Kingston Choral Society

After 70 years of continuous operations, the Kingston Choral Society occupies a special place in the Kingston music scene. Artistic Director Ian Juby has led the choir for over 20 years, and has recently moved the scope of the repertoire beyond the choral masterworks and extended classics which have been the group’s mainstay. Recent programs showcased works by living composers from Canada and around the world, including Ola Gjeilo, Eric Whitacre, Daniel Elder, and the world premiere of a commissioned work by Juno Nominated jazz pianist Marianne Trudel for saxophone, piano and choir. KCS continues to embrace the splendour and grandeur of the great classics, and recent performances of Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem have played to capacity audiences. In April 2022, KCS performed Johannes Brahms’ unrivalled Requiem, using his own English, 4-hands piano /edition, and accompanied by Clare Marion and Emily McPherson.

​A proud member of the Kingston Symphony Association, the KCS is lucky to perform with the spectacular musicians associated with that organization. This December, the choir will once again join forces with the KSO for three performances of the much-loved Candlelight Christmas at The Isabel Bader Centre – get your tickets early! KCS also seeks out regional artists with which to collaborate, and routinely provides performing opportunities for developing artists from across the province.

​In 2023/24, KCS celebrates 70 years by returning to its roots, performing masterworks by the world’s great composers, as well as newer works inspired by those classics. The season opens with Dan Forrest’s majestic Requiem for the Living on Sunday Nov 26 – “a work of great import…one of the most moving works I have heard in a very long while…” Jeffrey Williams for New York Concert Review. On December 9, KCS will give Messiah enthusiasts an opportunity to sing out their hearts with a Sing Along Messiah. The season closes with Antonio Vivaldi’s Gloria in D Major & Joseph Rheinburger’s Stabat Mater.

​KCS rehearses Tuesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 at The Spire, 82 Sydenham St in downtown Kingston.

The Kingston Choral society rehearses and performs on land situated on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Huron and Wendat. We acknowledge their enduring presence on this land, as well as the presence of Metis, Inuit, and other First Nations from across Turtle Island. We honour their cultures and celebrate their commitment to this land.