Musical Merriment

A native of Vancouver, “lovely lyric baritone” (Georgia Straight) Jason Cook holds an undergraduate degree from the UBC School of Music with a major in Voice Performance, is a member of the Vancouver Opera Ensemble and a piano graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Music. With his roots in traditional choral performance and musical theatre, the marriage of these two styles led Jason to the operatic stage. Notable roles include Figaro (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Don Giovanni, Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Gianni Schicchi, Danilo (Die lustige Witwe), Reverend Olin Blitch (Susannah), Marcello (La Bohème) and Count Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro). Opera Canada claims his recent portrayal of Escamillo in Burnaby Lyric Opera’s production of Carmen was “brilliantly sung and pricelessly acted. Following his “delightful” and “on point” (Vancouver Presents) performance as Prince Charming and the Wolf in Sondheim’s Into the Woods, he received a Community Theatre Coalition award for ‘Lead Actor in a Musical’. This young artist is also well versed in oratorio, chamber music and art song - now broadening his repertoire by engaging in the world of original Canadian compositions. Jason has had the privilege of performing across Canada, Europe, China and Australia representing Canadian opera singers in a variety of styles and languages. On top of his performance schedule, Mr. Cook is also a busy teacher operating his own music studio.

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. 

Danielle grew up in Mud River, Prince George, riding horses and farming potatoes. Her love of music led her to the University of British Columbia, where she gained her Bachelor of Music in Opera Performance in 2013. She then moved to Kamloops and enjoyed teaching, performing, and choral directing, until she moved to Australia in 2018. After six years making friends with giant spiders and snakes, she settled back to Prince George in 2024 with her husband, kids and dog.