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| The Stairwell Carollers at Xmas |
The Stairwell Carollers, an Ottawa Choir quite unlike any Other
by David Rain, Tenor
Single file, they stride purposefully up the deep stairwell and gingerly place themselves across the narrow church steps, resplendent in their hand-made green and red Christmas cloaks. An enthusiastic round of applause erupts as a goateed gentleman with heavy black shoes follows them into view and bows humbly in acknowledgement.
He deftly pulls out a shiny tuning fork and with a wide grin strikes it solidly across his right temple. “Do, sol, mi, do”, he chants to the others, as he steps back to join them in line. Then, with a subtle lifting of his left eyebrow, the group responds as if one and the joyous strains of “Oh Come, all ye Faithful” are heard ringing through the pews, much to the delight of the gathered throng.
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| Pierre giving our notes |
'Tis a scene repeated time and again each Christmas by what used to be one of Ottawa’s best kept secrets: the 25-voice Stairwell Carollers.
This choir is quite unlike any other. From their very humble beginnings in the stairwells of the University of Ottawa, this tiny group of singers has grown to become one of Ottawa’s premier a cappella choirs, with five Christmas CDs and one Renaissance madrigal CD professionally-produced this past decade.
Their Director, Pierre Massie
Their dynamic founder and director, Pierre Massie, a man of many hats, leads the choir. For over 20 years, his day job has been music teacher with the Ottawa Carleton School Board, and he is currently Head of Fine Arts at Glebe Collegiate High School. He has also found time to indulge his passion of leading the Stairwell Carollers since their inception in 1977.
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| Pete at Cumberland church in the '80's |
Pierre is renowned for his unusual style of conducting from within the tenor section itself. He uses everything imaginable within his reach -- his eyebrows and his eyes, his head, his music book, his nose, his ears, and even his teeth!
Musical Excellence: Provincial and National Recognition
Pierre is also an award-winning composer, twice having won first prize in the prestigious Toronto Amadeus Choir “Christmas Carol and Chanukah Song Writing Competition.”
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| Pierre, at left, directs the choir from within |
In addition, in the spring of 2010 Pierre led the Stairwell Carollers to receive both provincial and national recognition for their artistic excellence. They placed First in the Ontario Music Festivals Association choral competition and Second in the National finals, competing with choirs from across Canada.
A Choir with a Difference: Giving Back to the Community
The Stairwell Carollers are not just about music, however. Right from the get-go, they have been a true community choir in the best sense of the word; and their community has been a vast one indeed.
In addition to the hundreds of concerts performed in the Ottawa-Gatineau area itself, the choir ventures far afield each year, singing in small towns across the Ottawa Valley. Places like Cumberland, Carp, Pakenham, Almonte, Smiths Falls, Carleton Place, Ripon, Shawville, Merrickville, and Alexandria. Like the proverbial mailman, neither sleet, nor snow, nor freezing rain can prevent this group of dedicated singers from reaching their distant destinations and audiences.
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| At a little church in Quebec |
Many of these same performances have been benefit concerts for churches or local charities. This has been an important theme of the choir’s from the outset, and has included singing for convalescing patients in area hospitals and cheering up the less fortunate at soup kitchens.
The Stairwell Carollers are a registered charity, with a philanthropic mission. They are an energetic and enterprising group indeed, raising funds for their community through concert ticket sales, an anniversary cookbook and profits from their 6 CDs.
From these proceeds, they have made donations totalling $43,500 to a wide variety of deserving charities in the Ottawa and Gatineau area. This includes a $2,000 donation to the VON in Ottawa -- to be announced at their upcoming June 18, 2011 concert.
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| First Place in Ontario 2010 OMFA |
A Choir with a Difference: Planting Seeds for the Next Generation
Since 2004, The Stairwell Carollers have established an annual award, the
Stairwell Carollers Scholarship; given annually to a talented Ottawa-Gatineau area high school student who is seeking to pursue post-secondary music studies at a Canadian university.
To date, the choir has awarded the Stairwell Carollers Scholarship to nine gifted graduates – singers, guitarists, tuba players, and composers – each of whom has demonstrated a very special love of music. They represent a wide range of local high schools, including Nepean, John McCrae, Canterbury, De La Salle, and Ashbury College.
This year's two recipients will each receive $1,000 at the choir’s
June 18, 2011 concert, bringing the total awarded to $9,500!
Conclusion
The Stairwell Carollers have brought joy to thousands of Ottawa area music lovers, they’ve given a real boost to many deserving local charities, and they’ve helped inspire and motivate the next generation of Canadian musicians. They’ve been singing the song of philanthropy for 34 years now, and provide a unique musical perspective to charitable giving in the nation’s capital.
Stairwell Carollers Charitable Donations
Ottawa Civic Hospital, Breast Cancer Unit-----------May 12, 1998
$2000
Ronald MacDonald House------------------------------September 30, 1998
$2000
Shepherds of Good Hope------------------------------- September 30, 1998
$2000
Bruce House----------------------------------------------September 30, 1998
$2000
Gamma Knife Foundation------------------------------ December 14, 1998
$350
Cornerstone le Pillier------------------------------------May 23, 2001
$2000
Shepherds of Good Hope------------------------------- May 23, 2001
$2000
Multiple Sclerosis Society------------------------------May 23, 2001
$2000
Ottawa Chapter (Autism Society On.)------- March 3, 2004
$2000
Le chapitre francophone d’Ottawa de la
Société de l’autisme de l’Ontario ---------------------March 3, 2004
$2000
Le Gîte Ami----------------------------------------------- March 17, 2004
$2000
Élisabeth-Bruyère Health Centre----------------------November 16, 2005
$1000
La maison Mathieu-Fromont-Savoie-----------------May 26, 2007
$2000
Trait d’Union Outaouais, Inc.------------------------- May 26, 2007
$2000
Abbeyfield Houses Society of Ottawa---------------- December 15, 2007
$2000
Immigrant Women Services Ottawa------------------December 15, 2007
$2000
Bruce House----------------------------------------------December 20, 2008
$2000
Dépanneur Sylvestre -----------------------------------December 18, 2009
$2000
Ottawa Mission ----------------------------------------- December 18, 2009
$2000
Shepherds of Good Hope------------------------------ June 5, 2010
$2000
Alzheimer Society of Ottawa & Renfrew County---June 5, 2010
$2000
Harvest House Ministries------------------------------December 18, 2010
$2000
VON Ottawa-Carleton ----------------------------------June 18, 2011
$2000
Total
$43,350
Stairwell Carollers Scholarship
Selina Mcdonell, John McCrae HS--------------------July 4, 2004
$1000
Corey Payette, Canterbury--------------------------- August 31, 2005
$1500
Genevieve Colletta, De La Salle---------------------- July 22, 2006
$1000
Corey Arnold, of Ashbury College----------------------2007
not awarded
Andrew Burn, Canterbury-----------------------------August 27, 2008
$1000
Geoffrey McNeely, Nepean----------------------------August 27, 2008
$500
Adel Kerkadi, De La Salle------------------------------October 7, 2009
$1000
Gabrielle Porter---------------------------------------- September 15, 2010
$1000
Celina Hawkins, Canterbury -------------------------- September 8, 2010
$500
Dahlia Al-Khafajy, Béatrice-Desloges (Orléans)----June 18, 2011
$1000
Nicolas Galuban, Earl of March (Kanata)------------June 18, 2011
$1000
Total
$9,500
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