Chorissimo 2025 : Choral Flame

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On May 3 and 4, Alliance chorale du Québec, in partnership with Les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivières (PCTR), hosted Chorissimo 2025, a youth choral summit in Trois-Rivières. The event brought together nearly 140 choristers ranging in age from six to 16 from choirs across Quebec and as far away as Toronto, giving them a chance to experience complete French immersion. The weekend ended with a grand concert at the Cathédrale de l’Assomption. Chorissimo is a choral gathering that has been running since 1981, formerly named Chantons le mai, which has seen generations of young choristers who go on to become Quebec’s next generation of choral singers.

This year, the Alliance called on three youth choir conductors—Louise Marie Pelletier, Marjorie Walter and Marc Henric—to share their expertise, passion and culture during this intensive event themed around rivers and water. This theme guided the choice of repertoire. “Trois-Rivières is inextricably linked with its rivers, but what I find beautiful is that water symbolically unites all continents and peoples,” says Henric, musical and artistic director of PCTR. “There’s something very profound in this theme and, even if the children can’t take in the full measure of it

YOUNG SINGERS AT CHORISSIMO 2025
PHOTO: REMI BOISSONNEAULT

in just two days, I believe that everything they’ve learned will have resonance later on.” The various pieces on the program explored the themes across different styles and eras. “It’s our responsibility as educators to be very careful in what we give children to think about because it can—and will—follow them into adulthood,” he adds.

The three conductors offered the choristers different approaches and visions of choral singing. While Pelletier, musical director of the Petits Chanteurs de Beauport, focused mainly on traditional Quebecois songs, Henric, of French origin, offered works from the classical realm. Walter, founder and director of the Walter Choir, presented Haitian works in Creole, drawn from the oral tradition. “It’s great to be able to share our cultures through music, and it’s important for children to be exposed to different educational approaches. It’s something that’s really close to my heart,” says Henric, who has been at the helm of the PCTR since 2022. Chorissimo also featured the world premiere of “Par-dessus le vacarme”, a hymn by Jeanne Laforest commissioned to mark the Alliance’s 50th anniversary.

Two intensive, six-hour days of singing took place at Collège Marie-de-l’Incarnation in Trois-Rivières. This demanding schedule enabled the children to achieve a high level of concentration. “Often, with children, we have the misconstrued idea that we have to be very careful and that they have to have lots of time to have fun,” says Henric. “This isn’t wrong, but children are extremely malleable and are capable of taking on a very heavy workload. Having a busy schedule is sometimes scarier for adults than it is for children,” he adds with a laugh.

Some of the participating choirs only rehearse for 30 minutes a week. Chorissimo 2025 was, therefore, an important immersion for several choristers who were experiencing an event of this kind for the first time.

Henric also believes in varying approaches and exercises to maintain the children’s attention, such as breaking the rhythm of repetition or getting the children to stand up. Particular attention was paid to the food served, ensuring it was varied and well-balanced, as meals are a time for the children to rest, recharge their batteries and bond with one another. “The success of a concert depends on every second of the day,” he says. “There has to be a balance between work, rest, fun and even moments of silliness when the children can let off steam,” he adds. Extra-musical activities such as a laughter yoga workshop and a disco were offered to enrich the experience.

Chorissimo 2025 took place in magnificent and inspiring locations, from Collège Marie-de-l’Incarnation, which celebrated its 325th anniversary last year, to the Cathédrale de l’Assomption, an architectural jewel in the region, to which the children had to walk, creating a sense of adventure. “It’s a beautiful, majestic and luminous place, and that’s bound to have a positive influence on the singing because the children are in awe,” says Henric.

Le chœur de près de 140 enfants avec la cheffe Marjorie Walter Photo Rémi Boissonneault

The concert was presented to an audience of just over 300. The young choristers were exposed to a professional production, complete with sound recording, a photographer and a videographer. These elements added to the unique experience of Chorissimo. “It’s really a wonderful opportunity for children and small school choirs to be able to take part in an event of this scale that they wouldn’t be able to organize themselves. This experience will certainly contribute to their motivation and their love of choral singing,” says Henric, whose passion for children’s choirs is contagious.