Who We Are

The Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir, founded in 2001 by Jeannie Vanwynsberghe Pernal, is first and foremost a musical education program dedicated to providing a unique musical opportunity through which boys journey towards excellence and integrity in life. It is our aim to enrich the lives of both choir members and their audiences through musical education and performance. The GPBC intentionally mentors boys in leadership, service, and camaraderie, as well as in the promotion of wholesome Christian values, decorum and etiquette. The boys are coached in the performance of music’s many languages and styles ranging from ancient sacred music all the way up to modern popular arrangements.

The Grande Prairie Boys’ Choir offers a structured and welcoming musical journey for boys from Grade 2 through high school and beyond, with programs designed to support every stage of vocal and personal development. Running from September to June, tuition ranges from $60/month for Preps to $84/month for Juniors, Seniors, and Men of Note, with Voice Changers at $75/month due to their streamlined 90-minute weekly rehearsal that fits alongside busy school and sports schedules. Younger and intermediate singers rehearse in a combination of small-group voice lessons and full ensemble rehearsals (typically twice weekly for Juniors and Seniors), while older singers in Men of Note meet once weekly for an extended 2.5-hour rehearsal and can also earn 5 high school credits through participation.

The choir is built as a progressive program with multiple levels—Prep, Junior, Senior, Voice Changers, and Men of Note—allowing singers to grow year over year in confidence, musicianship, and performance experience. No prior training is required for younger boys, and auditions are designed to be supportive and age-appropriate. Families who need assistance may apply for scholarships by contacting the Artistic Director, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent participation.

The choir is comprised of five different ensembles, grouped largely according to age, and includes boys and men from age seven to twenty. For the last number of years, membership is at capacity with 120 boys. Because the GPBC enjoys a very low attrition rate – most boys stay – alumni of the choir can choose to continue performance into adulthood as members of the Continuum of Men.

Qualified members of the choral staff offer instruction in the foundations of music and note reading skills, vocal training, choral clinics, individual voice lessons, and training in drama. The choir performs at three sold out concerts a year in Grande Prairie, special events such as Grande Prairie’s Civic Remembrance Day Ceremony, and has toured across the country and beyond. The GPBC has performed at major events in both Edmonton and Grande Prairie, competed across Canada, and worked in collaboration with both Pro Coro Canada and Opera NUOVA. The choir promotes arts and culture in the city of Grande Prairie by partnering with professional choirs and symphonies. This vision has expanded to include a mentorship with professional symphony players from Edmonton with the support of the City of Grande Prairie.

It is also part of the choir’s vision to couple performance with community service. Members of the choir participate in Grande Prairie’s Community Memorial Service, Remembrance Day Ceremonies, city-wide food drives, and other civic activities outside of the spectrum of music.