Robert Filion
Chef de chœur, Choral Conductor
Robert Filion’s choirs are celebrated across Canada, earning top awards at the local, provincial and national level. His vocal ensembles at the Centre d’excellence artistique de l’Ontario (École De La Salle) have won six national championships and can be regular heard on the CBC and Radio-Canada. The voice programme he heads in the CEAOhas three times been designated Best Music Programme in the National Capital Region by the Kiwanis Music Festival and the CBC—in 2008, 2012 and 2017.
A talented musician and artistic director, in 2011 Robert Filion was appointed Artistic Director of Unisong, the annual Canada Day festival of Canadian choirs at the National Arts Centre. He works with the National Arts Centre Orchestra on concerts involving youth choirs. He focuses on new works and music from around the world, and has collaborated on productions of original Canadian works by, among others, Ruth Watson-Henderson, Laura Hawley, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Stephen Hatfield, Donald Patriquin, Frédéric Lacroix and Clifford Crawley.
In January 2018, M. Filion accepted with great enthusiasm the position of Choir Conductor for the University of Ottawa Choir. He looks forward to renewing his ties to his Alma Mater. In 2013 Mr. Filion received the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence.
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Les chœurs dirigés par Robert Filion sont reconnus partout au pays, décrochant des premiers prix à l’échelle locale, provinciale, nationale et internationale. Les ensembles vocaux sous sa direction au Centre d’excellence artistique de l’Ontario (École secondaire De La Salle), qu’on peut entendre régulièrement sur la CBC et Radio-Canada, ont remporté six concours nationaux. Le programme de musique vocale qu’il dirige au CEAO s’est vu attribuer à trois reprises (en 2008, 2012 et 2017) la désignation de Meilleur programme de musique de la capitale nationale par le Festival de musique Kiwanis et le réseau CBC.
En 2011, Robert Filion a été nommé directeur artistique de Unisong, le festival des chorales canadiennes qui se déroule chaque année au Centre national des arts, à l’occasion de la Fête du Canada. Il collabore avec l’Orchestre du Centre national des arts pour des concerts auxquels participent des chœurs de jeunes. Il met l’accent sur les œuvres nouvelles et la musique de différents pays, et il a apporté son concours à des productions d’œuvres canadiennes originales, notamment des œuvres de Ruth Watson-Henderson, Laura Hawley, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Stephen Hatfield, Donald Patriquin, Frédéric Lacroix et Clifford Crawley.
C’est avec la plus grande fierté qu’en janvier 2018 M. Filion accepte de prendre la direction musicale de la Chorale de l’Université d’Ottawa. Il entame cette nouvelle aventure avec beaucoup d’enthousiasme où il souhaite solidifier ses liens avec son Alma Mater. En 2013, M. Fillion s’est vu décerner le Prix du premier ministre pour l’excellence dans l’enseignement.
Unisong Choral Festival
The Unisong Choral Festival has been uniting Canada through song since 1991. The festival brings hundreds of singers or all ages, from all parts of Canada to perform as one massed ensemble. Under the guidance of a well-known Canadian conductor, Unisong is at the heart of Canada Day festivities in the Nation’s Capital!
The festival runs June 28th to July 2nd each year and provides choirs a once in a lifetime chance to perform in marquis venues in Ottawa.
2020’s guest conductor is Kathleen Allan, the incoming Artistic Director and Conductor of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto and is the Artistic Director of Canzona, Winnipeg’s professional Baroque choir!
Every year is different, with unique performance opportunity, and featuring a repertoire of Canadian and International folk music hand-picked by our guest conductor. Additionally, Unisong has a partnership with Heritage Canada, the National Arts Centre, and the City of Ottawa, to ensure that our performers have the opportunity for amazing performances in locations not normally available. Past performance opportunities include singing O Canada on Parliament Hill and singing alongside the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Have a look at our massed ensemble in 2017!
https://tinyurl.com/r3utrdl
For more information please visit our website, https://www.unisong.ca or contact our Festival Director, Mike Greenwood at:
Email: info@unisong.ca
Phone: 613-355-6616
JOIN US
We are now accepting applications for 2020 and beyond!
President’s Leadership Award Recipients Announced
From Mark Vuorinen, President of the Choirs Ontario Board of Directors:
It is a great pleasure for me to recognize two individuals whose impact on choral music in Ontario has been both broad and very deep.
The President’s Leadership Award of Choirs Ontario recognizes individuals who, through their support or engagement in choral music-making, have made an exceptional contribution to the promotion and advancement of choral music in their communities.
The recipients of this year’s award have been supporting choral music in this province, across the country, and around the world for decades. They have demonstrated their commitment to and passion for choral music as volunteers, board members, philanthropists, Honorary Patrons and audience members as they have assisted choirs and choral organizations and encouraged conductors to fulfill a vision for choral excellence and creative transcendence.
The recipients of the 2019 President’s Leadership Award are Frieda and Vern Heinrichs.
They are Honorary Patrons of both the Elmer Iseler Singers and the Amadeus Choir, among many other groups.
As the jury for this award met, we encountered overwhelming support from the choral community for the Heinrichs’ nomination through many letters of nomination. To understand the breadth and depth of the Heinrichs’ rich contribution to the choral landscape of this province is to sample from the many extraordinary letters of nomination and support. I quote:
Vern and Elfrieda Heinrichs truly love the choral art form. They are there for advice, wisdom, and support of all kinds. They put all this into action every day of their lives. In their quiet way, they lift us up and lead us to a higher place, inspiring those whose lives they have touched to seek excellence in all that they do.
When our valued art form is continually experiencing the uphill struggle of funding, the Heinrichs’ engagement has brought an essential legitimacy to the support of choral music, influencing many others to do likewise. Their rich Mennonite heritage has been an immense influence in their philanthropy, which they demonstrate with modesty, humility and great passion and enthusiasm.
Vern and Frieda were instrumental through the Heinrichs Foundation in endowing the Elmer Iseler Chair in Choral Conducting and the Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowships in Choral Conducting at the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto. Their commitment to the importance of educating and exposing both current and future generations to excellence in choral music is evident in these and other endeavours.
Vern and Elfrieda are passionate about choral music, and they understand what a profound impact it can have on singers and audiences. They show their love and support for the choral community by their steady attendance at concerts, festivals and choral events of all levels in Toronto, Guelph, and throughout Canada and the US.
This very kind, compassionate couple has made an avocation of supporting choral music, and we in Canada have benefitted from their expertise and generosity. I can think of no better recipients for Choirs Ontario’s President’s Leadership Award.
Their kindnesses to musicians, their warm hospitality, their presence at so many events in the community, and their additional efforts behind-the-scenes to support the choral art are more than worthy of recognition from Choirs Ontario. In fact, I would say we are overdue in granting them this honour.
Please join me in recognizing and thanking Elfrieda and Vern Heinrichs for their transformational contribution to the choral music.
