Tune Up & Sing Out

Dr. Julia Davids is the Artistic Director of the Canadian Chamber Choir, Canada’s professional level ensemble dedicated to building communities through choral singing. A founding member of the CCC, Julia has led the ensemble on concert and workshop tours of every province. She directed the CCC’s 2010 debut recording In Good Company as well as their Juno-nominated 2015 release Sacred Reflections – A Canadian Mass. Julia has led workshops and master classes for choirs and conductors throughout Canada and the US. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of choral conductors and is committed to giving emerging and established Canadian composers a forum for their work. A native of London, Ontario, she grew up singing in the Amabile Youth Singers, the Ontario Youth Choir, and the National Youth Choir, for whom she was the first Apprentice Conductor.

Julia is the Stephen J. Hendrickson Professor and Director of Choral Activities at North Park University, Chicago. She directs the University Choir, the Chamber Singers, and teaches choral conducting and music education. Julia is co-author with Stephen LaTour of “Vocal Technique – A Guide for Conductors, Teachers, and Singers” published by Waveland Press in 2012 and winner of Choral Canada’s 2014 award for Best Choral Publication. Julia is the Music Director of the North Shore Choral Society, a 130 voice amateur community choir. She also serves as Director of Music Ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette. Julia earned a Bachelor of Music in Education and a Bachelor of Education at the University of Western Ontario, Master of Music degrees in Conducting and Voice Performance at Michigan University, and a Doctor of Music in Choral Conducting at Northwestern University.

Beginning as an unlikely dream nurtured by alumni of the 1999 National Youth Choir, the Canadian Chamber Choir has matured into an artistic force whose mandate to bring new and existing Canadian choral music to every corner of Canada has allowed singers, conductors, audiences, and composers to come together in celebration of the depth of this country’s choral heritage. Under the artistic direction of renowned conductor and music educator Julia Davids, the CCC has pursued artistic excellence in every performance while always remaining true to its core mission: building community through choral singing.

The CCC offers some of Canada’s finest choral singers a professional choral environment in which to nurture their gifts, and the singers in turn give of their talents to the communities in which they perform. Each CCC tour features workshops for local singers and conductors of all ages and stages, as well as performances of diverse music by Canadian composers both established and emerging. Through these interactions, the CCC has inspired, nurtured, and mentored thousands of choral enthusiasts while working tirelessly to champion the vast wealth of choral music created in Canada. The power of this unique vision has allowed the CCC to truly become Canada’s coast-to-coast chamber choir.

Canadian Music Educators Association (CMEA) "Jubilate Award of Merit" recipient Donna Rhodenizer is an accomplished songwriter, composer and music educator. Her song lyrics reveal a writer in touch with people and life experiences, with a unique way of seeing the world. Donna's music reflects her love of harmony and beautiful melodies instilled through her choral experience and classical music training as a violinist. Donna has written commissioned songs and choral arrangements for several leadings choir across Canada and the United States. She also has songs published in the Royal Conservatory Graded Voice series published by Frederick Harris. Performances of Donna Rhodenizer's compositions can be found on YouTube.

For additional biographical information, click here. 

Until Robbie Smith's passing in 2019, Naming the Twins was the Nova Scotia based, harmony rich guy-gal duo of Robbie Smith and Kathleen Glauser whose vocal blendings sounded a bit like Simon & Garfunkel, if Art was a girl, a bit like Peter, Paul & Mary, if one of the boys was taking the night off. Their original material maintains the tradition of Ian & Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot and Stan Rogers.

Their energy, casual banter, wide variety of song styles and remarkably well matched voices captivated audiences wherever they performed. Their presentations were well balanced with thoughtful ballads and toe-tappin’ numbers, transporting the listener with lyrical imagery and sweet harmonies.

Since Robbie Smith's passing , Kathleen has been working with the Nova Scotia Choral Federation to continue Robbie's legacy through the creation of choral arrangements of his songs. To view the the collection of arrangements (so far), click here.