34 singers travelled to Laval to participate in the Loto-Québec World Choral Competition alongside choirs from around the world.  The group got in some quality time in Montreal with sight-seeing, fun at La Ronde amusement park, lunch in the dark at the restaurant O Noir,  and a thrilling evening at Cirque du Soleil's new show Ovo.  Proceeding to Laval, Òran's first big festival experience was a workshop with the fantastic American choral composer Eric Whitacre, who led the group in a performance of his piece "The Seal Lullaby".  Òran performed in two categories at the festival - major mixed voice choir and contemporary choir - with two different programs, as well as enjoying the performances of other groups at the festival.  In particular, the group was inspired by the other Canadian groups in attendance: the Univox choir from Toronto and the phenomenal Hamilton Children's Choir.

It was exciting to find we had progressed to the Finals of the competition, with one last performance in the beautiful Ste-Rose Cathedral in Laval.  In the end, Òran scooped up first place standings in both categories as well as in the larger "supercategories" of specialized choirs (for the contemporary program) and mixed voice choirs (for the "major mixed voice" program), and came in second overall.  The Hamilton Children's Choir were awarded a well-deserved first place position in the competition.  We were tremendously moved by the work of this group!

Òran had a wonderful tour and is now eager to do it all over again next season!

Outside Ste-Rose after the Finals. (Photo Credit: Chris Anderson.)

Some Òranians exploring Montreal. From left to right: Alexis Hillyard, Rachel Beach, Justin Stickel, and Nathalie Dugo.