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.

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.

Stairwell Caroller Auditions - Call for Tenors and Basses till August 2022

Stairwell Caroller Choir Auditions for Tenors and Basses are still on until August 2022 - for Ottawa region. In person rehearsals started today.

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.