About

All Voices Community Choir (AVCC) is a non-auditioned community choir open to anyone with an interest in singing and social events. Started in 1977, we are the longest-established community choir in the west end of Ottawa.

Each year we hold our regular special events to learn, have fun, and make friends. Events include a costume party at Hallowe’en, a Valentine’s Day celebration, and musical retreat days once in each of the fall and winter sessions, with special activities for each choir. The Juniors and Teens’ retreats are half-days, on either a Saturday or Sunday, and the Adults’ retreats are most of a Saturday. We also sing in the community several times a year – anything from national anthems at sporting events to carol sings at local senior homes.

A group of singers of varying musical abilities, we rehearse weekly to prepare for the Holiday and Spring concert series held annually in December and May. The ability to read music is not required.

Mission

All Voices Community Choir is a not-for-profit social and cultural organization established to encourage the enjoyment, practice, development and performance of singing and music by its members and to perform musical functions for the benefit of the community. We will be community minded, welcome members regardless of musical experience and place equal emphasis on the social and musical aspects of making music.

Our Music

We have a broad musical repertoire covering many genres. If you like classical, spiritual, folk, jazz, musical theatre or popular music, you’re sure to find a favourite. Have a listen to a sampling from some of our past concerts..

Our organization is a proud advocate of Canadian music, and we perform in both official languages. We have commissioned new Canadian compositions and arrangements for special occasions. To celebrate our 40^th anniversary in 2017, we premiered new works from local composers Laura Hawley, Stephen Eisenhauer, and Jim Wright.

If you would like to support music in your community, we are pleased to accept donations towards our music purchases and to secure guest artists. We thank the following supporters:

Bryn Burnell & Linda Crawford, in memory of their dear friend and music colleague, Sara Surijadinata.
Olivia Adams, “To the Busch family, with love, Olivia”
Stephen Eisenhauer, to celebrate the marriage of Vaughn Chauvin and Carolyn Shiau in 2017.

Artistic Leadership

Linda Crawford, Artistic Director

Born in Quebec City, Linda studied at the Conservatoire de Musique de Québec and Université de Laval, earning degrees in Vocal Performance and Music Education. Additional studies included conducting and Baroque choral literature at Westminster Choir College and the University of Toronto. She continues to study choral conducting at master classes, most recently with Jean-Sebastien Vallée (Montréal) and Jon Washburn (Vancouver).

Linda is a retired Music and French educator. Her school concert bands attained regional and national gold standings at many festivals, over her 30-year career. She founded the OCDSB Intermediate Music Council, a teacher-based group to support music teachers and to organize music enrichment events for students. In 2004, Linda received the OCDSB Arts Recognition Award for Excellence in Music Education and the promotion of the Arts in Ottawa.

Linda has directed numerous community and church ensembles. She is often invited to offer choral and instrumental music workshops in Ontario and Quebec. In addition to her choral work, she teaches private Music (piano and voice) and French lessons. She is also part of the ELL teaching team for refugee families currently being welcomed to Vankleek Hill.

Linda is passionate about the excellent family of choirs in the GJS organization. She loves sharing the joy of choral singing with the three groups! She is very proud of the dedication and hard work of her Singers, and of the high level of quality they attain, in such a varied repertoire.

Nicholas Busch, Accompanist

Nicholas Busch has completed his Masters in Collaborative Piano at Western University, studying with Dr. John Hess, and Professor Mariana Chibotar-Rutkevich. He has collaborated with vocalists and instrumentalists in various recitals, competitions, and festivals, and has performed as part of the Adams & Busch Piano Duo throughout southwestern Ontario. He has a passion for new music and has had the honor of premiering and recording many new pieces for both mixed ensembles and solo piano by composers from across Canada. He currently holds the position of Director of Music at Kanata United Church, and is the Project Coordinator for the Beaverbrook Community Concert Series.

Governance

The people who help keep the organization moving in the right direction

2023-24 Board:

President | Katie Hodges
Vice President | Jacob Terkuc
Past President | Scott Sheppard
Treasurer | Karen Martin
Secretary | Kristy Henry
Librarian | Susan Lopez
Communications, Marketing, Social Media Lead | Catherine Lynch
Artistic Director | Linda Crawford
Junior Coordination Team | Kelly Terkuc and Monique Beuree
Youth Representative Lead | Maki Martin – with subcommittee members Keith Purvis and Hailey Blommesteijn
Members at Large | Ryan Lindsey, Bryn Burnell

Scott Shepherd (Past President) An engineer by trade, Scott has been singing in various choirs in Ottawa for 25 years. He’s been a member of our Choir for the past 9 years. In his spare time he does musical theatre.

Linda Crawford (Artistic Director, board member) hails from Quebec City, where her studies were in Vocal Performance, Music Education, and Choral Direction. Some of her earliest memories are of singing in church choirs, school choirs, and community musicals. After 32 years teaching middle school music in Stittsville, she now enjoys having more time to both sing in and direct choirs, play her celtic harp, and hang out with her granddaughters!