As co-founder, I am in awe and almost disbelief that 35 years have passed so quickly. Amabile has grown from the original 42 members of the Amabile Youth Singers to 8 Choirs and 3 ensembles of about 300 singers. It has been a fantastic journey of excellence, artistry, dedication, enthusiasm and growth.
We look forward to greeting you at our upcoming concerts, especially our Amabile Festival in March 2020, when all the choirs will join their voices in celebration as we welcome home guest composer and former Junior Amabile Singer, Sarah Quartel.
We invite you to sit back and let the music of the outstanding award-winning choirs of Amabile lift your hearts and enrich your lives.
We are one in song, as we continue on the Amabile Choirs’ journey for future generations
by celebrating and enriching our community, “one voice at a time“.
~ Brenda Zadorsky,
Artistic Director and Co-Founder
For over 35 years, the Amabile Choirs of London, Canada has been providing audiences locally, nationally and internationally with the highest quality performances and musical excellence that it’s been known for.
Over the years we’ve had:
With our nine choirs, our music education programs being laying the foundation with children as young as eight and continue through to adulthood. Our singers come with inquisitive minds and we work to transform that natural intelligence and talent into works of art of our audiences locally and internationally.
Our mission is to “enrich and celebrate our community, one voice at a time.”
Our vision is to:
- foster health and well-being through choral music education and training;
- develop commitment, discipline and pride in individual and group achievement
- present performances at the highest level of artistic excellence;
- embrace and celebrate our diverse cultural heritage through the songs of Canada’s many peoples, including our Indigenous, Francophone, persons with disabilities, new Canadians and our LGBTQ2+ communities.
Team building and leadership are the cornerstones of Amabile. Amabile provides enriched lifelong learning for children, youth and adults; we empower them to create musical excellence that promotes opportunity for personal and community growth and achievement.
Our Beginnings
At the end of the London Kiwanis Music Festival in 1985, local music teachers Brenda Zadorsky and John Barron took their respective choral groups (who had competed against each other earlier that day!), for ice cream at a local mall. The 27 girls, cones in hand, gave an impromptu group performance. Their voices blended together beautiful. That fall, the Amabile Youth Singers were born.
As the Amabile Youth Singers grew, there became a growing interest among young boys. One young boy in particular had a sister in the Amabile Youth Singers, and when he said he wanted to join, his mother told him he couldn’t, because it was a girls’ choir. With this in mind, and the ever growing interest for a boys’ choral group in the area, the boy’s mother set out to remedy that.
Carol Beynon, along with Bevan Keating brought together 45 eager young boys and the Amabile Boys Choir was formed in 1990. Overtime, the name would change to the “Amabile Boys and Men’s Choir” to reflect how the boys who joined often stayed well past their youth.
Amabile Youth Singers Rehearsal, 1990.
The Amabile Choirs of London, Canada strives to be recognized locally, nationally and internationally for developing socially conscious, inclusive and sensitive world class choirs.
The continuum and depth that Amabile offers is unparalleled by any other choral organization in Canada.
Approximately 300 singers currently sing with Amabile with many more Alumni around the world. Our choirs are broken down into nine different choirs: four girls and women, four boys and men, and the Amabile Chamber Choir.
Amabile Girls and Women’s Choirs
Da Capo Training Choir was formed in 1997 and consists of girls aged8 to 10 years old. The focus is on vocal production, sight singing, ear training, and choral performance discipline.
The Junior Amabile Singers for girls aged 9 to 14 was formed in 1989 to give young girls the opportunity to develop an understanding of choral music, self discipline and artistic expression.
The Amabile Youth Singers for girls 13 to 18 were formed in 1985 and are known nationally and internationally for their talents.
Prima: Amabile Women’s Choir was found in 2007 to further enhance the amabile experience for women 18+ with a challenging repertoire at the highest level.
These choirs are conducted by Artistic Directors Brenda Zadorsky (AYS & Prima), Jacquelyn Norman and Wendy Landon (DC & JAS); and accompanied by Hayoon Kim and Rachel Wolhgemut.
Amabile Boys and Men’s Choirs
Amabile Treble Training Choir provides boys aged 8 to 10 with experience in singing and performing, while learning proper vocal technique, posture breathing, tone production, how to read music and basic music theory.
The Treble Concert Choir consists of boys with unchanged voices who range from age 10 to 15 years.
The Amabile Young Men’s Ensemble for young men with changing voices, focusing on healthy vocal development during the changing voice period. Members are given an introduction to changing male voice repertoire.
Primus: Amabile Men’s Choir was founded in 2000 and consists of men who enjoy the pursuit of the choral arts and the camaraderie that develops so naturally in male ensembles.
These choirs are conducted by Artistic Directors Carol Beynon and Mark Payne (Primus & AYME), with Don Sills and Jeff Beynon (TCC & AYME), John Vermue and Lydia Kendell (TTC); and accompanied by Denise Jung (Primus & AYME), Tristin Hill (TTC), and Rosemary Bannerman (TCC).
Abroad & At Home
The Amabile Choirs of London, Canada have been performing nationally and internationally since 1987. In its 35 year history, Amabile has undertaken almost 40 tours; from Vancouver Island to St. John’s, Newfoundland; Hawaii to Europe, and Australia and New Zealand.
Our world class choirs have been invited to participate in multiple international choir festivals and competitions, working with renowned conductors and composers. Each experience leaves our choristers with more knowledge about their craft and a uniquely memorable learning experience.
In addition to traveling the world, Amabile regularly hosts world class composers, conductors, and clinicians at our annual festivals – bringing the international arts community to London.
Recognition
The Amabile Choirs of London, Canada has been recognized locally, nationally and internationally for their artistic excellence.
Amabile has been recognized by the City of London as “London’s Featured Community Organization”
and was inducted into the London Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
JUNIOR AMABILE SINGERS
- 2 Golden Awards at the 2012 Golden Gate International Children’s Youth Festival
- Gold Award at International Choir Olympics (2004)
- Invited to perform at the 2019 International Children’s Choir Festival at Canterbury and London, England
AMABILE YOUTH SINGERS
- 11 National Competition Titles
- 2 First Place Awards in the “Let the People Sing” at the European International Choral Festival
- Recipients of the Jack Richardson Music Award (2007, 2011, 2014)
- 7 International Grand Prix Awards
AMABILE CHAMBER CHOIR
- 5 First Place Awards in Choral Canada’s National Competitions for Canadian Amateur Choirs in Mixed-Voice Youth Choirs
AMABILE YOUNG MEN’S ENSEMBLE
- 4 First Place Awards in Choral Canada’s National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs
- 3 Grand Prix International Awards
- Invited performances in Westminster Abbey, St. Martins-in-the-Fields, Canterbury Cathedral, Miskivereine Halle, Dvorak Hall, Walt Disney Hall, Roy Thomson Hall
PRIMUS: AMABILE MEN’S CHOIR
- 3 First Place Awards in Choral Canada’s National Competition
- Performed at Choral Canada’s National Meeting (2003, 2006, 2014)
- Invited Guest Performance for the American Choral Director’s Association (ACDA)
- Heard on CBC, BBC, MPR, European Broadcasting and featured in the CBC Radio1 documentary, “Where Have All the Tenors Gone”
Our Team
The Amabile Board of Directors is a dedicated group of volunteers from a broad variety of backgrounds who all share a commonality: the love of music and how we strive to make music accessible to everyone in our community and beyond.
In addition to the 12 talented individuals who make up the Board, hundreds of volunteers ensure that our choristers function at the highest quality. These individuals provide their expertise and assistance at all our concerts and events to ensure that the highest quality of artistry is delivered.
The Amabile Choirs of London, Canada Board of Directors:
Lyndsay Hone
Co-President
Donna Kotsopoulos
Co-President
Carol Beynon
Sr. Artistic Director: Amabile Boys & Men’s Choir
Matthew China
Treasurer
Mary Margaret Farrow
Secretary
Peter Clements
Corinne Santa
Lynn Davis
Christian D’Andrea
President: Amabile Boys & Men’s Choir
Amanda Palmer
President: Amabile Young Women’s Ensemble
Gerhard DeRubeis
President: Junior Amabile Singers
Wendy Landon
Artistic Director: Junior Amabile Singers
Jacquelyn Norman
Artistic Director: Junior Amabile Singers
Brenda Zadorsky
Artistic Director: Amabile Young Women’s Ensemble
Chris Costello
Wade Baillie, Bookkeeper
Samantha Long, Administrative Assistant
Connect With Us:
Presented by the Amabile Boys & Men’s Choirs and the Amabile Chamber Choir, I’ll Be Home For Christmas shares Christmas favourites from our past to celebrate our 35th Anniversary season – from the Polar Express to A Marshmallow World.
Presented by the Amabile Da Capo Choir & the Junior Amabile Singers, December in Our Town is a multicultural celebration of the season that includes some of the holiday traditions from cultures around the world. Join us as we share in the wonder, joy and diversity that this time of year has to offer!
The Amabile Choirs of London, Canada wish the Pietruszewski family our deepest condolences for Emil. Emil was a chorister with Amabile for many years while he was in high school and was a cherished member of our Boys and Men’s choirs. We are incredibly saddened to hear of his passing. We wish to extend our thoughts and prayers to his family as they go through this difficult time. Click 