Artistic Staff
Lynn Janes
Artistic Director & Conductor
As a conductor, teacher, and soloist, Lynn Janes’ work spans a wide variety of ages, abilities, and musical styles. For over a decade, Ms. Janes held various appointments with the Canadian Children’s Opera Chorus, including conductor and voice coach. In addition, Ms. Janes served as the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir. In September of 2009, Ms. Janes established and conducted the newly formed Pax Christi Youth Choir in a unique and exciting partnership with Stephanie Martin and the Pax Christi Chorale.
As a Music Educator, Ms. Janes established the vocal program at Victoria Park Secondary School. From there, she continued to build a vibrant High School Vocal Program at Earl Haig Secondary School, Claude Watson Arts Program; a program that provided the foundation for many young people to pursue a profession in music. In 2007, Ms. Janes accepted the Headship of Music at Havergal College, a girls’ preparatory school with a long-standing reputation for excellence in music education. Over the course of her teaching career, her choirs toured Europe and received many awards, including invitations to Musicfest Canada and Kiwanis scholarships. Ms. Janes retired in June 2017 following a 31-year teaching career.
During the Pandemic, Ms. Janes continued her work with Oriana through Zoom sessions with special guests, weekly rehearsals, live performances and guest performances. She has also continued to teach private voice lessons which are now in-person after more than a year online.
Ms. Janes musicianship extends to her illustrious performance portfolio as a chorister and soprano soloist. For 24 years Ms. Janes sang in the Exultate Chamber Singers, one of Toronto’s premiere professional ensembles. She recently re-joined Exultate and is enjoying singing with this fine ensemble again. Her performances as a soloist are featured on all four recordings of the Exultate Chamber Singers. Ms. Janes has also performed as a chorister and soloist for several seasons in the Elora Festival Singers.
Ms. Janes has been recognized for her accomplishments as a conductor and music educator and was awarded the prestigious Leslie Bell Conducting Prize and the Don Wright Conducting Scholarship from Western University.
Robert Grandy
Accompanist
Before studying Music and French at York University in Toronto, Robert studied locally in his hometown of Port Hope, where his first organist position was at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. Since then, he has been the organist at Oshawa’s Harmony United Church, Organist-Choirmaster at St. Mark’s Anglican in Port Hope, Music Director at Wexford Heights United in Scarborough, Organist and later Minister of Music at Trinity United in Peterborough and from July 2022, Director of Music at St. John’s Anglican in Peterborough.
Robert received his Service-Playing Diploma, and later, his Colleague’s Degree (CRCCO) from the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO), winning scholarships on both occasions for the highest marks in Canada in those years. He was one of the founding members of the Northumberland Centre of the RCCO, and served for several years as the Centre’s president.
For many years, Robert was a piano, organ and theory teacher, as well as a free-lance accompanist. He has also had a long relationship with the Oriana Singers of Northumberland, as a chorister, soloist, music director for two years, and currently, as accompanist. He was also the accompanist for the Cobourg based Upper Canada Boy Choir for two years.
Robert’s best-loved pastime has been composition. His choral works have been sung by the choirs of St. Mark’s, Cobourg’s MusicMakers Choir, the Oriana Singers, the Woodstock Fanshawe Singers, and the Trinity United Church Chancel and Junior Choirs. His larger works include the 1997 cantata “Music for a Saintly Celebration”; a set of “Seasonal Prayers” for choir, which were sung throughout 2000 at St. Mark’s as Robert’s special Millennium project, and the “Advent Antiphons,” a large-scale work for divided choir, organ and handbells, sung by the Oriana Singers in 2000. In 2005, he was commissioned to write three pieces for the Oriana Singers: “The Vine,” and “Arbor Amoris” for choir and piano and “The Paradise of God” for unaccompanied choir. A few years later, he was jointly commissioned by the Concert Band of Cobourg and the Oriana Singers to write a piece for choir and band, entitled “Variations on ‘Wondrous Love’. His most recent commission, “Keeping Quiet” came from the Oriana Singers and was sung in March 2022.
Robert’s 9 to 5 job is with the Port Hope Police Service where he is the Freedom of Information Coordinator, as well as the Screening Coordinator. In the midst of all these responsibilities, he does indeed find time to spend with his son Matt, and the family cats, Maggie and Abbie.
Return to About Us