The Stairwell Carollers OPEN REHEARSAL - Wednesday Nov 2nd 2022 - all welcome!

The Stairwell Carollers are holding an OPEN REHEARSAL Wednesday evening, Nov 2nd 2022 from 6:30 PM (EDT) to 9:00 PM (EDT). Please REGISTER HERE

EN FRANÇAIS

Come join the fun and hear who we are as we rehearse. Everyone is invited.

It's a great opportunity for anyone interested in joining our group to see how we do things.

Come do warm-ups, learn about singing choral music from Director Pierre Massie - and sing along from the pews.

Register yourself by purchasing a free ticket here.  Rehearsal is at St. Columba Anglican Church, 24 Sandridge Rd, Manor Park, Ottawa.

COVID protocols

We ask that you sit in the church pew social distanced. The carollers wear masks when rehearsing. We strongly request the participants wear a mask.

Questions about this event?

The Stairwell Carollerscarollers@rogers.com

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 Jesu Christe by Jacquet de Mantua - sung live by Ottawa's Stairwell Carollers - YouTube

Here is our next YouTube offering - O Jesu Christe - from our St. Columba June 4th 2022 Spring Concert. 

One of my personal favourites, I have been singing the alto part in this song for easily 20 years :P

You may have noticed, we are singing and rehearsing with masks on still. Many of our members are seniors and some are immune compromised, so we made the decision to continue masking.

The amazing thing is, I actually got used to singing through a mask, in fact, it helped with my allergies (churches can be very musty) 

Bonus -  the sound is just as good! I know, wierd, eh?

Ottawa choir, The Stairwell Carollers, perform “ O Jesu Christe” by Jacquet de Mantua.

O Jesu Christe is on our “Cantate Domino” recording.  Net proceeds from our music sales benefit local charities.  Buy our songs from our website in both CD and MP3 formats.  

Purchase our professional recordings here.

The Stairwell Carollers, an a cappella group formed in 1977 by director Pierre Massie, has earned the distinction of being ranked amongst the best of Ontario choirs.   Our choir took first place in both the 2010 and 2013 Ontario Music Festival Association provincial competition.

Visit our website

Recorded at St. Columba Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2022. 

Videographers: Michèle Auger, Drew Mason

Video Editing: Pierre Massie

Auditions ongoing until end of August 2022 - we are especially searching for tenor and bass voices. Also soprano.

Email Holly info@stairwellcarollers.com to set up your virtual audition time.

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.

Search for Voices featured in Manor Park Chronicle

Many many thanks to Wes Smiderle for the beautiful article in the May/June edition of the Manor Park Chronicle. He got us the entire page!

I'm sure this will be a lot of help in our search for male voices to top up the choir for the coming Christmas season.

Check us out on page 40 in the May/June Manor Park Chronicle

Excerpts:

"The music ascends to the rafters, the choral voices surging from moments of delicate precision to a rousing, victorious force. Whether it's a medieval carol, or a wry French chanson from the Renaissance, or more modern music, the Stairwell Carollers know their way around a song."

"In the 1990's The Stairwell Carollers recorded an album which helped raise over $50,000 (- For Ottawa Ronald McDonald House - more in-depth history HERE), which sparked their philanthropic goals."

"Now, as the Carollers plan for concerts in their 45th year, Pierre is focused on recruiting more voices, a move that will expand the choir's vocal toolbox and allow the group to tackle a more diverse range of music.

Thanks to Cheryl, soprano, for asking Wes to cover the choir for his excellent local paper. Thanks to Doug Banks for spending so much time with us at rehearsal to get the perfect shots for the article.

We're looking for a few good Men!

The Stairwell Carollers are seeking tenors and basses to join our safe, fully vaccinated choral ensemble. 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 and basses continue till August 2022 or until positions are filled. Auditions are held via zoom, Skype or Facetime. During the audition, the candidate must have access to software to read PDFs and play MP3 files.

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

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.

Stairwell Carollers Ottawa Choral Concert this Saturday June 4th 8:00pm

Alle psallite cum luya, loosely translated as ' let us sing together, alleluia!' is more than just the name of one of the pieces we sing this season. In fact, it seems to encapsulate how we feel these days for several reasons.  RESERVE TICKETS HERE

To begin with, this is our first live musical offering for the public after two years of pandemic-induces silence - so for that alone, let us sing together, alleluia! 

 Second, during the late 13th and 14th century when this motet was composed, the first bubonic plague was starting to ravage Europe, sowing death and stoking fear and panic. 

Yet, one anonymous monk, shivering in his cloister, found the means of offering defiant praise against the specter of a frightening new world with a musical call to arms: Let us sing together, alleluia! 

The fact that his melody and words have survived 800 years into our century so that we might sing it during our own trying time: alleluia! 

Finally, having made it through the Covid-19 epidemic, the Stairwell Carollers have persevered, but in reduced numbers of male singers along the way. Moving forward, we need to build up our membership in order to sing at our optimum best. 

My challenge to any musically oriented guys reading this message: heed the call of the anonymous thirteenth century monk and join us: let us sing together, alleluia!

Director, Pierre Massie (thanks to Terry B. for the wonderful words)

We're looking for a few good Men!

The Stairwell Carollers are seeking tenors and basses to join our safe, fully vaccinated choral ensemble. 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 and basses continue till August 2022 or until positions are filled. Auditions are held via zoom, Skype or Facetime. During the audition, the candidate must have access to software to read PDFs and play MP3 files.

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

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.

Stairwell Carollers singers featured in Vistas Article

Stairwell Carollers in rehearsal - photo credit, Katherine Marek

In a new article that just dropped in Vistas - the local Alta Vista newspaper - two Stairwellers, one new and one long time member, speak about singing and performing with a choir through and despite the pandemic. 

Veteran journalist, Courtney Tower, spent hours interviewing Maggie,  Anita, myself and Director, Pete, in preparation to writing the article. He co-created the piece with a Ridgemont journalism student, Skyler Josephson.

Here is a link to the entire online paper - Paper copies may still available locally.

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

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.