Musica Orbium

“An experience for all the senses!”

Dana Rosen
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“An impressive, inspired and so inspiring choir !”

John Taylor
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“Extraordinary sound! And what mastery!”

Rina Brick
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“An amazing evening. I went through a whole range of emotions!”

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“I'll remember this concert for its outstanding musicality. It was bold, inspiring...”

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“Quality, poise and beautiful performance...”

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The ensemble was founded by organist, choral conductor and composer Patrick Wedd and performed for the very first time in November 1992.

Musica Orbium loves a challenge, and from the Renaissance to jazz, the ensemble has travelled a wide variety of musical eras and genres since its first day. The choir has performed no fewer than 400 works from a wide variety of cultures and genres in concerts held twice a year in the Montreal region.

Whether alone, in a cappella repertoire or in collaboration with other ensembles and soloists, Musica Orbium is committed to sharing its passion and desire to excel in music with as broad a community of music lovers as possible.

Today, under the direction of François Lukawecki, outstanding choral conductor and artistic director, Musica Orbium will continue to passionately explore and deliver well-known as well as lesser-known gems from the vast repertoire of choral music.

ARTISTIC DIRECTION

FRANÇOIS LUKAWCKI

Conductor and Artistic Director

François Lukawecki is a Montréal-based conductor, award-winning composer, and educator. He is artistic director of Les Voix de la Rivière, co-director of the McGill University Chorus, and founder of the Canadian Experimental Choir. He holds bachelor’s degrees in music and education, as well as master’s degrees in education and choral conducting. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in choral conducting at McGill University under the mentorship of Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée.

François’s compositions have received numerous national and international distinctions. These include the Alliance chorale du Québec’s 2025 Prix pour composition récente, Choral Canada’s Stephen Chatman Award, the Phoenix Chamber Choir Composition Competition prize, and the 2023 Université de Sherbrooke Choral Composition Competition prize. He also received a second prize in composition at the 2024 International World’s Best Musicians Competition (UK), Gold and Platinum prizes at Poland’s World Grand Prix of Music, and its Distinguished Creativity Special Award. Most recently, his composition Cosmic Fireflies received an honourable mention in Choral Canada’s competition for the Diane Loomer Prize. François is published by Cypress Music Canada.

François first encountered Musica Orbium as a chorister under the direction of Patrick Wedd. He is honoured to return to the ensemble as its artistic director. Known for his passionate conducting, meticulous attention to detail, and imaginative programming, François looks forward to leading Musica Orbium in performances that bring together choral masterpieces, seldom-heard gems, and compelling works by Canadian composers

The singers

Musica Orbium is comprised of some forty gifted amateur singers. Each member has a sound vocal technique and is eager to be challenged within the ensemble. Choristers are required to pass an audition attesting to competent sight-reading. They must also be able to take ownership of their score independently, so as to be able to tackle interpretation and musicality from the very first rehearsal.

Aiming for excellence, perfecting your skills, surpassing your limits, assimilating powerful or rare works, experiencing the fulfillment and unique human experience of choral singing - does this sound like something you'd like to do?

Come sing with us !

Bouton

Memorable performances and collaborations

In May 2025, a memorable collaboration with the Orchestre symphonique de l’Isle and the Société chorale du Plateau Mont-Royal led to a moving performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat Mater. Presented at Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church under the direction of Hubert Tanguay-Labrosse, conductor of the OSI, the concert deeply moved an audience of over 500.

In April 2024, we had the great pleasure of performing the radiant Gloria by John Rutter, along with works by English composers, in collaboration with Ensemble de cuivres Horizon and organist Mélanie Barney. A brilliant musical moment whose echoes still linger in the walls of the Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus Church!

The 2022–2023 season was a milestone year, as Musica Orbium celebrated its 30th anniversary. The Fall concert was devoted to a repertoire of works dedicated to Sainte-Cécile, patron saint of musicians and a great inspiration to then choirmaster Roseline Blain. This included Charles Gounod's Messe solennelle de Sainte-Cécile, a sober yet luminous work rarely performed.

In the spring of 2023, Musica Orbium treated its audience to a concert of South American music, with the Misa Criolla (Creole Mass) by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez as its centerpiece, a vibrant, warm and rhythmic work drawn from folklore and sung in Spanish. On the stage of the Saint-Pierre-Apôtre church, under dazzling lighting, the ensemble was accompanied by a group of musicians and percussionists of South American origin, as well as the dazzling tenor Antonio Figueroa. Selected pieces from the Andean folk vocal repertoire rounded off the 30th anniversary celebrations in a lively, festive atmosphere..

While recognized especially for its a cappella repertoire, the choir also performs with various instrumental ensembles, such as Ensemble Caprice. Past collaborations with them include J.S. Bach’s exquisite Mass in B Minor , which garnered the recognition of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and Handel's grandiose Coronation Anthems .

Audiences who attend a Musica Orbium concert are always in for a treat. In 2016, the choir mesmerized the public in two sold-out performances of Tallis’s Spem in alium and Striggio’s Ecce beatam lucem , in which listeners were invited to leave their seats and circulate among the singers. In Spring 2018, the ensemble celebrated its 25th anniversary by offering Montreal two thrilling performances of J.S. Bach’s intensely dramatic St Matthew Passion , as it had never been seen before in this city: with two organs, two complete choirs with soloists and two orchestras divided at either end of the church, as per the first performance of this masterwork in 1736, in the Thomaskirche in Lieipzig.