The Canadian Orpheus Male Choir is an all men choir who love to sing. We all come from many backgrounds and have different level of skill in music. We aim to bring high quality choral singing to our audiences and encourage self-development through music among our members.
Our History
The COMC was founded in 1977 by (William) Lynworth “Lyn” Harry, who was born in Llanelli, Wales, and received his Bachelor of Music and associate degrees at the Royal College of Music, in London, England. After moving to Canada in 1975, Lyn taught at the Royal Hamilton College of Music and founded the Canadian Orpheus Male Choir, which, upon his retirement, awarded him the title of Conductor Emeritus. At the Welsh National Eisteddfod in 2001, Lyn was honoured by being invested as an Honorary Welsh Bard for his lifetime services to music. Lyn Harry passed away in 2006.
Today, the COMC reflects the multicultural nature of Canada with a membership comprising men from a variety of backgrounds.
Our repertoire is extensive and includes popular tunes, ballads, songs from musicals, gospel, hymns, opera choruses, traditional and folk songs.
Concert tours have brought us to the United States, Western Canada, the Maritimes, Continental Europe, Britain and Ireland. We are proud to have performed more than 460 concerts in venues such as the National Arts Centre in Ottawa; Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto; St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London.
Over the past 35+ years, we have performed with many talented and well-known guest artists, notably the bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, baritone Jason Howard, Scantily Plaid, violinist Martin Beaver, tenor Glyn Evans, The Blazing Fiddles, tenor Aldo Filistad, the Canadian Brass and the Central Band of the Canadian Armed Forces.
To give back to the community via a forum for men who want to entertain as they learn to sing or improve their singing ability and who enjoy the camaraderie of working as a team towards shared goals. www.comc.ca
The COMC is a registered charity that has raised and donated some $800,000 to support charities to date, including the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation, and The Hamilton Spectator Children’s Fund. While supporting local service club and charitable fundraising efforts, we bring a high standard of choral singing to our audiences and promote self-development through music among our members. These goals are achieved through practices, concerts, recordings and social events.
