Vancouver Cantata Singers

The Vancouver Cantata Singers (VCS) is an auditioned Canadian choir in Vancouver, British Columbia, founded in 1959 by organist and conductor Hugh McLean.

Vancouver Cantata Singers^[1] was first formed under the name the Philharmonic Choir in 1958 as a non-auditioned community chorus. The first performance took place on February 6, 1959, at Christ Church Cathedral with the choir performing Bach’s Mass in B Minor. Positive reviews from music critics and successful appearances on CBC Radio eventually inspired the chorus to become an auditioned semi-professional ensemble in the early 1970s when James Fankhauser began to lead the group, winning the Healey Willan Grand Prize^[2] in 1984 and a Juno Award nomination for Best Classical Album (Vocal or Choral Performance) in 1994. From 2002 to 2012, the choir was headed by conductor Eric Hannan, who led the group to win the Healey Willan Grand Prize both in 2008 and 2011. In 2013, long-time VCS member Paula Kremer became artistic director,^[3] and in 2019 she led the group to several awards in the National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs,^[4] again including Canada Council's Healey Willan Prize.^[5]

Although the ensemble's name implies focus on music of the Baroque period, the Vancouver Cantata Singers also perform contemporary music, working frequently with local Canadian composers such as Jocelyn Morlock, Peter Hannan, Kristopher Fulton, Imant Raminsh, Stephen Chatman, Jordan Nobles, Craig Galbraith, and they also perform pieces arranged by members of the choir.