The Canadian Chamber Choir is pleased to announce the appointments of Dr. Joel Tranquilla as Associate Conductor, and Jeff Enns as Composer-in-Residence for the ensemble. Both have been integral members of the CCC for a number of years, with Tranquilla serving as a singer, accompanist, and assistant conductor, and Enns lending numerous compositions to both concert programs and workshops as well as singing in the choir. They are the first to hold these newly created positions.

Dr. Julia Davids, the Canadian Chamber Choir’s Artistic Director since 2003, spearheaded the decision to have Tranquilla and Enns formally recognized as members of the choir’s artistic team. “Joel is simply an outstanding musician and phenomenal conductor who is really making a name for himself on the national stage,” says Davids. “And I’ve always been a huge fan of Jeff’s compositions, many of which the CCC has performed over the years. Having two huge talents like Joel and Jeff on the artistic team will definitely raise the bar in terms of what this choir will be capable of in the future.”

The Chair of the CCC Board of Directors, Karla Ferguson, says the new appointments demonstrate the depth of talent within the choir, as well as the constant evolution of the way the CCC operates. “We are so excited to have Joel and Jeff accept these new roles. As the organization grows, their contributions are helping take the CCC to a whole new level,” says Ferguson. “The board felt it was time to formalize some of the responsibilities they have naturally gravitated to already.”

Dr. Tranquilla is currently an assistant professor at Trinity Western University where he also serves as the Director of Choral Activities. Originally from Windsor, Ontario, Joel earned music degrees from Mount Allison University, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan. He has held many leadership positions throughout his career, including Chorus Master of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, and conductor of the University of Windsor’s Women’s Chamber Choir, the Windsor Community Chorus, and the Teutonia Chorus.

Jeff Enns lives in southwestern Ontario where he is the music director of the St. James Lutheran Church in Elmira, and a violin teacher at the Beckett School in Kitchener. He studied organ, viola, and composition at Wilfrid Laurier University and is a prolific composer of choral works which have been performed by various choirs across Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland, and Japan. A long time member of the CCC, he was also officially designated the Composer-in-Residence for its Nova Scotia tour of January, 2009.

Since 2001, the Canadian Chamber Choir has been building community through choral singing. Made up of 18-22 professional-level singers from across Canada, the choir undertakes twice-yearly tours in every region of Canada comprised of concerts and workshops with singers of all ages and stages. In 2015, the CCC tours eastern Ontario and Montreal in February, with the choir’s first ever tour of Newfoundland scheduled for September. The choir will also release its second CD of Canadian choral music in the December 2015, entitled “The Canadian Mass: Sacred Reflections of Canada”.