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Welcome to the web-site home of the Concordia German-Canadian Male Chorus of Ottawa. Song, community, companionship – all play an important role in our lives. And as our name implies, we attach some importance to harmony in both our musical and interpersonal relationships. We would like to present ourselves as a refreshing product of the post-war wave of immigration of the 1950’s. Indeed, we are celebrating our golden 50th anniversary in 2008. If either yourself or your choir would be interested in celebrating this event with us – or any other occasion – you are always most welcome. While we especially appreciate contact with German-speaking singers, choirs, choral associations and other musical groups in both the new and the old world, we continue to enjoy the fellowship of anyone who shares our musical interests.
Vocal music is deeply embedded in German culture and being, with its tendrils supporting this glorious tradition even in Canada. The first major choral festivals took place here in the 1860’s, particularly in southern Ontario. In 1873, the first German-Canadian choral federation was formed. In the following decades, and right up until World War I, German vocal chords in Canada flourished profusely. In the years 1894 through 1912, twelve major choral festivals were celebrated in southern Ontario alone. “Music from the soul”, as one prominent German-Canadian then described their choral singing, especially German language songs, provided a beautiful contribution to the evolving Canadian mosaic and identity.
Following upon two World Wars, the image of Canadians of German origin suffered considerably, as did their cultural lives. Nevertheless, with the arrival of a new wave of immigration from German-speaking countries and areas after World War II, a new era of cultural traditions awoke among those Canadians with German roots. In major Canadian cities, choral groups were among the earliest of reformulated associations. The male choir “Concordia” was founded in Ottawa in March of 1958. Within six months, the founding group of seven active singers had grown to thirty, an impressive reflection of an evident requirement within the growing German-speaking community.
Those early singers undertook to develop a broad répertoire from the classics of Beethoven and Weber through a wide selection of pieces from both operas and operettas, while refreshing a treasure of German folk songs and some liturgical selections. They also strove to master more recent works along with folk music from both Canada and abroad, including international evergreens, sea shanties and other popular songs.
Concordia’s first official public concert took place in November 1960 to great acclaim, followed by dances, Christmas parties, costume balls and anniversary celebrations to widen the scope of events hosted by Concordia. The choir also participated in a variety of multicultural concerts, religious celebrations, charitable events and other special performances. In 1966, the “singers with the velvet voices” won two first prizes at the Ottawa music festival. In 1967 and again in 1969, Concordia Ottawa took top awards at the choral festival of the German-Canadian choral federation. Among the musical and social highlights of the choir’s history are undoubtedly the successful and unforgettable concert tours through Germany and Austria which included participation in the 16th German federal choral festival in June of 1968. A television performance for the “Music to See” series of CBC Ottawa in March 1975 brought both Concordia’s acoustical and visual merits to the fore.
Over the years, our choral activities and personal relationships have been enriched through joint events with German-speaking choirs from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Likewise, we have further enhanced our musical activities through contacts with choral groups with other backgrounds in both Canada and the USA to our mutual benefit. We look forward to any inquiries or suggestions anyone might have in furtherance of this type of activity.
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