From classical concerts with orchestra to backup vocals at the ECMAs, our history has been interesting. Read the whole story below. Or skip to the good part and join us today.
We had our start in 1987 as the Greater Moncton Choral Society, under the direction of David Carle. The members were singing enthusiasts from the general community and David’s students from Atlantic Baptist College. The choir was accompanied on the piano by Dr. James Burchill, organist at Central United Church. That building, with its beautiful acoustics and large choir loft, was our first rehearsal home - and it is still where we do most of our singing today!
“David Carle seemed larger than life. He had a rich baritone voice and gave his own recitals. He often told the sopranos to pipe down…his mantra was ‘God takes care of Sopranos.’ [David] loved the texture of the alto voices, and he could sing the alto part with gusto any time they needed support.”
The Greater Moncton Choral Society’s first projects were ambitious classical works: Handel’s Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Elijah, presented with organ accompaniment and featuring local soloists.
For Moncton’s Centennial celebrations in 1990, the Greater Moncton Choral Society joined forces with the choir of Université de Moncton, the Chorale Beauséjour, Les Jeunes Chanteurs d’Acadie, and the Hillsborough Girls Choir to present a major choral work with orchestra, written for the occasion by Professor Richard Gibson. The concert was presented at Moncton High School and conducted by Friedemann Sallis.
David Carle moved to Montreal in 1992, and Charles Woodrow, the organist at St. John’s United Church, became the new director of the Greater Moncton Choral Society, followed by Stephen Alexander, the organist at Central United Church. During Stephen’s tenure, the choir changed its name to Greater Moncton Chorale and became a Registered Canadian Charity.
Melody Dobson took over the direction of the choir in 2004. She had recently moved to Moncton from Hamburg, Germany, where she spent 10 years as a classical performing artist (soprano) with the North German Radio Corporation.
Under Melody’s leadership, the Greater Moncton Chorale performed two major works with Symphony New Brunswick: Handel’s Messiah (Howard Dyck, conductor) and Mozart’s Requiem (Michael Newnham, conductor), with concerts in Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John.
Melody stepped away from the GMC in 2006 to focus on other projects, and Anne Sessa, organist at Trinity St. Stephen in Amherst, was approached to fill the gap. Anne led the Chorale for three years, but when she relocated to Fredericton in 2009 to direct the Bel Canto Singers, Melody Dobson assumed her role with the GMC once again.
In the years that followed, the choir underwent a series of changes with the goal of becoming more inclusive and attracting new members. We opened the group to people of all musical backgrounds, providing practice tracks so choristers who did not read music could learn their parts by ear. We collaborated with other community organizations, hosted Christmas singalongs in downtown Moncton, and offered outreach programs in the schools. Our repertoire expanded to appeal to a broader spectrum of singers and audiences. Choir operations moved online, and GMC bass and graphic designer, Juergen Weiland, created an appealing visual presence.
In the summers of 2011, 2013, and 2017, the Greater Moncton Chorale ventured into new territory, presenting a full-scale musical comedy production to sellout audiences. Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury, set entirely in a courtroom, was presented in the perfect venue: the Albert County Museum’s charming 1904 courthouse. In true G & S fashion, each show was revised to incorporate the political themes of the day. The 2017 production was a spoof on Donald Trump’s presidency… the lead actor, Saint John baritone Paul Bustin, was so convincing that an American tourist mistook him for the real Donald!
In 2012, the adventures continued, with an invitation to sing backup for Newfoundland indie band The Once at the East Coast Music Awards. The choir members had a great time snapping and doot-doot-dooting with the band in ‘A Round Again’ from the 2011 Album Row Upon Row.
The Greater Moncton Chorale marked its 25th anniversary in May 2013 with a showcase in the Capitol Theatre that included performances by the Rotary Youth Choir as well as high school vocal groups from Harrison Trimble, Bernice MacNaughton, and Moncton High. The Capitol stage was filled with 150+ singers of all ages for the final song, ABBA’s ‘Thank You for the Music.’
In 2018, we commissioned a major work for choir and orchestra from two talented composers who were members of the GMC. Voices of the Earth, a multi-movement composition with choral parts by Judith Snowdon and orchestration by Andy Creeggan, premiered with great success in May 2019. The 100-voice Greater Moncton Chorale was accompanied by Tutta Musica Orchestra, conducted by Andy.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, the GMC was in the final stage of preparations for a spring concert program of Canadian folk music. We shut down, wondering how a few missed rehearsals might impact our upcoming concert… It would be two and a half years before we met again.
Our first performance post pandemic took place in December 2022. In the weeks leading up to the concert, COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses swept the city, and by concert time, a third of the choir was missing. After some back and forth, we opted to go ahead with the performance. The emotional high of that experience – sharing music with a live audience again – was something we will never forget.
Since that time, the Greater Moncton Chorale has grown to become the largest choral organization in New Brunswick. In 2023-24, we added three new programs to our offerings: Voices Rising (youth choir program); Music in Medicine (wellness choir for healthcare workers at The Moncton Hospital); and Pub Sing (casual pop/rock/folk singalongs led by a band).
Demand for collective singing experiences has never been stronger, and we will continue to share our passion for choral music in all its forms with the Greater Moncton community.