Vancouver Cantata Singers
Encyclopedia
The Vancouver Cantata Singers (VCS) is a semi-professional Canadian
choir
located in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. Founded in 1959 by organist and conductor Hugh McLean, VCS began its life as a non-auditioned community chorus. Positive reviews from music critics and successful appearances on the CBC Radio
, eventually inspired the chorus to become an auditioned semi-professional group in the early 1970s when James Fankhauser
began leading the group. Since then the choir has made several recordings, some of which have garnered Juno Award
nominations. Since 2002 the choir has been led by conductor Eric Hannan.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
located in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Founded in 1959 by organist and conductor Hugh McLean, VCS began its life as a non-auditioned community chorus. Positive reviews from music critics and successful appearances on the CBC Radio
CBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
, eventually inspired the chorus to become an auditioned semi-professional group in the early 1970s when James Fankhauser
James Fankhauser
James Lee Fankhauser is an American conductor, tenor, and educator who is primarily known for his work within the field of choral music in Canada. In 1973 he was appointed the music director of the Vancouver Cantata Singers , remaining in that position until 2000...
began leading the group. Since then the choir has made several recordings, some of which have garnered Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
nominations. Since 2002 the choir has been led by conductor Eric Hannan.
Conductors
- Hugh McLean (1959-1966)
- John Wiebe (1966-1973)
- James Fankhauser (1973-2000)
- Peter ButterfieldPeter ButterfieldPeter Butterfield is a Canadian conductor and classical tenor. In 2003 he founded the VancouverVoices and since 2009 he has been the director of the Victoria Philharmonic Choir. As a singer he has performed throughout Europe, Asia, and North America; working primarily as a concert singer since the...
(2001-2002) - Eric Hannan (2002-Present Day)