ABOUT

History

Francis Choiniere co-founded the OPCM in 2016 to help unify his two great passions, choral and symphonic music, after identifying an opportunity in the Montreal musical landscape for large-scale works with choir and orchestra to be presented more frequently by ensembles at the highest level.  The choir now counts nearly 80 members and is a mélange of music enthusiasts, or mélomanes, and professional core singers.

In 2021, the OPCM made its debut at the Montreal Symphony House and has since made the hall its primary venue with concerts including Mathieu’s Concerto de Québec with Alain Lefèvre in April, Berlioz Les nuits d’été in March, Vivaldi Gloria in October, which included the ensemble’s first tour to Quebec City at Palais Montcalm, and Brahms' Requiem in June with Aline Kutan and Geoffroy Salvas. Concert highlights from past seasons include the ensemble’s performances of Handel's Messiah and Vivaldi's Four Seasons in 2020, the Fauré and Duruflé Requiems in 2019, and Mozart’s Requiem in 2018.

Since its foundation, the OPCM has reached more than 100,000 spectators and has performed on world-class stages alongside internationally renowned artists. The ensemble has participated in several concerts at the Bell Centre, Place Bell, and the Canadian Tire Centre alongside artists including Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Hans Zimmer and Ramin Djawadi. The OPCM has also collaborated with conductor Stephen Layton at the Festival international de Lanaudière performing Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace, and with Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée performing the Fauré and Duruflé Requiems at Carnegie Hall.