Our History
The Prince George Cantata Singers made its debut in 1968, conducted by Imant Raminsh, founding conductor of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, in our first performance of Handel's Messiah. We have grown from that small community choir to become British Columbia’s Central Interior premier adult mixed-voice chorus with up to 80 members and recently celebrated our 50 years of song. Over the years, we have had the privilege of working with many talented and exceptional Music Directors and currently are led by Music Director Ariane Crossland.
We have performed with celebrated names such as Tyler Duncan, the Celtic Band, Out of Alba, chamber ensemble Borealis String Quartet featuring former Prince George Symphony Orchestra Cellist Joel Stobbe, and with CBC radio personalities. We enjoy performing a variety of musical styles including classical, folk, gospel, jazz, ethnic, and pops and have performed with other local, regional, and national artists. Our long-standing collaboration with the PGSO has resulted in performances of Mozart's Requiem, Spirit of the Haida Gwaii by the late Bill Reid, the songs of Cole Porter, Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, and the biennial production of Handel's Messiah.
We participate in the annual Prince George Music Festival, and in 2019 received the honour of being recommended to attend BC's Provincial competition. We have traveled to other BC communities such as Smithers, Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, and Mackenzie to perform. We also regularly participate in the Prince George Music Festival, in community fundraisers and outreach performances. We are proud to play an active role in the local arts community.
After 50 wonderful years, sharing our voices with each other and the surrounding community continues to be our passion! If singing is your passion, come try us out! Everyone who loves to sing is welcome to join us.