Durham youth choir members sing remotely to inspire and send messages of hope to fellow Canadians

With the isolation of social distancing, the young singers of Durham Girls’ Choir have lost their weekly rehearsals, where they meet and sing together, as well as opportunities to perform concerts for their community. However, this hasn’t dampened their spirits or their belief in sharing the joy of song.

Singing remotely from the safety of their homes in Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, and Courtice, the girls — whose ages range from 7 to 18 — recorded themselves singing our national anthem, “O Canada” to inspire hope and unity in all Canadians during these unprecedented times. Their submissions come together in “True Patriot Love”— a virtual choir whose individual voices are truly guided by patriot love for their fellow Canadians.

The girls also submitted artwork reflecting their understanding of the events unfolding around them, which pay homage to our healthcare professionals and essential workers, and offer words of inspiration to get us through these difficult times.

Through this video, one chorister (aged 12), hopes “More people will see that kids are trying hard to help, even with little things like washing our hands, and that might make the adults feel better, too.”

There’s so much that’s new at Durham Girls’ Choir!

We’ve changed a lot over the years, and now more than ever our focus is on creating a fun and inclusive environment that fosters musical education, confidence and friendships. We’re preparing for our Fall 2019 term, and we know it will be our most exciting season ever. 

We’ve welcomed the return of Choir Camp! This immersive overnight lodge experience not only adds to our musical skills, but creates a unique opportunity to build friendships and confidence among choristers.

We’re growing! With 32 voices creating beautiful music together, we sound better than ever before. We are always thrilled to welcome new members of all talent levels, as we continue to grow our unique performing choir.

Our new executive team keeps it fun.  Music is important to us, but so is having fun. Our executive works hard to ensure each practice, event, and performance is an inclusive and enjoyable experience for all our members. 

We’ve added new performance opportunities. Aside from our regular winter and spring concerts, our choristers have performed with Upper Canada Chorus at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, and were guest performers for the Durham Chamber Orchestra. They have shared the gift of music with residents of Extendicare, and proudly performed our national anthem for the Oshawa Generals and the Kids Help Phone 2018 campaign kickoff. There’s always something fun to look forward to!