Vancouver Chamber Choir

The Vancouver Chamber Choir is a professional 20-member vocal ensemble conducted by Kari Turunen. See below for upcoming concert performances.

2024 Chamber Choir Concerts

The following concerts are scheduled to happen during the 2023 to 2024 season. (Note: Exact dates and details are subject to change.)

January 27th, 2024 – HORIZONS: the Vancouver Chamber Choir performs Tamsin Jones’ Time Is for the first time along with Songs of Ariel by Frank Martin. The concert plays at the Pacific Spirit United Church at 7:30 pm.
February 16th, 2024 – WAR & PEACE: a musical repertoire that is so very in tune with today’s war zones around the world and our strong desire for global peace. The concert plays at the Pacific Spirit United Church at 7:30 pm.
March 8th, 2024 – SACRED & PROFANE: a concert that features classic works from Benjamin Britten’s Sacred & Profane and Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir along with Veljo Tormis’ Curse Upon Iron. The concert plays at Christ Church Cathedral at 7:30 pm.
April 19th, 2024 – A CHORAL FEAST 2: a collaborative celebration with the Vancouver Chamber Choir featuring two local choirs – Elektra Women’s Choir and British Columbia Girls Choir. Happens at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church at 7:30 pm.
May 24th, 2024 – THE GODFATHER: not works from the classic Marlon Brando movie, but works from the 15th and 16th centuries. The concert takes a tour of the works between famous composers and their elder peers during those two centuries. Happens at St. Phillip’s Anglican Church at 7:30 pm.
June 8th, 2024 – STORIES OF THE LAND: a concert featuring Canadian Indigenous choral music and the telling of Métis history and traditions. The concert takes place at the Museum of Anthropology at 7:30 pm.

About the Vancouver Chamber Choir

Formed in 1971 by conductor Jon Washburn, the Vancouver Chamber Choir has performed thousands of concerts across Canada as well as in over 16 countries around the world including the United States, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Russia and other East European countries.

Jon Washburn led the choir until 2019 when current Artistic Director Kari Turunen took over.

There are two affiliated choirs. One is the Pacifica Singers, which is a select vocal ensemble that performs four or so times each season with the Vancouver Chamber Choir, as well as once or twice on its own.

Founded in 2013, the second affiliated choir is the Vancouver Youth Choir. It includes three different groups comprising well over 100 children and youth singers.

The mandate of the Vancouver Chamber Choir is “to facilitate music-making of the highest caliber and commitment.” Its mission is to “make choral music of fully professional character and quality; … to foster appreciation of choral music among the public; … [and] to contribute significantly to [their} local, national and international choral communities ….”