The Choir of Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria is set to embark on a concert tour of Vancouver Island this summer, bringing its renowned choral tradition to communities across the Diocese of Islands and Inlets.
From June 25 to 29, 2025, the Cathedral Choir, Youth Choir, and Young Choristers will travel from Victoria to Port McNeill, with scheduled performances in Courtenay-Comox and Nanaimo. The four-day tour aims to share the cathedral’s rich musical heritage and foster community engagement through sacred choral music.
The tour opens on June 25 with a concert at 7 p.m. at the Church of St. John the Divine, 579 5th Street, Courtenay. Tickets are priced at $20 for adults and $10 for children and are available at Blue Heron Books in Comox and Laughing Oyster Bookshop in Courtenay.
Additional performances include a concert at the Gatehouse Theatre in Port McNeill on June 27 and another at the Old City Arts Hub (St. Andrew’s United Church) in Nanaimo on June 29. On the morning of June 29, the choir will also take part in the dedication festival at St. Paul’s Church, Nanaimo.
The program will feature a diverse repertoire including Antonio Vivaldi’s Magnificat and Bob Chilcott’s A Little Jazz Mass, showcasing the choir’s blend of classical and contemporary sacred music.
“This is a truly enjoyable concert program that we all really love singing,” said Director of Music Donald Hunt. “The Cathedral Choirs are blessed to regularly make music in the stunning Christ Church Cathedral, but this summer we’re looking forward to discovering some new venues and exploring this magnificent island.”
As a key musical institution in Victoria and a resource church for the entire Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets, Christ Church Cathedral maintains a highly active and distinguished choral program.
Bishop Anna Greenwood-Lee of the Diocese expressed her enthusiasm for the tour, stating, “I am excited both for the choristers to see the breadth and beauty of our diocese and also for the communities up island to be able to experience the world-class choral music that our Cathedral offers. The human voice is a beautiful thing and choral music, when so many voices all join together to create beauty, can truly help us glimpse the divine.”
With a 150-year legacy of sacred choral and instrumental music, Christ Church Cathedral continues to play a central role in the cultural and spiritual life of Victoria. The Cathedral Choir and Youth Choir, a selective ensemble of seasoned volunteers and emerging professional singers, regularly lead worship services and perform an extensive repertoire from the Renaissance to contemporary works.
The Young Chorister Program, launched in 2017 in collaboration with The Cathedral School, is unique in Canada as a school-based, fully immersive Anglican Cathedral Chorister initiative. Participants perform regularly with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and the Victoria Symphony and sing weekly Evensong services. The program is supported by the NRS Fund, the St. Cecilia Fund at the Victoria Foundation, the Christ Church Cathedral Music Endowment Fund, and numerous private donors.
The Cathedral Choirs’ previous tour in 2023 took them to the United Kingdom, where they performed at Westminster Abbey and St. George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Director Donald Hunt, originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, studied music at McGill University and has held prestigious posts in Canada and the UK, including organist positions at Truro Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and St. Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh.
