ABOUT THE CHOIR

The Kingston Youth Choir is an actively performing choir, that aims to provide a great musical experience for teenagers. The ensemble is led by Napanee/Kingston native, Emily McPherson, and accompanied by Meryem Crockett. Since the establishment of the choir in 2016, the Kingston Youth Choir has been part of a number of unique performances, including several at the Isabel Bader Centre with Toronto Chamber music group Ensemble Vivant, the Shoestring Opera, PeaceQuest 2018 and recently for the "Raise the Roof" concert celebrating the music of Canadian composer/conductor Brian Tate. They've also enjoyed performing with the West Island Symphony Youth Orchestra of Montreal, and several other local choirs. They've hosted their own concerts in local Barns and recently at the Blu Martini in downtown, Kingston.

There are two main goals for the choir. The first is that the choristers will become part of a team that creates high quality music and performances. The second is that the choir will foster a positive and inclusive environment for all of its members through learning new music, collaborating with others and the joy that comes with performing.

The choir performs music in the traditional choral vein, but with a healthy dose of pop and jazz as well. We aim to provide many exciting performance opportunities for our members and the community.

THE MUSICAL TEAM

Emily McPherson, Artistic Director and Founder

Emily trained as a classical pianist here in Kingston with composer and teacher Martha Hill Duncan before moving to Ottawa where she completed her Bachelor and then Masters degrees in Piano Performance at the University of Ottawa, under professors Andrew Tunis and Frederic Lacroix. During this time she accompanied the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir and the St. Joseph's Parish Choir as well as many soloists at the University of Ottawa. She was a soprano with the University of Ottawa Choral Ensemble and the Capital Chamber Choir, where she was often featured as a soloist.

Emily began conducting with the Ottawa Suzuki Children's Choir in 2011. She has been the principal conductor for the Antigonish (Nova Scotia) Choral Ensemble and spent time as guest and assistant conductor with the Nova Scotia Choral Federation's Junior Choir Camp. In 2018 she became Assistant Conductor with Kingston's She Sing's women's choir and in 2020 will act as accompanist for them as well. She is a busy accompanist with students at Queen's University and offers piano and voice lessons out of her home studio in Kingston's West End, where she lives with her husband and baby. In the past, her students have received top marks and regional medals in their music exams via the Royal Conservatory of Music.

"This past summer, I had the pleasure of working together with Emily McPherson as my Assistant Conductor at the Nova Scotia Choral Federation’s Children’s Choir Camp. I appreciated Emily’s attention to detail, clarity of musical goals and focus on artistry. I admired her way of working with the choristers which was an effective balance of demand, patience and humour. Emily’s positive energy and collaborative spirit made for an enjoyable experience. I am delighted to hear that Emily will be working with her own choir in Kingston. I know the choristers will have an excellent experience!"

Yours in song,

Jackie Hawley

Founding Artistic Director: Cantiamo Girls Choir of Ottawa