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.

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.

Stairwell Caroller Christmas carol CDs and MP3s make wonderful gifts

 

@stairwell_carollers

O Holy Night on our Laudemus cum armonia ##CD. 💿 ##stream or buy it from our website. Mp3 too😉 ##charity ##christmas ##gifting ##choralmusic ##xmascarols

♬ O Holy Night / Minuit, Chrétiens - The Stairwell Carollers

 Buy Stairwell Caroller Christmas carol CDs and MP3s directly from the choir through our Official Stairwell Carollers Square online store!

Net proceeds benefit local charities.

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.

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.

The Monkees Sing Riu Riu Chiu - I'm in love all over again!

K... This is the sweetest thing on the internet right now. Thanks David!

The Monkees sing Riu Riu Chiu. Thanks to TanjaBarnes channel on Youtube for an early Christmas gift!

And here's our version! 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 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.

A Virgin Most Pure - featured on Catholic Culture Podcast! Youtube video

The Catholic Culture Podcast is featuring our performance of A Virgin Most Pure in Episode 59 - The Glorious English Carol. Thanks to Thomas V. Mirus for honouring us with this inclusion. 

Our carol is at 36:02 in the podcast.

The carol is on our O magnum mysterium Christmas CD, available through our website in both CD and MP3 format.
Here it is our live concert video on Youtube

The podcast episode is a wonderful overview of the English Carol with many other carol examples included, such as (from the podcast episode description):

Erik Routley, The English Carol https://www.amazon.com/English-Carol-Erik-Routley/dp/0837169895

Andrew Gant, The Carols of Christmas https://www.amazon.com/Carols-Christmas-Celebration-Surprising-Favorite/dp/0718031520

All music in this episode used with permission from the recording artist and/or label.

Agincourt Carol, Alamire https://www.amazon.com/Deo-Gracias-Anglia-Alamire/dp/B008L1GZUO

Nowell sing we both all and some, Quire Cleveland https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/quirecleveland2

Gabriel From Heaven’s King, Quire Cleveland https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/quirecleveland2

A Virgin Most Pure, Stairwell Carolers https://www.stairwellcarollers.com/en/o-magnum-mysterium/

Coventry Carol, Harry Christophers and the Sixteen, available on the CORO record label at https://thesixteenshop.com/

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 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 our concert, CD and cookbook sales.

Listen LIVE - Pierre Massie featured on the Peace Tower carillon - NOON today

 Dominion Carillonneur, Andrea McCrady,  will once again honour Stairwell Caroller director and choral composer Pierre Massie with a carillon program of his music.

The Noon Hour carillon performance will take place Dec 14, 2019.

LISTEN LIVE ONLINE 

Exclusively made up of Pierre's arrangements and compositions, the concert features a carillon setting of his "Nouvelle Agréable"  by Wendy Earl - one of Andrea McCrady's graduate students.

If you missed the LIVE performance, here is a recording of a past performance of Stairwell Carol by Dominion Carillonneur, Andrea McCrady.

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 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 our concert, CD and cookbook sales.