Looking back at past concert seasons

Research on past seasons of the Grand River Chorus was done by chorister, Heather Franklin.
The Grand River Chorus was founded by Robert Phillips and Carol Anne Feldstein in early 1999.
Conductor and Maestro Robert Phillips
Our very first public concert was presented at the Sanderson Centre:
May 14, 1999 - Mozart Requiem was the main feature. We opened with some Coronation Anthems by Handel,. The very first sound our audience heard was the powerful opening of Zadok the Priest by Handel.

Season One: 1999 - 2000
December 10, 1999 - Handel’s Messiah
April 14, 2000 - Brahm’s Requiem (in German) NOTE: A representative from the German Consulate in Toronto was an honoured guest on this occasion
June 16, 2000 - A tribute to Gilbert and Sullivan

Season Two: 2000 – 2001
October 13, 2000 - Andrew Lloyd Webber featuring Carol Anne Feldstein and Kevin Bradshaw
December 8, 2000 - Handel’s Messiah
March 18, 2001 – Requiem by Gariel Fauré (and Cantique de Jean Racine)
May 25, 2001 – Gospel Glory

Season Three: 2001 - 2002
November 11, 2001 – Lest We Forget
December 7, 2001 – Handel’s Messiah
March 1, 2002 – Missa Gaia (Composer, Paul Haley, participated)
June 7, 2002 - The Count of Luxembourg

Season Four: 2002 - 2003
November 17, 2002 - Sing Me A Waltz
January 12, 2003 – Bach by Candlelight
April 5, 2003 – Mendelssohn’s Elijah

Season Five: 2003 – 2004 (Robert Phillips’ last season)
November 16, 2003 – A Celebration of Canadian Composers
November 30, 2003 – Sing along Messiah (the beginning of a tradition)
February 15, 2004 – An Afternoon with Joseph Haydn
May 2, 2004 – Magnificent Mozart (Last concert with Rob Phillips as Conductor; we did the Mozart Requiem, the feature work from our very first concert.)

Our first season with Richard Cunningham, Artistic Director.
Season Six: 2004 – 2005
November 14, 2004 - In Remembrance
December 19, 2004 – Handel’s Messiah
March 6, 2005 – Reach for the Brass Rings
May 15, 2005 – Victoriana and Edwardiana

Season Seven: 2005 – 2006
October 30, 2005 – A Carnival of Animals
December 2, 2005 - Sing Along Messiah
April 2, 2006 – The Passion According to St John (Bach)
June 4, 2006 – The Magic of Mozart (250th Mozart anniversary)

Season Eight – 2006 – 2007
October 15, 2006 – All Night Vigil, Sergei Rachmaninoff (in Church Slovanic)
December 23, 2006 – Messiah
February 11, 2007 – Love is a Many Splendored Thing
May 6, 2007 - Great Masses (Wm Byrd, Arvo Pärt, Charles Gounod)

Season Nine: 2007 – 2008 (a season of firsts)
December 1, 2007 – A Grand Christmas (concert to launch our first CD)
December 22, 2007 – Sing Along Messiah
April 13, 2008 – The Creation, by Haydn; our first partnership concert with the Brantford Symphony Orchestra)
June 6, 2008 – Double Choir Splendour – first concert in Norfolk
June 8, 2008 – Double Choir Splendour (Brantford)