Pro Coro Canada: Once Upon a Time
Thursday, July 23 at 7:30PM
Pro Coro Canada: Once Upon a Time
Thursday, July 23, 2026
7:30PM - 9:30PM
St. Joseph's Parish
760 St. David St. North, Fergus
$55 Adult | $20 Student | $10 Child
Pro Coro Canada
Michael Zaugg, conductor
Vincent Lauzer, recorder
The Elora Festival welcomes Edmonton’s professional chamber choir, Pro Coro Canada, and their conductor Michael Zaugg for an exciting program of exceptional music. At the heart of the program is The Nightingale by Latvian composer, Uģis Prauliņš—a captivating retelling of The Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen. Blending virtuosic choral writing with playful theatrical flair, Prauliņš’s work brings the beloved tale to life in a kaleidoscope of musical styles and textures.
By turns luminous, whimsical, and deeply expressive, this concert showcases the extraordinary artistry of Pro Coro Canada in a program that celebrates the magic of the human voice and the timeless power of storytelling through music.
Pro Coro Canada is a JUNO Award-nominated choir comprised of up to 24 of Alberta’s most expert choral scholars and singers, curated by Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Michael Zaugg for each concert since he was selected for the role in 2012.
Founded in 1981 by Canadian Michel Marc Gervais, the voices of Pro Coro Canada have been shaped by some of the world’s finest choral conductors, including Gervais, Anders Eby (Sweden), Søren Hansen (Denmark), Agnes Grossmann (Austria), and Richard Sparks (USA). Guest conductors have included Frieder Bernius, Eric Ericson, Gary Graden, Maria Guinand, Bo Holten, Elmer Iseler, Tönu Kaljuste, Diane Loomer, Leonard Ratzlaff, Ward Swingle, Ivars Taurins, Jon Washburn, Erik Westberg, Jonathan Velasco, and Brainerd Blyden-Taylor.
Under the direction of Swiss-born Michael Zaugg, the choir is widely recognized as one of Canada’s finest. The choir is particularly proud of its composer-in-residence program with internationally renowned composer Alberto Grau; its appointment as Faculty in the Choral Art program at the Banff Centre; and critically acclaimed tours of four provinces. Pro Coro Canada believes strongly in building community through partnerships with other organizations on the local, provincial, and national levels, having collaborated with many community choirs and other musical ensembles and soloists in recent years as well as mentoring young choral artists through their Emerging Artist Program, which helps foster the careers of singers, composers, and conductors alike.