Chor Leoni
Chor Leoni. Photo by Phil Jack
With stylistic grace and an adventurous spirit, Vancouver’s Singing Lions have enriched and transformed people’s lives through singing for more than 35 years.
Chor Leoni has been honoured with many awards at the national and international levels including five 1st place awards in the CBC National Radio Competition for Amateur Choirs. In 2020 the ensemble received a JUNO nomination for the album When There Is Peace: An Armistice Oratorio by Zachary Wadsworth, and in 2019 received the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence from the professional choral organization, Chorus America. The award recognizes artistic excellence, contribution to the choral art form, and organizational stability over a long period of time and may only be once in an ensemble’s lifetime.In 2018 the ensemble performed at the Singapore International Choral Festival and the Bali International Choral Festival, singing in the opening and Grand Prix concerts for both. Between the two festivals, Chor Leoni won five gold medals, two Choir Championships, and a special jury’s prize for outstanding choreography.Chor Leoni’s 2016 recording Wandering Heart was a featured CD for Minnesota Public Radio and WFMT Chicago, and received a perfect five-star rating from the UK’s prestigious Choir and Organ magazine and was a featured CD for Minnesota Public Radio and WFMT Chicago. The choir’s 2018 Christmas recording Star of Wonder was also a featured CD on Minnesota Public Radio.Chor Leoni prides itself on musical ambassadorship for Vancouver and Canada and has performed at major festivals and concert venues across Canada and the United States. The choir has also shared its music in Singapore, Indonesia, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, and the Czech Republic.Chor Leoni champions new music and has commissioned hundreds of pieces for TTBB choir, ranging from pop and folksong arrangements to modern works. In 2024 the choir appointed Marie-Claire Saindon as its Composer in Residence for a three-year term. The ensemble has commissioned works by notable composers such as Melissa Dunphy, Shruthi Rajasekar, Jocelyn Morlock, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Bob Chilcott, Imant Raminsh, R. Murray Schafer, Sarah Rimkus, Saunder Choi, and Zachary Wadsworth, among others.
Chor Leoni’s Emerging Choral Artist Program invites ambitious and experienced young singers to participate in a highly selective, project-based mentorship opportunity.
MYVoice is open to anyone aged 12 to 24 who wants to sing TTBB music and experience the transformative power of choral singing through 10 free weekly rehearsals and an on-stage performance as part of The Big Roar Choral Summit.
PRÉLUDE is a program for all singers in grades 5, 6, and 7 who wish to sing as part of Chor Leoni’s Big Roar Singing Festival. The program is sponsored by Chor Leoni and directed by Carrie Taylor, and features 4 free weekly rehearsals and an on-stage performance as part of The Big Roar Choral Summit.
The Big Roar, Canada’s premiere TTBB choral festival, brings together all of the singers in the organization's youth programs, The Leonids, and, of course, Chor Leoni for a life-changing weekend of music-making.
