The Ottawa Celtic Choir

An email from Ellen MacIssac (15 Sept 2008): Herewith the news regarding the Ottawa Celtic Choir. We are now a stand-alone entity. The choir's new home is at St. John the Evangelist Church, on the corner of Elgin and Somerset. Rehearsals are still on Tuesday evenings, from 7pm until 9pm in the chapel. We're extremely lucky to have scored this space - it's a wood paneled chapel with high ceilings, fantastic acoustics and a baby grand! The first rehearsal of the season will be next Tuesday, September 9th, 2008. When you arrive at St. John's, come in the door that opens onto Somerset street, not the big front doors on Elgin. I'll have unlocked the church, and will be there to direct you to the chapel, if need be. Waiting for you will be a Choirster's Guide and a music pack, with all the music we'll be rehearsing over the year. Logistics: Although the church has no parking lot of its own, there's lots of parking in the streets around Elgin street. There's also a municipal parking lot very nearby. There are a lot of buses going down Elgin, so getting there by public transportation shouldn't be a problem. For those who aren't clear on the details, this is a non-auditioned community choir, which sings the songs of the Celtic nations and the Celtic diaspora, in both English and in various Celtic languages. So, we sing songs in Irish, Scots, Welsh, Manx, etc., as well as in English. We sing songs from the west coast of Europe and the east coast of Canada. We sing in unison and in up to four parts. We sing both accompanied and unaccompanied songs. We will be doing performances this year, so I will be working a specific number of pieces up to performance levels. Although I distribute sheet music, reading it is NOT a prerequisite to joining the choir, nor is speaking one of the Celtic languages. All that gets explained during rehearsals. Please don't hesitate to contact me for more information. You can also ring me at 613-552-3964 if you prefer communication by telephone. Here's looking forward to an awesome year, and I hope to see you next Tuesday! All the best, Ellen (Updated in 2011: ellen at laughingbrook dot ca)