Vancouver Cantata Singers artistic director Paula Kremer to move to role of conductor emerita

The long-time vocalist, pianist, and conductor is set to pass on the baton at the end of the 2026–27 season

THE VANCOUVER CANTATA SINGERS has just announced that its artistic director, Paula Kremer, will be stepping down at the end of the 2026–27 season.

Kremer began her journey with the choir in 1994, as a singer in the alto section under James Fankhauser, who helmed the group from 1973 to 2000, making him its longest-serving artistic director. The baton was passed to Peter Butterfield briefly, before Eric Hannan took over and served from 2002 to 2012. Kremer assumed the role of artistic director in 2013, after nearly two decades of singing with the choir.

Born and raised in Vancouver, Kremer began her career as a vocalist and pianist at UBC and the Vancouver Academy of Music, and later trained in choral conducting at Eton College, Westminster Choir College in New Jersey, the Eastman School of Music in New York, and the University of Michigan. She has directed ensembles for the Vancouver Bach Choir and taught at Vancouver Community College’s School of Music.

“This experience will remain dear to my heart as I cherish the last thirteen years of programming and leading VCS,” Kremer said in a release today. “I will be forever grateful to VCS for the years of music making in my life, and look forward to many more years of the choir’s success.”

In the same release, the board of directors of the Vancouver Cantata Singers commended Kremer for her “exceptional ability to identify and resolve vocal challenges”. Among her accomplishments is leading the choir to its 2019 win of the Healey-Willan Prize, a Canada Council for the Arts award for best performance in the National Competition for Amateur Choirs.

Kremer will continue conducting as usual to the end of this season, which features two more concerts at Pacific Spirit United Church. She will then lead the choir’s fall 2026 performances before making way for guest conductors for spring 2027 concerts, and then transitioning into the role of conductor emerita. Audiences can expect her to return to the podium as guest conductor on occasion.

The Vancouver Cantata Singers will launch a search for its new artistic director in the coming weeks; the selected individual will take over at the start of the 2027–28 season.

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Emily Lyth

Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.

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