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The American conductor, Lisette Canton, moved to Canada in 1977, where she has lived most of her life. She obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from McGill University; her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting and Voice from the Eastman School of Music; and her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting and Voice from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She studied conducting with Donald Neuen, Don V. Moses, Ann Howard Jones, Paul Vermel, Chet Alwes and Fred Stolzfus; voice with Jan Simons, Lorie Gratis and James Bailey; and piano with Esther Master and Dorothy Morton.
Lisette Canton is a choral and orchestral conductor, vocal coach and technician, guest conductor, adjudicator, workshop leader in choral conducting techniques and literature, and early music specialist. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of the internationally acclaimed Ottawa Bach Choir, founded in 2002. During the 2004-2005 season the choir recorded live for national broadcast by Radio-Canada, released two CD. They embarked on their first European tour in May 2005, having been invited to perform in prestigious concert series in the Thomaskirche in Leipzig and the Stiftskirche in Stuttgart, Germany. In 2003-2014 season, the choir was invited to sing George Frideric Handel’s Messiah in Mexico City with the Orquesta del Nuevo Mundo, and also performed at Daniel Taylor’s Early Music Festival in Montreal in co-operation with the Montreal Chamber Music Festival.
Lisette Canton has been a guest conductor at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, and taken the Ottawa Bach Choir on four successful European tours (2014, 2009, 2007 and 2005), including an invitation as the first Canadian choir to perform in the prestigious Bachfest Leipzig, in 2014. She has also conducted in Leipzig, London, Paris, Venice, Lübeck, Stuttgart, Bayreuth, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Amsterdam, Groningen, Ypres, Passchendaele, Mexico City, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, the Winspear Centre in Edmonton, Montreal and Halifax; and has prepared choirs for Franz-Paul Decker, Johannes Ullrich, Pinchas Zukerman, Helmuth Rilling and John Rutter. She was also invited to perform in the International Choral Festival at the University of Caen, France, in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of D-Day in 2004. She has taken the York University Chamber Choir on two international tours (2015, 2012), and has conducted performances with the Ottawa Bach Choir in the prestigious Meet in Beijing international festival in Beijing and Shanghai, China, in 2016. She has been named the Artistic Director of the Canada International Choral Festival, partnering with the China International Chorus Festival for upcoming concerts, tours and collaborations in Canada and China. She has also been invited to conduct at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May 2019, and Bachfest Leipzig 2020, in Leipzig, Germany.
Lisette Canton has taught and conducted at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and McGill University. With the Carleton University Choir, she conducted such major works as J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor (BWV 232), L.v. Beethoven's Mass in C Major, Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, G.F. Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum and Coronation Anthems, W.A. Mozart's Requiem and Mass in C Minor, Ottorino Respighi’s Natività del Signore and Igor Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms. Under her directorship, the Carleton University Choir was invited to sing in the International Choral Festival at the University of Caen, France in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of D-Day in June 2004. In 2004, she was appointed as Assistant Professor of Early Music and Choral Conducting at York University in Toronto. During the 2004-2005 season, the York University Concert Choir performed Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, W.A. Mozart's Vesperae Solennes de Confessore and Orff’s Carmina Burana under her direction. Currently, she is Associate Professor and Head of Choral Music at York University in Toronto, where she conducts three ensembles (Chamber Choir, Concert Choir and Men’s Chorus) and is in charge of the graduate program in choral music. She brings a wealth of experience in the areas of choral/orchestral performance, choral techniques, early music performance and aural training.
Lisette Canton has recorded for CBC Radio and Television and Radio-Canada, and been the guest conductor of numerous ensembles in Canada and the USA including the Cantata Singers of Ottawa, Ottawa Choral Society, Opera Lyra Ottawa chorus, Euphonia Chamber Choir, members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Illini Women’s Chorus and the choirs of the CAMMAC Music Centre in Quebec.
Lisette Canton was also a member of the national jury of the CBC/Radio-Canada Choral Competition for Amateur Choirs in 2004. She is a member of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors (ACCC), American Choral Conductors Association (ACDA), American Federation of Musicians (AFM), College Music Society (CMS), Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association (ORMTA), and numerous other professional associations. |
