just joined the Carollers, and again now in the spring of 2022 as I prepare to depart Ottawa.

 These sessions brought a concentrated, focused enjoyment to singing and a more profound understanding of the music, alongside a very physical awareness of sound. It’s an addictive feeling and also a familiar one, because it condenses the experience of every single Stairwell Carollers rehearsal. 

Pete fills each Wednesday night with intensity and purpose; he points out the interplay of voices in the music, plays with interpretation to bring out different aspects of each song, and encourages everyone to hear imperfections in tone and blend, smoothing them away to create something pure. 

Of course, this couldn’t happen without the Carollers themselves, every one of them warm and funny and generous, who come together with hard work and good humor* to make Pete’s vision happen (as best we can).

Singing with the group has the feeling of finally snapping in the correct puzzle piece: it’s so perfect and incredibly satisfying. I didn't know what to expect when my family was posted to Ottawa, but I cannot tell you how lucky I feel to have become involved with this amazing choir, led by this exacting and exciting director, who every season gathers a repertoire that challenges and delights. 

Of all the things I expected to gain from my Canadian experience, a deeper and more nuanced appreciation for choral music was roughly nowhere on the list, and I am stupidly grateful for it. The past couple of years turned out to be challenging, but being able to sing with the Carollers has been a joy, and to have had their friendship and music to rely on during this time was an absolute gift.

*I know you Canadians spell it “humour” but I have to stand my ground.

by Katherine Marek

Auditions still ongoing until August 2022 - we are especially searching for tenor and bass voices. And maybe an alto...

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.

The Stairwell Interviews - Maggie - soprano, alto, teacher - she does it all!

Since submitting this to me many moons ago, Maggie has become invaluable to the choir for much more than her beautiful voice. We record the audio at each rehearsal and she creates a definitive rehearsal time code sheet for each one.  The recordings are our Virtual Choir and her indexing helps so much when we want to rehearse at home. She also monitors pages and links for the website and does the occasional writing assignment too.

She has sung with us now for ten years :)

Thanks, Maggie, for all you do!
1. I, Margaret-Anne "Maggie" Park have been/was with the Stairwell Carollers for five seasons.

I currently sing soprano 1 and/or soprano 2, but I joined as an alto 2 (and sang alto 1 on one concert, without rehearsing for it <gulp!>).

2. Some people play golf, throw pottery on a wheel, write Blogs -- why did you choose to sing? 

I have a lot of hobbies, but singing is like reclaiming a part of my soul that had been missing for a long time, since I hadn't sung regularly since graduating from university nearly 30 years ago, until I joined two choirs (apart from a one-year stint with another choir).

3. Why choral music? 
I love to hear the interweaving of harmonies -- actually, I love being *part* of the interweaving harmonies. Why not Hip-hop or Opera? Hmm -- if they somehow come up with a hip-hop or operatic group that focuses on pure pitching without grunting or vibrato, I might possibly consider it.... What is different about singing a cappella? You don't get to cheat on the notes -- you have to rely on yourself and those around you to keep true to pitch, without vibrato, which is an interesting intellectual exercise that has the amazing reward of creating collectively pure joy and emotion through music. It's a lot of work, but incredibly rewarding, to be part of a collective mind that can produce this type of unique music. Aside from the obvious -- that there is no piano or orchestra...

4. What brought you to the Stairwell Carollers? 

As I was coming home on the bus from university, I happened to see a sign advertising the Ottawa Folk Choir, and it struck me how much fun it would be to sing in a group again. However, since that choir met on a night that I was not available, I decided to see what other local choirs there were. I chanced on two that appealed to me, and emailed both about becoming a member. Alas, Stairwell Carollers did not have any openings for female voices at the time but the secretary offered to keep in touch if they needed female voices. And, at the end of the next summer, I was contacted. I'd been singing soprano 1 for a year with the other choir, but Stairwell was looking for altos. Fortunately, I'd actually been singing alto most of my life, and I have a nearly three octave range, so I was able to audition, was accepted, and have been enjoying the purity of sound ever since! On the spiritual side, I feel closer to the Creator when singing liturgical music, especially when we sound like only one voice per part. The feeling is indescribable to one who has never felt that close to baring one's soul for the enlightenment of others; to bring a composer's work into being is incredibly satisfying -- *almost* as good as dark chocolate!

5. Anything else of Note? (pun intended)

When singing soprano 2, I habitually sing while standing on a box, or a hastily-improvised raised platform which challenges my sense of balance and my fear of falling and breaking my leg again. ;o)

6. Have you had a Stairwell Caroller “Ah-Ha” moment you can relate?

Listening to the master of "Cantate Domino" and being blown away at how good we sound!

7. Sum up our director, Pete, in three words or less... or more... 

Visionary; driven; teacher.

I Knew I had Found the Right Choir

Christoph, bass:
An interview by David Rain, tenor

How long have you been with the Stairwell Carollers, Christoph?

This is my third season with the Carollers – I joined in January 2016.

What led you to want to join the choir? What was your own singing experience before you joined us?

Music and singing have always been a big part of my social life and my involvement in churches. In the past I’ve been part of a number of choirs, from church choirs and smaller groups to big symphonic choirs. Before I joined the Carollers I hadn’t been actively making music for some years. I felt that I was spending too much time at work and that I needed a better work-life balance, and I was missing the joy and the sense of community that comes from singing together. What drew me to the Carollers instead of other choirs were the a cappella singing, the repertoire, and the quality of the performances I saw on YouTube.

Tell us a bit about your own audition experience and how you were feeling.

I was a bit nervous, mainly because I didn’t quite know what to expect, because (like most people) I’m not too fond of “exam” situations, and because at the time my voice was not in the best shape. There was no reason to be nervous though – Pierre and the other members of the audition committee were very friendly, and the (individual) audition didn’t take long and went quite well. I gave a rousing rendition of the German national anthem, as that was one of the few songs I knew by heart. The second part of the audition process (attending a rehearsal) was lots of fun. I knew I had found the right choir.

It's our 40th anniversary this year. Please share any highlights you have had during your time with the Stairwell Carollers.

I find it amazing that the choir has existed for such a long time. I am in my mid-30s now, and the fact that Pierre and Holly and Denyse and others were singing together before I was born and are still singing together is quite remarkable. Since I’ve been with the choir for just over two years now, my list of highlights is probably shorter than that of long-term members. Singing in the National Gallery last year was cool. I generally like that we sing in various different venues across Ottawa as it helps me get to know the city better. Having been part of the executive committee for the last 1.5 years has also opened my eyes to the many cool things that happen behind the scenes – be it concert planning, PR and social media outreach, or our student scholarships and charity donations. It’s been inspiring to see the commitment from so many choir members to these causes.

Are there any special songs that we're singing this spring that you'd like to talk about or share your feelings about?

Abendlied by Rheinberger has always been one of my favourite a cappella works, and I am delighted to sing it again this season. Having sung the bass part in last year’s Spring season, I am now very much enjoying the baritone part. The fact that it is in German, my native tongue, certainly increases the appeal of this song for me.

Sneak preview of Abendlied:

Any other thoughts you'd like to share?

I am glad to have joined the Stairwell Carollers – singing with the choir has brought me much joy, and I have met some really great people through my engagement with the choir. Thanks to all who’ve made it a super experience so far!

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. 

A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. 
Net proceeds benefit charity.

I have been singing since I could do the dishes - Manon, alto

Manon Kapeller reflects on the choir’s 40th anniversary:
An interview by David Rain, tenor

Manon, how long have you been with the Stairwell Carollers? 

Since 2015.

What led you to want to join the choir? What was your own singing experience before you joined us? 

I sang in my church choir with my mom and then with my sister and mom. I have been singing since I could do dishes! After supper we would have tea and then we would sing while we washed and dried the dishes. Tradition!

Tell us about your audition experience and how you felt. 

My sister Elise was approached by Denyse, a long time member, who sometimes sang with our choir because she knew our church choir director. So Elise, big sister, dragged me to the auditions. I had never auditioned before and the only song I could think of and know by heart apart from church songs was “Oh Canada!” Well I admit I was a bit nervous - but with the help of already competent choir members, they gave me the confidence I needed. That is what belonging to a choir really means to me. Uplifting and supporting each other.

My mom and I had seen the Stairwellers several times and I remembered thinking I could sing their songs and then bam, surprise, out of nowhere, Pierre would lead the choir from behind his binder. Nothing subtle there, about the rhythm being kept, leading the singers with a twitch or head movement, into some kind of weird, wonderful, unattainable melody movement.

Lol, all the choir members just looked like it was nothing for them to do. And me listening, feeling confident at first, that I could maybe join, and then crashing after hearing something I thought I could never do.

Imagine how surprised and pleased I was when I was accepted. I could not have done the impossible. I went into the audition nervous and not able to imagine pulling off some of the beautiful renditions I had heard, so here I am today still not able to believe it.
 
It's our 40th anniversary this year. Please share any highlights you have had during your time with the Stairwell Carollers.

Highlights! Apart from feeling thrown into the most unbelievable experiences. First audition, then recording a CD, and enjoying company with some pretty amazingly talented persons.

Are there any special songs that we're singing this spring that you'd like to talk about or share your feelings about? 

“Tabula rasa” and so many more!

Any other thoughts you'd like to share? 
 
I wished my mom could have been there to hear me sing.

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. 

A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. 
Net proceeds benefit charity.

Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops! 

Nous sommes son instrument - Denyse, soprano

Denyse Mageau, soprano,  reflects on the choir’s 40th anniversary: 
An interview by David Rain, tenor

Denyse, how long have you been singing?

J'ai commencé à chanter dans une chorale à l'âge de 4 ans. Maman dirigeait un récital pour la paroisse Sacré Coeur à Sturgeon Falls. Au programme : « Puisqu'il y a des roses, il faut croire au bonheur. »

Here I am 76 years later still singing about roses in Pierre Massie's choir. 

Audio: Tom Barnes.  Recorded at St. Barnabas Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, June 3th, 2017.

Videographers: Richard Auger, Andrew Mason
Editing: Pierre Massie
Photos: Holly Massie

And thank you, David, for your beautiful arrangement of “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen.” How lucky I am!

Here is a rehearsal snippet of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen from our Choral Cacophony Podcast

When and how did you join the Stairwell Carollers?

La musique m'a permis de rencontrer Pierre en 1977. Sans nous connaître, nous chantions dans la chorale de l'Université d'Ottawa. Un autre ténor, Pierre Chartrand, nous a invités à joindre son ensemble vocal à l'occasion d'un synode des évêques à la cathédrale. Coup de foudre pour le style a cappella!

At that time, Pierre Massie had started singing with a few friends in the stairwells for Ottawa U students. He invited me to join them. “Next year,” I promised.

Thus, I never had to audition to join the Stairwell Carollers! That was in 1978!

Why have you stayed so long in the choir, what is special to you about the Stairwell Carollers?

Comment expliquer ma persévérence? C'est un bonheur de chanter dans une chorale bilingue dont l'âge des choristes s'étend de 20 à 80 ans.  Plutôt exceptionnel n'est-ce pas?

Why am I still here? From eight members, we have grown to thirty and from caroling, we have evolved to sophisticated concert programs in different languages.

Tell us what you think about choir director Pierre Massie.

The Stairwell Carollers are not just good, they are very good, and Pierre Massie is not just very good, he is excellent, always striving for perfection. (Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.)

À chaque nouvelle génération de chanteurs, Pierre transmet sa passion pour la musique de façon infatigable. Nous sommes son instrument. Malgré un répertoire de plus en plus difficile, je suis toujours ébahie de l'évolution de notre prestation du début de la saison à la finale du concert.

Every concert sends me on a high that lingers for hours, even days.

How long do you intend to keep on singing?

Singing with this choir is pure joy. No wonder. Every one is younger than I am. Our ages range from 20 to 80 years old: isn’t that special? I hope to sing with you, David,  for the choir’s 50th anniversary, but by then, I'll need to be sitting in a chair.

For the choir’s Christmas gala concert, you sponsored a song, I believe.

Oui, c’est un arrangement de Pierre, un petit bijou, en souvenir de celle qui m'a initiée au chant choral, ma mère, Cécile Bélanger.

Now, relax and close your eyes for that little gem...

Audio: Tom Barnes.  Recorded at Knox Presbyterian Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dec 16th, 2016.
Videographers: Gert-Jan van Heuzen, Andrew Mason

Editing: Pierre Massie

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.

The Stairwell Interviews - Lyndsay, alto - Solo Saturday

Lyndsay, welcome to the Stairwell Carollers! 

Can you tell us a bit about what it was that made you want to join our choir?

I first heard about this group in December. A friend of mine in the Bytown Voices, the other choir I sing with, was helping to usher this concert and asked if I wanted to usher as well. I love choir music and I knew that ushering was a great way to get involved as well as learn about other choirs in the Ottawa area. Plus, a free choir concert is a free choir concert. So of course, I said yes.

During the concert, once my ushering duties were done, I noticed that Pierre was a composer and arranger and that there were even composers in the group. It seemed like the type of environment I needed to be in.

Then I saw the ad on Kijiji in January and decided that I needed to audition.

It's been 25 years since I had my own audition with the Carollers, but I remember being very nervous at the time, as I had just spent a decade in Africa (Tanzania) and hadn't sung in a choir in years. Tell us a bit about your own audition and how you were feeling.

I hadn’t auditioned for a choir since 2012. I auditioned for a large choir in my hometown and was accepted. But I only stayed for one year before I was accepted into my University of choice, which, as a voice major, required me to be in the University choir. So I was nervous about this audition. I knew it was a smaller group and that it was specifically a cappella music. But I was confident.

You've only had a few weeks of rehearsals, but perhaps already you have some favourite songs that we'll be singing this spring? 

Abendlied was a pleasant surprise for me. I have often found singing choral music in German to be a chore ( All those consonants!) But I absolutely love the sound of this one. I’m also looking forward to Northern Lights, particularly because it favours the altos.

Tell us a bit about your own singing background. Have you sung in a cappella choirs before? What challenges do you face being in this kind of a choir, and what do you like most about the experience?

While I have never sung in a choir that only performed a cappella music, my university choir sang many pieces without accompaniment. As some have already learned, I hail from North Carolina, where I received my BA in music composition with voice as my primary instrument at Campbell University. Before that, I sang in my high school choir for two years and before that, I took piano lessons.

Music has always been a part of my life, however, as I have grown as a composer, I have found my niche in writing for the voice. I believe the voice has so much to offer. That is part of the appeal of an a cappella choir for me. That being said, every choir I have been a part of, from a University choir where eighty percent of the singers are music majors, to a community choir where few have any sort of musical training at all, we have always used a piano in rehearsal. Which is great for pieces accompanied by piano. So it is interesting to be part of a choir that relies solely on the voice.

Any other thoughts you'd like to share?

I am just excited to be here!

Interview by David Rain

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. 

A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity.

Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops! 

Interview with the Director Part 3 - Milestones and Moments

An interview with Pierre Massie - Director and founder of The Stairwell Carollers - on the choir's 40th Anniversary

Part 3 - Milestones and Moments                        Part 1              Part 2

1. I understand that the first half of your choir's 40th anniversary season has been a rousing success, with record- breaking Xmas concert attendance, CD sales, and a special 40th anniversary $3000 donation to the Shepherds of Good Hope.  Could you share a few thoughts on what the first half of the season has meant to you.  

I had a very good feeling about the first part of our 40th season.  I'm thrilled that our audience has increased over the years.  For me, standing there singing with the choir, it was really special.  I loved hearing what our guest MCs said about their experiences with the Stairwell Carollers. "Brought a tear to me eye".

2. To finish off the 40th season, I understand you have programmed a special May workshop and concert in Arnprior. Could  you tell us a bit about that, why the workshop, why Arnprior, and who have you invited as your guest facilitator.  

I was looking for a workshop retreat where choir members could spend several days in full choral mode. A chance to absorb and learn and grow. To get that experience, we needed a venue that was away from home base.  In our research we found a gorgeous nature retreat in Arnprior.  It's the perfect setting to focus while enjoying nature.  Two of the best ways to feed one's spirit.

This was also a chance for us to invite a celebrity choral clinician to run through a few workshop with us. Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor, a classically trained singer and choral director from Seattle, will be flying down for the event.  Gabe sang with the professional vocal ensemble Chanticleer, and has his master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Video of Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor singing with Chanticleer - from his website.

The last of the three workshop will be in combination with approximately 30 of Glebe Collegiate's singers. Rachel Handley, the director of the four Glebe choirs will be joining us for the weekend and her students will travel to Arnprior on Saturday, for an afternoon workshop with our clinician.

The whole event will culminate in a concert at St Chrysostom church on Saturday May 5 at 8pm. Each of the choirs will perform selections and for the final part, will combine in a mass choir to sing 4 pieces.  Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor will join the basses and will sing Hostias, a solo from Fauré's requiem, while the choirs accompany in the background.  It'll all end with the "O Domine" from the same work - both of which I adapted for a cappella voices.

3. The Arnprior workshop/concert also features choirs (or is it one choir?) from Glebe Collegiate, where you used to  teach. How meaningful is that connection for you? I understand you have mentored many Glebe students in the Stairwell  Carollers adult choir, that's kind of cool. Are any of them still singing in the choir, or in other choirs?  

Pete grins while ex-Glebe Stairwellers pose thug-style

Over the course of several years, the carollers have had 7 Glebe singers in the group. One of them is still with us - now in his sixth year with the choir.  Others sang between 5 and 10 years with the group. All of these were former students in the instrumental program which I taught at Glebe - and many of them were part of Offbeat - the stomp-like percussion group I started in 2001. It means a lot to me that my students wanted to keep up the connection even after my retirement. The 30 Glebe singers that will be joining us in Arnprior for this event are selected from Glebe's Full, Concert, Chamber, and Man choirs.

4. After Arnprior, you have scheduled two concerts in the Ottawa area. Tell us a bit about the type of program you have  assembled. I know your Xmas program was all-Canadian to celebrate Canada's 150th. What led you to choose the pieces  you've selected for the spring program, and are there any personal stories behind any of them, special connections, or  particular challenges that you wanted the choir to explore and overcome?  

The program for the May and June concerts is made up of secular and sacred songs from all eras.  It makes for a varied program that keeps our audiences well entertained.

Program suggestions are made by the members and from that, I choose songs from previous years and add new works to challenge the group. Adding secular contemporary works provides that challenge in spades. In terms of Canadian content the group will perform my award-winning Eya, eya, gaudeamus and a very challenging arrangement by David Rain, one of our tenors, which we will be premiering at our May concert.

5. I know the choir is still fundraising to support the remaining 40th anniversary activities. What message would you  like to send to prospective donors to encourage their support?  

Our 40th anniversary workshops aim to engage both adult and young community members in an enriching choral experience - improving technical and artistic excellence and helping to inspire singers to continue studying music and singing in choral groups.

The youth singers will receive the double benefit of the master classes themselves, while also singing alongside an experienced adult choir, the Stairwell Carollers. We also consider it important that all members of the choir and all interested Glebe  Collegiate vocal students be able to attend.  To this end we ask for donations to not only cover the workshop expenses but to cover expenses of participants regardless of individual financial situations. When workshops of this nature are provided to high school students, everyone is required to pay a fee. We want to avoid having to do this and so we are approaching all communities to help make this happen.

We have currently raised over $11,000 and need another $4000 to reach our goal. Donations can be made on our website.

6. Any final thoughts on this 40th anniversary season? Will you be taking a long rest after this exhausting season, or  are you already eagerly awaiting the next batch of new songs to test out during your 41st season?  

I'm always eager to see what our upcoming repertoire will be. I think that it has been a very productive and satisfying 40th year and I always look forward to a the rest between seasons. Starting in May, I will again ask for suggestions for Xmas repertoire from the choir members and I have a couple of new carol arrangements to try out as well. David's work "In natali" will certainly be on the list.

I also look forward to start up every season, as it's always so satisfying to commune with fellow singers in the spirit of song.

Thanks Pete
Thank you David!

Part 1 Part 2

About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie began our a cappella choir way back in 1977 while studying music at Ottawa U. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. 

A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales. Net proceeds benefit charity.

Please DONATE to support our 40th year workshops! 

Music is Easy - Height and Length are Hard...

Pierre, our director discusses his theory about music.

From an email conversation with David Rain, tenor and fellow composer.

"Here's a basic fact I've learned over my lifetime of doing music.

There are two technical elements to the language of music: height and length.

That's it, that's all.

It's why a computer can do it.  It's math.

What's missing is the human element - and of course, that's the biggest part of it.  Many musicians can do the technical part very well and give flawless performances that lack the human aspect.

Those performances are cold and boring.

If a musician has a handle on both - and also feels the music, those are always the best performances of all.

The Stairwell Carollers are at the point now where we do height very well.  Height is
intervals and sustaining pitch.  The choir is pretty good at learning a melody line.  As for pitch, sure we lose some height on occasion but this last iteration of the choir is pretty amazing when it comes to keeping pitch.

So music height is ok with us, but length is not and it inhibits our advancement substantially.  You've had first hand experience with this.  You see it every time we do rhythm work.  Some totally gave up on the stick routine when I had that workshop. It's coordination and coordination is rhythm.  Those few in the choir who have it tend to pick things up faster than most.  Others in their sections often rely on them for entries.

You often tell me that you don't know how I can sing, conduct, hear everyone and make corrections and comments all at the same time.

The key is coordination and any problem with that translates directly to a musician who has difficulty with the length aspect of music."

Pierre Massie

And now for a message from the altos - well not really, but I wanted to put in this cute photo of me and Manon :)

To set up your audition for the end of January, email info(at)stairwellcarollers.com

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About The Stairwell Carollers:

Pierre Massie started our a cappella choir in 1977 while a music student at Ottawa University. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked with the best of Ontario choirs, winning both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association competitions. 

A registered Canadian charity, we also help local charities with our concert, CD and cookbook sales.

Ten Years with The Stairwell Carollers - Contrasts #1

I’ve been pondering writing down some thoughts for a while, and what better time to get started than now? 

If I liken this musical journey to the long-established apprenticeship system, I suppose I’m currently a Senior Journeyman. Not yet a master – that will come with another few years of dedicated practice under the maestro, but I’ve definitely matured with my ten years in the Stairwell Carollers.

Can it really be ten years? It seems like just yesterday that I started… The audition process that seemed so daunting all those years ago served its purpose then, as it does now. Many very talented singers have auditioned for this choir, but not everyone with a lovely voice can be a true chorister.

There are several things I’ve learned over the past ten years, and I’d say that one of the most important things is balance. In most other choirs where I’ve sung, it’s quite easy to hear individual voices. The true ensemble leaves you wondering how many singers there are, since you can’t distinguish separate voices. 

This is a lot more difficult than most people understand. 

To be able to set your ego aside for the good of the group sometimes rubs folks the wrong way, and you have to buy into the ‘collective mind’ and develop an instinct for both pitch and blend 

(but not ‘pitchblende’, which is a radioactive mineral, and a cheap excuse to get in a pun about rocks and music). 

When I started this fantastic voyage, I thought I had a pretty good sense of pitch. The more I’ve sung with this group, the more I’ve learned that ‘pretty good’ is *nowhere* near good enough. There’s a great deal of skill involved in blending with other singers, and in being so aware of the pitch and the ensemble singing that you immediately know when you’re off pitch. 

In most choirs, you’ll be able to tell when you’re off by a half-tone, as that happens all the time  with a cappella singing, despite your best efforts. This is the generic nature of the voice, and many factors affect pitch (but that’s for another post). 

Our maestro, whose sense of pitch is probably the best I’ve ever seen in my life, will grudgingly allow us up to ten ‘cents’ before telling us that we’re flat. 

For those not familiar with the terminology, one semi-tone equals 100 cents. The discipline of bringing things back into pitch when it’s a *tenth* of a semi-tone out is one of the best things I’ve learned in my musical journey, and my admiration for a choir director who can impart that work ethic to all concerned is probably the main reason that I’m still here after ten years. 

I’m happy to say that this choir suits my psyche to a ‘T’. I’ll explain that in another blog post, but it’s time to get back to practicing – after all, there *is* another rehearsal coming up. 

Maggie Park - newly minted alto 1, formerly soprano 1 and/or 2