The Association of Canadian Choral Communities announces the finalists in the 2013 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs

A treasured Canadian choral tradition, the prestigious ACCC National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs inspires choirs to strive for excellence, provides visibility for amateur choirs of all types and traditions, and encourages the creation and performance of Canadian works. The Competition is open to all Canadian amateur choirs and attracts diverse participants from coast to coast.

The 2013 Finalists are:
Category 1: Children's Choirs
Spurrell Studio Choir – Natalie Spurrell (Oakville, ON)

Category 2: Upper-Voice Youth Choirs
Calgary Girls Choir (Brava) – Elaine Quilichini (Calgary, AB)
WoCo (Etobicoke School of the Arts) – David Ambrose (Toronto, ON)

Category 3: Lower-Voice Youth Choirs
St. Michael's Choir School Tenor Bass Choir – Teri  Dunn (Toronto, ON)
Testostertones (Catholic Central High School) – Don Sills (Seaforth, ON)

Category 4: Mixed-Voice Youth Choirs
Chorale De La Salle – Robert Filion (Ottawa, ON)
Coastal Sound Youth Choir – Carrie Tennant (Vancouver, BC)
Medway Madrigal Singers – Jeff Beynon and Kathy McNaughton (London, ON)

Category 5: Mixed-Voice Collegiate Choirs
University of Manitoba Singers – Elroy Friesen (Winnipeg, MB)
University of Saskatchewan Greystone Singers – Gerald Langner (Saskatoon, SK)
Western University Singers – Victoria Meredith (London, ON)

Category 6: Mixed-Voice Adult Choirs
Chorale Saint-Jean – Laurier Fagnan (Edmonton, AB)
Guelph Chamber Choir – Gerald Neufeld (Guelph, ON)
Spiritus Chamber Choir – Timothy Shantz (Calgary, AB)

Category 7: Mixed-Voice Adult Chamber Choirs
I Coristi Chamber Choir – Debra Cairns (Edmonton, AB)
That Choir – Craig Pike (Toronto, ON)

Category 8: Equal-Voice Men's Choirs
Primus: Amabile Men's Choir – Carol Beynon (London, ON)

Category 9: Equal-Voice Women's Choirs
Canadian Mennonite University Chamber Choir – Janet Brenneman (Winnipeg, MB)
Elektra Women's Choir – Morna Edmundson (Vancouver, BC)
Xara Choral Theatre Ensemble – Christina Murray (Halifax, NS)

Category 11: Contemporary Music
Quintessential Vocal Ensemble – Susan Quinn (St. John’s, NL)
Spiritus Chamber Choir – Timothy Shantz (Calgary, AB)
University of Regina Chamber Singers – Dominic Gregorio (Regina, SK)

Winners will be announced at Festival 500 Sharing the Voices, an international festival of choral music which runs from July 3-10, 2013 in St. John’s, NL. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top performances in each category. The choir with the Best Performance of a Canadian Work in any category will also receive a cash prize. The prestigious Canada Council for the Arts Healey Willan Grand Prize will be awarded to the choir who gives the finest overall performance in musicianship, technique and program.

Each choir has created a CBC Music artist page, where audiences can listen to performances by and engage with the participating choirs. Links to each competitor’s CBC artist page and competition audio are available from the ACCC’s National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs portal page. For links, please visit http://choralcanada.org/ACCC_en/Canadian_Amateur_Choirs.html.

Outstanding performances from select participants will be featured on CBC Radio 2's Choral Concert in the coming weeks.

The National Competition of Canadian Amateur Choirs is a signature program of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities, Canada’s national service organization for choirs and the choral community. For more information please visit www.choralcanada.org.