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.

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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.

Un Week-end en Dehors - Part 2 - Vue du choeur - Denyse

C'était le début de notre atelier.

Debout. Les yeux fermée. Respirations profondes.

Pendant deux minutes.

Gabe, comme nous l'avons affectueusement nommé dès notre rencontre, nous lançait dans l'univers du chant choral. Un ancien Chanticleer, Gabriel Lewis O'Connor arrivait de Seattle pour un «workshop » avec les Stairwell Carollers. Pendant deux jours, nous deviendrions son instrument. Il ferait ce qu'il veut avec nos voix. Crescendo. Decrescendo. Sotto voce. Fortissimo. Sans être un Stradivarius, nous lui offrions une chorale bien préparée par notre maestro. Pierre Massie avait bien aiguisé nos attentes. Les chants préparés pour le concert n'offraient plus de secret au niveau des notes. Gabe pouvait peaufiner le rendement et suggérer de nouvelles interprétations, ce qu'il fit avec humour et respect.

Nous étions charmés comme des enfants et répondions sans restrictions à ses idées nouvelles. Pour El Grillo, il suggéra une voix nasillarde commune à l'époque de sa  création. Pour le chant Ach, wei des Leiden, il insista sur l'importance de savoir ce qu'on chante. Schmerzen. « Douleur » doit être accompagnée par une interprétation qui exprime une peine d'amour. « Si tu me quittes, je meurs » Ça revient à cela. C'est un des chants que nous allions chanter au concert, alors que les deux meilleures chorales du Glebe Collegiate, dirigées par Rachel Handley partageraient le programme de la soirée.

En après-midi du samedi, ces jeunes nous ont donc joints et nous avons poursuivi l'atelier avec eux. Au concert, mon ensemble vocal a interprété cinq chants. Ensuite, ce fut le tour des élèves et finalement, les deux groupes jumelés ont interprété la grande finale. Le clou de la soirée : un solo de Gabriel. O Hostias suivi de O Domine du Requiem de Fauré. Quand tous furent à leur place, on aurait entendu le tic tac d'une horloge tant l'auditoire ne voulait rien manquer. Aucun choriste n'était au bout du rouleau malgré les longues répétitions. Ni jeune, Ni vieux.

Une petite explication s'impose. Le Requiem de Fauré exige la contribution d'un orchestre. Pas de problème. Pierre avait préparé un accompagnement , une harmonisation apprise avec beaucoup d'efforts, mais quelle motivation de chanter avec un ancien Chanticleer. Ce groupe de douze chanteurs américains de réputation internationale charmera Ottawa en juillet lors du festival Musique et autres mondes.

Gabe en a fait partie pendant quatre ans et a participé à cinq cents concerts à travers le monde.

Bref, cette dernière fin de semaine m'a transportée au 7ième ciel. Un ciel bleu sans nuages aucun et ceci fut vrai littéralement. L'endroit où nous étions, Galilee à Arnprior, un ancien couvent des Oblats, est situé au milieu d'une nature luxuriante jouxtant la rivière Ottawa et nous avons joui d'une température magnifique.

Personnelement, j'ai cliqué avec Gabriel Lewis O'Connor. C'est réciproque. Il a perçu ma passion pour le chant. « I love your smile » m'a-t-il lancé pendant la première répétition. J'étais tellement estomachée que j'ai vérifié avec lui s'il s'était bien adressé à moi et non à Maggie juste derrière moi. Elle chante toujours avec beaucoup d'expression. Et non! C'est moi qu'il visait. Ça m'a fait un petit velours, je l'avoue.

Tous et toutes, nous gardons un excellent souvenir de ces heures passées ensemble.

Gabriel a tellement apprécié son expérience qu'il veut revenir dans la région avec sa famille et peut- être même y vivre quand il aura fini son doctorat. Et si c'était vrai?

Denyse Mageau

( English version is HERE)

Part 1 is HERE
Part 3 is HERE

À propos des Chanteurs Stairwell:

Pierre Massie a fondé notre chœur a cappella en 1977 alors qu'il était étudiant en musique à l'Université d'Ottawa.

Les Chanteurs Stairwell sont fiers d'avoir remporté les concours de l'Ontario Music Festival Association de 2010 et 2013. Un organisme de bienfaisance canadien enregistré, nous aidons également les organismes de bienfaisance locaux avec nos ventes de concerts, CD et livres de recettes.

Tous les dons reçoivent un reçu de charité.

Learn more about the Galilee Centre
History of the Galilee Centre
Who are the Oblates?
Galilee Centre Mission and Vision

Kyrie from Messe de Nostre Dame - Stairwell Carollers - YouTube video

For today, a Medieval Mass sung by the men of the Stairwell Carollers.

Pierre took suggestions from historical texts to inform the interpretation.

Listening to this I feel transported - back to a time of castles, echoing halls and stone fireplaces.

This is the Kyrie from Messe de Nostre Dame by Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377).

Audio: Tom Barnes.  Recorded at St. Barnabas Church, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, June 5th, 2015.
Videographer: Richard Auger.
Editing: Pierre Massie
Photos: Holly Massie

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 among the best of Ontario choirs, having won the 2010 and 2013 OMFA competitions. 

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

Net proceeds benefit charity.

St. Joseph concert in Orleans - a Yuletide Love Fest! Gala 40th Concert Tomorrow!

A brand new church! And what a beauty! You are going to see lots of Chrismassy pics from this venue over the next couple of weeks. 

Oh, yeah - we did a Stairwell Carollers Christmas carol concert here- Bonus! 

Everything about this church was top drawer. Our reception from the outset was exuberant and the church representatives very helpful. 

Our solid tech crew, led by René, bass, always get to the venue early to set up lighting equipment and tape down electrical cords for safety.

We arrive shortly after the tech crew to get notes from the director, warm up and do rehearsal of Beginnings and endings of songs.

Our director Pierre gives his all despite a recent hospital stay. Dedication!

Before

 

After - a packed house - and our first time singing a Christmas Concert in Orleans - wonderful!!

Thanks to everyone who helped out! And thanks so much to S. Joseph for the generous munchies after the concert. We again proved ourselves to be the Eatwell Carollers!

It’s a concert not to be missed! 

Come hear the Stairwell Carollers sing “A Canadian Christmas” TOMORROW at Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street, 7:30pm (December 15th, 2017).

The Stairwell Carollers will present a special 40th anniversary donation of $3,000 to the Shepherds of Good Hope on the 15th - a result of their first ever “Sponsor a Song” fundraising campaign.

Tickets are $20 at the door, 

 $15 in advance at 

http://www.stairwellcarollers.com/Concerts.html; 

The Leading Note, 370 Elgin St; 

Compact Music, 206 & 785 ½ Bank St locations; 

Books on Beechwood, 35 Beechwood Ave.

Hope to see you at Knox Presbyterian TOMORROW!

Ars Nova Stairwell Caroller concert musings - very late Saturday post

Thanks to Ars Nova for sponsoring Saturday's wonderful concert at historic St. Bartholomew church. This Stairwell Carollers concert was presented in tandem with the Governor General's church 150 year celebration.

Many of us were a bit nervous before the show started. Some just had the usual first concert anxiety; others were singing their very first concert as a Stairwell Caroller!

No matter, we sang, we enjoyed ourselves and, best of all, the audience seemed to enjoy our singing too!

At the reception afterwards, we found out that the audience was packed with choristers!

I feel validated.

St. Barnabas' stained glass -- a jewel on Ottawa's James street

St. Barnabas church on James Street in downtown Ottawa is one of our favourite singing venues. It  has amazing acoustics (we recorded our Cantate Domino CD there) within an art-bedecked interior.

Bright jewel tones dominate all the windows.

Even the working windows are enhanced with stained glass. The golden glow from these windows flood the church in the afternoon. The contrast in colour to the other windows is striking.

Back "home" for our final concert of 2016

Last, but definitely not least, our last choir concert of the 2016 season. It was held at our rehearsal and recording home, St. Columba Anglican church on Sandridge rd. Ottawa, Saturday, Dec 17th.

Now that there are so many Stairwell Carollers, the roomy recreation hall downstairs makes a great pre-concert space to warm up.

Packed to the rafters yet again, the concert was the best one of the season!

The clean lines and asymmetry of the church's design combined with an abundance of natural wood make it a wonderful recording venue. Both for CD purposes and live concerts.

Warm sound, warm audience, warm feelings to end our 2016 singing season!

A return to Stittsville for a favourite concert of 2016

Our third Christmas concert of the Christmas season 2016 was Dec 3rd at St Thomas Anglican church in Stittsville, On.

We always have so much fun there! Such a welcoming crowd and the church has great acoustics.

It is also a special place because back in 2014 we had an early Christmas present!  Gord Atkinson, his wife Elaine - and their son and his wife were in the audience.

We were thrilled to meet up with our dear friend, who was there when The Stairwell Carollers name was coined!

We wish Gord and Elaine had been there this year. Unfortunately, though they wanted to see us, they were not well enough to attend.  I spoke to them on the phone and wished them a merry Christmas from all of us.

It is always such a joy to sing for the St. Thomas community. We will definitely be back!

Stairwell Carollers Christmas Carol Concerts 2015

This year we are singing all over the Ottawa and Gatineau area and even venturing out to Arnprior for the first time! We are still wishing for snow, but a green Christmas is still Christmas!

CONCERT SCHEDULE

CHRISTMAS SEASON 2015

The Stairwell Carollers present

"Dormi Jesu"

Dedicated to the memory of Sir David Willcocks

Friday, December 11^th

Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St, Ottawa, (ON) , 7:30pm.

Wednesday, December 16^th

St Columba Anglican Church 24 Sandridge Rd, , Ottawa, (ON), 7:30pm.

For these two performances only, advance tickets can be purchased for $15,

using the following options...

BUY THEM NOW ONLINE through PayPal

Purchase online tickets for these two concerts.

Choose a location. Knox Presbyterian St-Columba

Instructions for your

online purchase

Or

Purchase tickets at the following locations...

• Leading Note, 370 Elgin St., Suite No. 2

• Compact Music, 206 & 785 1/2 Bank Street locations

• Books on Beechwood, 35 Beechwood Ave

Tickets may also be purchased at the door for $20

---

Our Other concerts in and around the region

Friday, November 27^th

St. Thomas Anglican Church, 1619 Stittsville Main St, Stittsville, (ON), 7:30pm.

Saturday, December 5^th

St. Matthieu, 69 de Provence St., Gatineau,(QC),7:30pm..

Sunday, December 6^th

Emmanuel Anglican Church, 287 Harrington St, Arnprior, (ON), 2pm.

Saturday, December 12^th

St James Anglican Church, 225 Edmund St, Carleton Place, (ON),7:30pm.

Email us for more info

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