1969

• Oriana Singers met for the 1st time to sing madrigals and ancient church music for their own enjoyment.

• The choir was soon invited to perform concerts and to provide choral music for church services and theatrical productions.

1970 - 1979

• Busy Winter and Spring seasons in the Cobourg-Port Hope area, and in various major centres in southern Ontario.

• Participated in many events of local significance - Cobourg Sesquicentennial Celebrations and the gala reopening of Victoria Hall in Cobourg.

• Won first prize at the Oshawa and Toronto Kiwanis Festivals, performing in the Festival of Stars at the St. Lawrence Centre.

1980

• Their very high standing led to their entry in the 1980 National Competitive Festival where they won the City of Lincoln Challenge Trophy as best chamber choir in Canada.

1985

• Won the Fred Everett Memorial prize for excellence in choral singing at the Toronto Kiwanis Festival.

1995

• Commissioned Toronto composer Ruth Watson Henderson to write a setting of Psalm 150 to celebrate the 25th anniversary season.

• Retirement of Beryl Maguire, founding director of twenty-five years

• Robert Grandy became Director in 1995. In 1997, he assumed the position of Accompanist for the choir, a position he continues to fill with unassuming excellence, dignity, and dedication. 

1997

• Randy Mills, Director from 1997-1998, has also been assistant director of the Northumberland Philharmonic Choir, co-director of the Upper Canada Boy Choir, and organist and choirmaster for Trinity College School, where he conducts the chapel choir and handbell ensembles. 

1998

• Marie Anderson, Director from 1998-2007, broadened the choir’s repertoire. During her tenure, membership grew and the choir performed more concerts, including collaborating with the Concert Band of Cobourg. Morten Lauridsen’s hauntingly beautiful Lux Aeterna, Wassail concerts, and party-focused fundraising concerts were introduced. The choir participated in an exchange with the Fanshawe Singers and performed at Kaleid Choral Festival in Kitchener. Works by Robert Grandy, Ruth Watson Henderson, and Mark Sirett were commissioned during this period.

2007

• Markus Howard, Director from 2007 - 2018. As a conductor professional singer and adjudicator also trained in dance, and choreography, he shared his wide range of skills and experience with the choir. Under Markus’s direction, the choir members were encouraged to stretch beyond their comfort zones, and subsequently performed repertoire ranging from classical to jazz, operetta, gospel, Motown, Broadway showtunes and major works such as Handel’s Messiah and Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem.

2018 - Present

• Lynn Janes appointed Artistic Director and Conductor.

• Robert Grandy continues as choir accompanist.

• Reference our Artistic Staff page.