Awards & Recognition
Edmund C. Bovey Award
Susan Glass
Susan Glass, one of our Strategic Advisory Council Members is a distinguished arts philanthropist and recently won the 2024 Edmund C. Bovey Award alongside her husband, Arni Thorsteinson. Glass, who chairs the National Arts Centre (NAC) Foundation, has devoted decades to supporting Canadian arts organizations, including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB), Banff Centre, and Winnipeg Art Gallery. She has been instrumental in championing arts initiatives, such as the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, showcasing her passion for community service and the arts.
Opera Hall of Fame
Linda Feasby
Congratulations to Linda Feasby for being inducted into the Manitoba Opera Hall of Fame. As a opera chorister, she has performed 55 operas as of spring 2024.
Women’s Musical Club of Winnipeg Scholarship
Paulina Gonzales
Esprit de Choeur is delighted that Paulina Gonzales, Soprano with Esprit de Choeur was awarded the WMC Phyllis Ilavsky Scholarship, December 2022.
Paulina completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Sonora in Mexico and her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance under the tutelage of Tracy Dahl at the University of Manitoba.
Award of Distinction for Artistic Excellence
Valdine Anderson
Esprit de Choeur is thrilled to celebrate the recognition for Valdine Anderson. Valdine is recipient of the Manitoba Choral Association 2022 Award of Distinction for Artistic Excellence.
“Valdine strives to make concert events unique and meaningful, with artistic collaborations from past singers in the program, to utilizing upcoming professional musicians from the university in concert accompaniment roles, to highlighting intra-program collaborations between choirs in the organization.”
Heather Kozak and Olivia Maxfield
Score 98!
Heather Kozak and Olivia Maxfield
Esprit de Choeur is excited to share that two of our choristers, Heather Kozak and Olivia Maxfield earned a score of 98 and were awarded the Gordon Hignell Memorial Trophy at the 2020 Winnipeg Music Festival. Brava!
Helga Anderson Trophy
2013
Esprit de Choeur was thrilled to be awarded the Helga Anderson Trophy, at the Winnipeg Music Festival Competition for the top community choir performance in 2013, just months after Esprit de Choeur’s inception.
National Music Festival
Edmonton, 2013
Esprit de Choeur received second place nationally, at the National Music Festival in Edmonton, Alberta.
What Others Are Saying…
“Esprit de Choeur is a gem in Winnipeg’s musical crown. Under the leadership of Valdine Anderson, the choir performs a challenging variety of choral music. The clarity of their blended voices is pure pleasure.”
“I have been thrilled to hear this exciting new ensemble. It is heart warming to see several generations contributing to this unique female choir. The aural pleasure is fantastic but so is the pure joy with which they all sing.”
“The tuning was remarkable – clear and transparent, and the unisons… breath taking! They sang with such superior sensitivity within the ensemble… choir’s strong communication. Wow! Whether it was in the soft harmonies or unisons; or their travel to great dynamic climaxes; or the sustained legato lines; or the intensely rhythmic movements… it was always exciting.”
“The program was diverse and an abundance of musical works presented were highly imaginative. New works including a world premiere by a Canadian contemporary composer….The music was very entertaining, full of exciting yet subtle shades and ingenious development that ended in a thrilling finish.”
For full review in the Reykjavik paper, check out
Fire and Ice, The Iceland Tour under Past Concerts Gallery;
