About Our Choir
The Calgary Renaissance Singers & Players (CRSP) are a mixed voice, auditioned ensemble with associated instrumentalists, dancers, and theatrical players. Our purpose is to inspire, entertain, and educate our audiences and members through the music, culture, and history of the Renaissance. We enrich our performances with works of other periods that celebrate the spirit of the Renaissance.
The ensemble presents several concerts each year in collaboration with guest singers and instrumentalists, offering a rich variety of musical themes and styles from the sacred to the playfully secular.
Smaller ensembles may be engaged for holiday caroling and educational and private events.
Our History
Calgary Renaissance Singers and Players has been a proud part of this city’s musical landscape for the last 48 years! Founded by Dr. A. G. Petti in 1970, the choir specializes in performing Renaissance music and music that celebrates the spirit of the Renaissance.
CRSP has given Canadian-premiere performances of seminal Renaissance sacred works, such as the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 (under Dr. Petti’s direction in 1977). The singers thrive on new creative opportunities: from commissioning and performing new choral works to using the local planetarium as a concert venue; from acting to playing instruments; and from collaborating with harpsichordists and recorder players to jamming with jazz saxophonists.
