The Stairwell Carollers present A virtual Xmas concert - YouTube

 
Christmas 2020 is the first in our 43-year history where we haven’t been able to stage live concerts, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still sing. So, after planning, rehearsing and recording, we are proud to present this mini Virtual Christmas Concert of 6 carols. We hope you will enjoy our renditions of old favourites, some in new settings by our director, along with a few lesser known pieces from our carol archives.

I cannot be more proud of my musical colleagues for forging through the complex logistics of putting these videos together. I thank them for their loyalty to our fans and their fellow choir members, and for their diligence in preparing individual performances to such a demanding degree of musicianship.

I can only conclude that we all share an understanding of how important it is to share the joy of song with the world. I am joined by my wife Holly and all the members of the Stairwell Carollers in wishing you peace and joy over this most unusual Christmas season. We are confident that we will perform live for you once again soon. Pierre Massie - director

Enjoy! The Stairwell Carollers present
A virtual Xmas concert

Noël 2020 : En 43 ans d’histoire, c’est la première fois où nous ne pouvons pas faire de concerts devant public. Cependant, nous chantons! Rien ne pourrait nous en empêcher. Nous sommes heureux de vous présenter ce mini concert virtuel de 6 chants de Noël. Planifier, répéter et enregistrer fut un travail d’amour pour nous toutes et tous. Appréciez nos interprétations de vieux classiques que vous connaissez bien. Découvrez les nouveaux arrangements créés par notre directeur. Savourez les chants de Noël moins connus tirés de nos archives. Je suis très fier de mes collègues de la chorale. Ils et elles ont fait face à une logistique complexe pour la réalisation de ces vidéos. Je les remercie, personnellement et en votre nom, de leur fidélité envers vous, nos fans. Leur esprit d’équipe et leur diligence ont permis de livrer des prestations individuelles d'un niveau musical aussi exigeant. L’impératif de partager la joie du chant avec le Monde nous unit tous et toutes. Au nom de mon épouse Holly et de tous les membres des Chanteurs Stairwell, j’aimerais vous souhaiter Paix et Joie en cette saison de Noël des plus inhabituelles. Donnons-nous déjà rendez-vous dès la première occasion de nous retrouver tous ensemble. Rien ne remplace l’expérience de vibrer ensemble, baignée dans la sonorité et la résonance des voix humaines. Au plaisir de vous retrouver tout ouïe, dans un avenir rapproché. Pierre Massie, Directeur ------------------------------------------- Programme O Little Town of Bethlehem - arr: Traditional, melody by Lewis Redner Un flambeau Jeanette, Isabelle - arr: Pierre Massie All and Some - Anon. c. 1450 What Child is This - arr: Pierre Massie (choral premiere) Ô nuit - Jean-Philippe Rameau Wassail Song - arr: Pierre Massie The choir Sopranos Annika Ericsson-Kidd Erin MacAfee Denyse Mageau Maggie Park Andrea Walton Altos Christine Jenkins Helen Lucker Katherine Marek Holly Massie Susan Pullan Tina Reilly Elizabeth Turner Tenors Alex Deveau Darren Elford Sylvain Giguère Richard Hardy Pierre Massie David Rain Basses David Ayer Terry Brynaert Christoph Hoeller Andrew Mason Bruce Pettipas René Voyer

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 1st Virtual Choir Video! Take that Covid-19!

Ottawa choir, The Stairwell Carollers, perform Laudemus cum armonia, an original composition by their director,  Pierre Massie. It's the first of what we expect to be a series of virtual choir video creations.

The chorale asks at this difficult time, if you can, to please make a donation to The Ottawa Food Bank. Thanks so much!

You can order this original sacred choral piece by Pierre Massie.
It is also on our Laudemus cum armonia Christmas carol CD 



Our CDs benefit charity, and are available in both CD and MP3 formats.

Video and Audio: individual choristers, Stairwell Carollers - both past and present members.

Video and Audio Editing: Pierre Massie

Audite Nova - Renaissance madrigals - CD or MP3

View this post on Instagram

#stairwellcarollers #ottawachoir #renaissancemusic #madrigal #cd and #digital #mp3 #download Net proceeds support #Ottawa #charity #fundraising #localmusic #choir #acappella #purchase at our homepage website link. 🎼❤️😲

A post shared by The Stairwell Carollers (@stairwell_carollers) on Feb 5, 2020 at 9:11am PST

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.

We are on Instagram! Grab the Stairwell Carollers Nametag

View this post on Instagram

Grab your own #instagram #nametag - it's #easy 👍😘🎼 Use it on your #website, #blog or #socialmedia like #qrcodes to bring followers to your profile. #tryingthis #niche

A post shared by The Stairwell Carollers (@stairwell_carollers) on Mar 6, 2020 at 10:22am PST

Future Perfect Conditional Facts about auditioning - FareWell Dear Love - YouTube

You May Have Been Going to be in The Stairwell Carollers If you were NOT to Have Been Going to Change your Mind about Auditioning!

If you don't understand that sentence, don't feel bad.

I have to admit I had to Google it.

So, despite this being hilarious to a word nerd like me, apparently English has no "Imperfect" thus, sadly, the grammar is flawed. Here is an exhaustive (and exhausting) post with an explanation.

In the meantime, You should email us to set up your audition! I'm sure you are either a man who is a bass or tenor, or a woman who is an alto.

(Sorry sopranos, maybe next audition round!)

Farewell, Dear Love, by Robert Jones, sung by the Stairwell Carollers...
Robert Jones was a Renaissance lutenist and composer.
Audio: Tom Barnes.  Recorded at St. Barnabas Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, June 2nd, 2018.
Videographers: Matthieu Brennan, Andrew Mason
Video Editing: Pierre Massie

Surprise! We are an Ottawa choir, with members from all over the Ottawa Region and Outaouais.

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.

Sing For The Stairwell Carollers - TV Auditions Promo - Thx Rogers TV!

Ok, when I'm not being like baby Yoda or singing or trying to not eat, I'm on The Social Media.

And, for once, it was useful! 

I Facebooked and Tweeted out our Audition notice and Stan Newton, the producer of the show @daytimeottawa, emailed me back to set up an interview!

The @StairwellChoir are holding auditions next week - find out more here with @dylanblackradio https://t.co/UTJmPPmJcd

— Daytime Ottawa (@daytimeottawa) January 23, 2020

Thanks so much everyone at Rogers TV!
Daytime Ottawa immediately posted the Thursday, Jan 23rd interview with Holly And Pierre on their main page and Youtube channel.

#Ottawa Altos, tenors and basses email us ASAP at info@stairwellcarollers.com to set up your 15 minute #audition Wed Jan 29th.  

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.

A Typical Rehearsal, Stairwell Style

Pierre Massie is in his 42nd year of directing the Stairwell Carollers. There have been changes over the years and the choir has evolved, but Pierre has always directed in performance from the tenor section, singing along with us. 

Pete created the choir in 1977 while getting his B.Mus at Ottawa U. and he has developed a signature  method to his madness which results in award-winning choral excellence.  

#1 Punctual

#1 Show Up

#1 Great Attitude

Yeah, all #1, I know. To Pierre these three things are equally important - and evidence of a true Stairweller.

He runs choir rehearsal from the middle of the circle of singers, usually arranged in sections according to voice.  Everyone stands or sits as they like.

Often Pierre bounces around the room, whirling to face the different groups or individuals - rarely still, rarely seated.

We aren't allowed to cross our legs while seated, since it can inhibit breathing. This does not mean we are inhibited in our personal expression; clearly Alex has found a seating style that the Maestro approves of.

As he makes his way around the room, working the crowd, Pierre deals with questions as they come up.

We record each rehearsal to review performance and for additional practice. Very useful for Podcast episodes too as a record of our warmups and attention to song specifics.

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.

Sans day carol - for all you Christmas Addicts! NEW arrangement - Youtube

Sans day carol - Our last Xmas video for this year. Here is a wonderful NEW arrangement of a gorgeous classic by our own Terry Bryneart, bass.

The premiere performance of Terry's sparkling new arrangement - on The Stairwell Carollers own Youtube channel.




Ottawa choir, The Stairwell Carollers, perform Sans Day Carol, arranged by Terry Bryneart, bass.


Buy our CDs and help many Ottawa/Gatineau charities reach their goals.  All our recordings are  on our website in both CD and MP3 formats. 

Net proceeds support local charities.

Visit our website.

Audio: Tom Barnes.  Recorded at Southminster United Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dec 15th, 2018.
Videographers: Matthieu Brennan, Elisa Torlone

Video Editing: Pierre Massie




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.

40 Years of Stairwell Carolling Revealed!

Our Founder and Director, Pierre Massie, started our group in 1977 - where we sang Christmas carols in the stairwells of residences at the University of Ottawa during exam time.  The eight of us would start at the top of the residence stairwell and work our way to the bottom. Students came out from their rooms to listen to the carols and would follow us as we went down from floor to floor, our voices helped out by the echo of the stairwell.  We sang throughout our hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - in malls, for parking lot attendants, and even on buses. We had a great time carolling in the Byward Market and on Sparks street too - lots of amazing memories.

In the early 80's, we were carolling at Bayshore shopping center and Gord Atkinson - then the voice of CFMO radio - heard us. Right then he asked us to sing live on CFMO for their Christmas Exchange Telethon.  It was during this first appearance on radio with Gord that our group got its name. Right before the broadcast, he asked us "what should I call you folks - what's the group's name?" Up till then, we were only ten Christmas Carollers with no name.  Dawn, soprano, piped up with "The Stairwell Carollers" and the name stuck.  Personally, I love our moniker since it harks back to the choir's beginnings - singing in the residence stairwells for fellow U. of Ottawa students.  

In 1986, Gord - with CFMO - produced our first real recording, a fundraising vinyl album in aid of Ronald McDonald House. an initiative which raised over $53,000.

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.

Top Ten - Why Audition for The Stairwell Carollers? - Sing Original Pieces!

10 reasons You Should audition for my a cappella Ottawa choir, The Stairwell Carollers:

Counting down...

Number 10 -

You get to sing original choral compositions by our director, Pierre Massie - like his award-winning song, "Eya, eya gaudeamus", which we'll be singing this spring!

Here is our YouTube live concert performance with guest celebrity bass, Gabriel Lewis-O'Connor.

Altos, tenors and basses, email info@stairwellcarollers.com and book your 15 minute audition today!

Pierre Massie started our a cappella choir in 1977 while he was a music student at Ottawa University. The Stairwell Carollers are ranked among 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 the net proceeds from our concert ticket and CD sales.

Thanks to David Rain and his Facebook "Top Ten to Join the Stairwell Carollers"