Local choir tours Ottawa, Montreal for collaborative concerts

– Canzona Women’s Ensemble recently completed a choral tour to Eastern Canada, collaborating with two other women’s choral ensembles in two concerts. The first concert took place in Ottawa on Saturday, June 15, at Dominion College, hosted by Cantiamo Women’s Choir, directed by Jackie Hawley. The second concert was held in Montreal on Sunday, June 16, at Oscar Peterson Hall, hosted by the Chorale du Gesu, directed by Patricia Abbott. Canzona is directed by co-conductors Cricket Handler and Jill Anderson.

Each choir presented a twenty-minute segment of their own musical repertoire, and there were four large group pieces sung by all eighty singers, each conducted by one of the four directors. “It was a tremendous collaborative experience, both musically and socially,” said Dr. Anderson. “We felt very welcomed by our host choirs, their directors, and their singers.” She added that there are plans for a possible subsequent tour to Alberta. Canzona’s last choir tour was to the Tapestry Festival in Vancouver in 2015.

Many of the San Luis Obispo singers brought their spouses and stayed after the concerts to tour Montreal, Quebec, and their environs. “We enjoyed being ambassadors for our community in Eastern Canada and are happy that we raised their awareness of the Central Coast of California,” said Ms. Handler.

Canzona’s next concert in San Luis Obispo will be Sunday, Nov. 3 at 3 p.m. at the United Methodist Church. The theme is “Songs of the Americas.”

About Canzona Women’s Ensemble: Canzona, SLO County’s all-women choral group, presents two concerts per season, one in the fall and one in the spring. The ensemble collaborates with other artists on the Central Coast, including poets, composers, dancers, and musicians of all ages. Canzona was founded in the summer of 2009 by artistic directors Cricket Handler and Jill Anderson and is now in its 16th season.