The origin of Cantabile dates back to 1985, when Douglas Knight founded the Knight Singers, in Pointe Claire on the Island of Montreal. In 1992 Peter Willsher took over the direction of the Knight Singers and in 1998 the choir changed its name to Cantabile Chorale.
Cantabile performs two major choral works per year. Past performances include the German Requiem by Brahms, the Missa Solemnis and the Ninth Symphony by Beethoven, the St. Matthew and St. John Passions and Mass in B minor by J.S. Bach to mention just a few.
The Choir’s mission is to promote choral music for the enjoyment of its members as well as its audience. In particular, Cantabile offers amateur musicians the opportunity to participate in the performance of major choral works and thus to expand their knowledge and appreciation of choral music.
Furthermore, Cantabile is committed to offering emerging soloists a chance to perform and thus provides a venue for young, talented musicians at the beginning of their professional careers to gain valuable experience.
Over the past two decades a number of young vocalists have performed with Cantabile and some of them have since risen to become internationally renowned musicians.