The Choir was started in September, 1972, when Professor Dilmore of the University of Western Ontario agreed to set up a community orchestra (now The Georgian Bay Symphony). He needed a group of singers to accompany the orchestra in some of the Christmas choruses from Handel’s Messiah. That group of singers eventually became what’s known today as the Georgian Bay Concert Choir.
At the time, there were many fine choral ensembles in the area, but the choir members decided that the community needed a larger four part ensemble to perform the major works of the music repertoire. Its mandate, therefore, was to assemble the necessary forces required to present master works such as Handel’s Messiah, using, where possible, up and coming soloists and musicians from the area. It was also decided to perform as much music as possible written by Canadian composers. To date, two works have been commissioned by the choir: “A Celebration of the Nativity” by Keith Bissell (a former Meaford area resident) and “People and the Land” by Jeff Smallman.
A few of the major works performed by the choir and orchestra since its founding are:
- Mendelssohn’s Elijah
- Haydn’s Creation
- Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass
- Handel’s Acis and Galatea
- Handel’s Messiah
- Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury (fully staged)
- Dvorak’s Mass in D- (massed choir)
- Vaughn Williams’ Hodie
- Faure’s Requiem
- Rutter’s Gloria
- Durufle’s Requiem
- Brahms German Requiem (guest director – Jeanette Steeves)
- Vivaldi’s Gloria (Jeanette Steeves)
- Andrew Agar’s Christmas at Sea Opus 24 (commissioned by the orchestra)
- Bach’s St. John Passion
