St. Lawrence Choir
The St. Lawrence Choir was founded in 1972 by conductor Iwan Edwards, Member of the Order of Canada. In its early days, before moving to the heart of Montreal, the mixed-voice ensemble focused its activities in Lachine not far from the river that inspired its name.
The St. Lawrence Choir is a large, multigenerational and bilingual family, where founding members and young emerging artists rub shoulders contributing to the excellence of the ensemble through their respective experiences and strengths. For nearly 25 years the Choir performed regularly with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO) as the main component of the MSO choir, participating in numerous concerts and recordings, most notably at the famous Carnegie Hall in New York. The choir is particularly proud to collaborate with many Quebec and Canadian composers, including Patrick Wedd, Gilles Tremblay, Alain Gagnon, Mark Sirett, Petros Shoujounian, Larysa Kuzmenko and Rémi St-Jacques.
In the last two years the Choir has set up a mentorship program with its maestro offering training and support to emerging choral conductors. This program was largely made possible due to generous donations from former choristers who want to ensure the Choir’s contribution to a flourishing local music scene in the years to come.
The St. Lawrence Choir also maintains a fruitful relationship with several renowned ensembles with which it collaborates regularly including Les Boréades de Montréal, the Ottawa Choral Society, the Vanier College Choir, and the McGill University Concert Choir. In past seasons the St. Lawrence Choir has shared the stage with several celebrated soloists including Hélène Brunet, Marianne Fiset, Aline Kutan, Marianne Lambert, Benjamin Butterfield, Michael Colvin, John MacMaster, James Westman, and many others.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the St. Lawrence Choir has presented a major concert at the Maison Symphonique located at the Place des Arts. This concert was an opportunity for the Choir to introduce the St. Lawrence Choir Orchestra that will accompany them during the performance.
For the 2026–2027 season, the St. Lawrence Choir is delighted and honored to welcome Gabrielle Gaudreault as our new Artistic Director.
Gabrielle Gaudreault
Choir master and conductor, pianist, pedagogue and music director
Gabrielle Gaudreault is the Artistic Director of the Saint Lawrence Choir, the Saint-Lambert Choral Society, the Ottawa Choral Society and the South Shore Children’s Choir. She has been an instructor in the Choral Department at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music and the Theory Department at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. A sought-after conductor, pedagogue and collaborative pianist, Dr. Gaudreault has previously served as Assistant Conductor to Maestro Kent Nagano at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Associate Conductor of the National Children’s Chorus in Washington, D.C., Music Director of the St-Augustine’s Church Choir in St-Bruno, QC, and Apprentice Conductor of the National Youth Choir of Canada. In 2020, she co-founded CG Music Academy in Arlington, VA with her husband Chris. Gabrielle completed her Doctorate in Choral Conducting at McGill University in Spring 2020 and holds an MA in Music Theory and Choral Conducting from Indiana University. Her research focuses on pedagogical approaches to the choral rehearsal and late-20th-century choral works by Québécois composers.
