Won’t You Join Us? – Cecilian Singers

Who We Are:

We are a non-auditioned community choir made up of people who share the joy of making choral music together. We are open to anyone who loves to sing.
All members need to be able to read music. Our music director may ask you to do a voice check to assist in placing you in the right section.

How to Join Us:

Where We Came From:

We were founded in 1996 by Michele Hupaelo. We are currently directed by Matthew Praksas. Our collaborative pianist is Connor Elias.

What We Do:

We rehearse and perform two choral concerts each year, one in December and one in the Spring.

How We Do It:

We rehearse on Wednesday evenings 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM, September through April at Grosvenor Park United Church (corner of 14th Street and Cumberland Avenue South.
We have sectional rehearsals approximately once per month at times convenient to the members of each section.
We have one intensive rehearsal each season, usually about 6 weeks prior to the upcoming concert. On a Saturday morning, we rehearse for two hours, share a pot luck lunch, and then conclude with another one hour rehearsal in the early afternoon.
You are expected to work on the music by yourself in addition to the weekly practices. Our music director will provide you with a variety of learning aids.

We Support Ourselves:

We sell tickets to our concerts. Each member is required to sell a minimum of 5 tickets If you have difficulty, you may “sell” your excess tickets to other choir members who may need more than their allotted tickets.
We sell advertising for the concert programs. If you own a business or do business with someone who might like to advertise, Cecilian Singers provides you with an introductory letter and contribution form that you may use to solicit advertising.
We contribute items to a silent auction or to a craft sale, once per concert season.

Withdrawal Policy:

Refunds are provided to members who need to withdraw from the choir if notice is given within six weeks from the start of each term.
The music deposit cheque will be destroyed or cash deposit refunded once the music and binder are returned to the librarian.
An administrative fee of $25 will be deducted from the refund for all withdrawals.

Our Approach to COVID Safety:

We ask members to affirm that they will follow public health measures with regard to COVID and be willing to adopt any changes that may arise over time. The choir monitors public health recommendations and will proactively implement such steps as are considered necessary to make practices as safe as possible for our choir members.

Our Structure:

Cecilian Singers Inc. has an executive made up of current members.
Each year in September or early October we hold an Annual General Meeting.
Along with our Director and Accompanist, we have a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, a Music Librarian, and at least two Members at Large.
We are always looking for new ideas and “members at large”. As you become comfortable and familiar with us, we welcome your input.
Notifications regarding rehearsals, activities, etc. are sent to you by email so please ensure your email is up to date.

Beautiful Music Takes Work

What Can I Do?

I can attend every practice and if I cannot be there, I can email the conductor to let them know. If I cannot be there, I can practice more at home, focusing on the pieces we worked on during the time I missed.
I can spend time before practice learning on my own. The choir provides several learning aides, which we can use at home to help us learn the music
I can avoid talking when I should be paying attention as it disturbs other choir members
I can attend sectionals – each section tries to have 3-4 per term
I can be almost “off book” several weeks before the concert so we can spend our time at the last few practices fine tuning the pieces, not learning which line we are singing

The choir runs better if everyone pitches in each week