The Cape Breton Chorale has been thrilling audiences since its formation over thirty years ago. The Chorale has given more than 200 performances throughout the Maritimes, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.
The Chorale has shared the stage with a variety of musical stars, ranging from Celine Dion to Rita MacNeil and has performed before numerous visiting dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II.
The Chorale presented its annual spring offering on Sunday, May 4 2008, at 7:30 pm in St. Andrew's United Church on Bentinck Street in Sydney. This year's program previewed the Chorale's scheduled Unisong 2008 performances at Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa. It highlighted the works of Canadian composers and arrangers whith emphasis on the music of Atlantic Canada.
The Chorale has been invited to represent Nova Scotia at the twelfth anniversary of UNISONG (June 28-July 2, 2008) in Ottawa. It will join in a massed choir comprised of choirs from every province on the Main Stage of Canada’s National Arts Centre, with an expected audience of 2,300 each of three times, in two of which it will be singing with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. In addition to the three massed concerts under Guest Conductor, Dr. Mark Sirette, and under the aegis of the National Arts Centre, the Chorale will perform in at least 3 shared concerts with its own conductor, Sr. Rita Clare in the Rotunda of Parliament, a local church, and the Foyer Stage of the National Arts Centre.
The Chorale's annual Christmas concert was presented at 3:00 pm on Sunday, December 9, 2007, at St. Andrew's United Church, Bentinck Street, Sydney, NS. Entitled "The Magic of Christmas", the program was an eclectic choral introduction to the holiday season.
For this presentation, the Chorale was joined by the choir of St. Anthony Daniel Church under the direction of Chorale member Rosemary McGhee.
The Chorale took advantage of this occasion to present recipients with the proceeds from its recent charitable fund-raising efforts. In early October the Voices for Hospices Concert raised $4500 for Hospices/Palliative Care in Cape Breton and Cameroon, and the November Remembrance Concert raised $2000 for Cape Breton's ten Food Banks.
