Ottawa Choral Society

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Ottawa Choral Society

The OCS is an auditioned adult chorus with a rich history of repertoire spanning six centuries. Petersburg, Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga in 2019.

The Ottawa Choral Society is a historic symphonic chorus, directed by Dr. Gabrielle Gaudreault. The choir plays a vibrant role in the cultural life of the National Capital Region. With approximately 125 auditioned members, the choir's repertoire spans 6+ centuries. The choir appears regularly with the National Arts Centre and the Ottawa Symphony orchestras. The choir has made six international to

urs: to Italy (1982 & 2008), Spain (1989), Germany and the Czech Republic (1996), the United Kingdom and Ireland (2000) during which the BBC followed the choir on tour and made a documentary film that was shown across the UK and Ireland, and the Baltic cities of St.

05/05/2026

What a weekend! ✨🎶

We’re still glowing after bringing Haydn’s The Creation to life—an unforgettable experience and a truly special milestone. Celebrating 60 years of OSO and 85 years of OCS together made it all the more meaningful.

To everyone who joined us: thank you. Your energy filled the room and lifted every note, making the music come alive in the most extraordinary way. Whether you’ve been part of our journey for years or are just discovering us, we’re so grateful to have you in our musical family. 💛

Here’s to many more moments like this!

Photo Credit: Curtis Perry Photography

05/03/2026

🌅🎶 FINAL PERFORMANCE TODAY 🎶🌅

We look forward to seeing you today as the 2025–26 OCS Season concludes with a truly landmark celebration.

Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation returns to the stage in a joint anniversary collaboration celebrating 85 years of the Ottawa Choral Society and 60 years of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra - Orchestre symphonique d'Ottawa

This masterpiece of the Classical era draws on powerful texts from Genesis, the Psalms, and Milton’s Paradise Lost, bringing the story of creation itself to life through music—moving from chaos to light in breathtaking fashion.

📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
290 Lisgar Street, Ottawa

We can’t wait to share this unforgettable final performance with you today

05/02/2026

🎶✨ TODAY IS THE DAY✨🎶

After months of preparation, it all comes to life tonight.

Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation takes the stage—an extraordinary journey from chaos to light, silence to sound, and darkness to breathtaking brilliance.

From the first note, you’ll be immersed in a world where music doesn’t just tell the story of creation… it becomes it.

Doors open soon—don’t miss this unforgettable performance.

📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre

05/01/2026

✨ Artistic Director Spotlight: Gabrielle Gaudreault ✨

On the podium for this weekend’s performances is our Artistic Director, Gabrielle Gaudreault.

A dynamic and accomplished conductor, Gabrielle brings a wealth of experience from leading ensembles across North America and Europe. Her work as a conductor, educator, and collaborative musician shapes the sound and artistic vision of the Ottawa Choral Society.

Join us this weekend as she leads us to discover the grandeur and storytelling of Haydn’s The Creation in a performance that is both dramatic and inspiring, from its quiet moments of wonder to its most powerful expressions of joy.

Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre

🎟️ Tickets available

04/30/2026

✨ THE CREATION ✨

Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation is one of the most extraordinary works of the Classical era—an oratorio that doesn’t just describe creation, but enacts it in sound.

From the first breath of chaos to the emergence of light, Haydn uses orchestration and choral power to paint a living universe into existence. Inspired by epic texts like Milton’s Paradise Lost, the music moves through darkness, awe, and radiant transformation.

But this world is not only cosmic—it is vividly alive. Haydn brings nature itself into the concert hall, from roaring brass that feels like untamed wilderness to intricate string passages that mirror the movement of animals and life in motion.

📍 Experience this monumental season finale—where music becomes creation itself.

📅 May 2–3, 2026
📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
🎟️ Reserve your seats today: https://www.simpletix.com/e/haydn-s-the-creation-tickets-248707

04/28/2026

⚡ FROM CHAOS TO LIGHT ✨

Darkness is not empty—it is charged, alive, and waiting. Creation is not gentle… it is a force of transformation, where chaos gives way to illumination. Haydn brings it to life in sound.

In The Creation, you can hear that shift happen — the moment silence fractures, texture builds, and suddenly… light breaks through.

🎶 From nothing. To everything. From chaos. To light.

This is where poetry becomes music—and music becomes creation itself.

📅 May 2–3, 2026
📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
🎟️ Reserve your seats today: https://www.simpletix.com/e/haydn-s-the-creation-tickets-248707

04/26/2026

✨ Soloist Spotlight: Matthew Li, Bass ✨

We are delighted to welcome bass Matthew Li as one of our featured soloists in The Creation.

Praised for his vibrant stage presence and rich, commanding voice, Matthew brings both power and depth to every performance.

Let yourself be immersed in a work that moves from quiet wonder to breathtaking celebration.

In partnership with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra - Orchestre symphonique d'Ottawa we are proud to bring this extraordinary work to life!

📅 May 2–3, 2026
📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre

🎟️ Reserve your seats today: https://www.simpletix.com/e/haydn-s-the-creation-tickets-248707

04/25/2026

🌌 Inspired by Milton’s Paradise Lost 🌌

Before there was light, there was silence. Before order, there was chaos.

Haydn’s The Creation draws deeply from the poetic world of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, where the story of creation unfolds not just as scripture, but as epic imagination — vast, dramatic, and profoundly human.

In Milton’s vision, darkness is not just absence… it is a force. And light, when it arrives, is nothing short of revelation.

🎶 Haydn translates that same transformation into sound — moving from chaos to clarity, from darkness to divine illumination — as the orchestra and choir bring creation itself into being.

✨ A moment where poetry becomes music, and music becomes something almost celestial.

📅 May 2–3, 2026
📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
🎟️ Reserve your seats today: https://www.simpletix.com/e/haydn-s-the-creation-tickets-248707

04/23/2026

⚡ THE SONIC BIG BANG ⚡

From silence… to sound that shakes the heavens.

In the opening of Haydn’s The Creation, we begin in murky “Chaos” — until the moment everything changes. When the choir sings “Light,” the orchestra erupts into a blazing C major chord so powerful it feels like the universe itself is being created in real time.

At the 1798 premiere, the impact was so electrifying that the performance reportedly had to pause as audiences absorbed the moment.

🎶 Experience it live: the legendary “C major explosion” — a breathtaking, high-impact musical moment that alone is worth the ticket.

✨ This is not just music. It’s the sound of creation itself.

📅 May 2–3, 2026
📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
🎟️ Reserve your seats today: https://www.simpletix.com/e/haydn-s-the-creation-tickets-248707

04/21/2026

✨ From Chaos to Light — Haydn’s The Creation ✨

We are closing our 2025–26 season with a landmark collaboration celebrating 85 years of the OCS and 60 years of the

Experience one of the greatest masterpieces of the Classical era — Franz Joseph Haydn’s The Creation — an awe-inspiring oratorio drawn from Genesis, the Psalms, and Milton’s Paradise Lost.

From the murky opening “Chaos” to the moment “Light” erupts in a breathtaking C Major explosion, this is music that doesn’t just unfold — it transforms the room. Audiences have described it as one of the most electrifying moments in all of choral repertoire.

This is more than a concert — it’s a shared moment of awe, power, and renewal.

📍 Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre
📅 May 2–3, 2026
🎟️ Reserved seating: $39–$75

Address

Rehearsals At St. Francois D'Assise Church, 20 Fairmont Avenue
Ottawa, ON
K1Y2K2

Telephone

6137252560

Website

http://www.ottawachoralsociety.com/

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