The richmond singers
Women Who Love to Sing!
Our purpose is to sing, in harmony, a variety of music for the enjoyment of the members as well as to give public and private performances for the listening pleasure of others
Richmond Singers Shone at the 2025 International Choral Kathaumixw 
This July, the Richmond Singers proudly represented the City of Richmond at the International Choral Kathaumixw in Powell River. Over five unforgettable days (July 1–5, 2025), our choir joined world-class ensembles from across the globe, including Taiwan, Slovenia, Costa Rica, New Zealand, the USA, and Canada.
From ferry sing-outs on Canada Day, to choral competitions, outreach concerts, and the inspiring Great Hall Concert, every performance was an opportunity to share the joy of singing and to learn from one another. Esteemed clinicians such as Dr. Zimfira Poloz and Walter Martella reminded us that choral singing flourishes in a welcoming, inclusive, and fun community — leading to truly “sincere and heartfelt performances.”
This invaluable cultural exchange not only strengthened our musical abilities but also deepened friendships and connections that we hope will inspire future collaborations.
The Richmond Singers Expresses Gratitude to Sponsors
The Richmond Singers sincerely thanks its sponsors for the generous support that helped the choir to represent the City of Richmond at the 2025 International Choral Kathaumixw in Powell River. The opportunity to perform at this prestigious festival was an invaluable experience, providing a unique exchange of cultural ideas and opportunities to learn from international choirs from as far away as Taiwan, Slovenia, Costa Rico, New Zealand, USA, as well as Canada.
Internationally esteemed clinicians such as Walter Martella, Music Director of the Powell River Academy of Music and Artistic Director of the Kathaumixw Festival, and Dr. Zimfira Poloz, Professor and Artistic Director of Toronto Children's Chorus, worked to foster cross cultural connections between the world class choirs. During daily practices, Dr Poloz stressed the importance of choirs building a welcoming and fun choral community where singers learn together in a non-judgmental, inclusive environment leading to “sincere and heartfelt performances”.
The Richmond Singers are committed to providing excellent musical experiences, fostering the joy of singing, and building community both within the choir and with its audiences at concerts and community events. Sponsors play a vital role in making these educational opportunities, choral workshops, outreach programs, and festival participation possible.
New sponsors are needed to enable the Singers to continue and build on this mission. Individuals and businesses can learn more about sponsorship and how sponsors support the choir by visiting www.Richmondsingers.ca or contacting Linda Hicks at Linda_joy@telus.net
Thank You to Our Supporters
We are especially grateful to the City of Richmond for the 2025 Arts and Culture Operating Assistance Grant and to our generous sponsors, whose support made this journey possible. Your commitment enables us to grow, learn, and bring music back to our community through concerts, workshops, and outreach events.
We welcome new sponsors to join us in sustaining this mission.
Richmond Singers' summary of our experiences at Kathaumixw:
(Click here to read our full story.)
Our auditions have been completed for this season. If you would like to sing with us, please check back to this website for dates for our next set of auditions, or send us a note on the contact form. We are a diverse group of women and we welcome fresh faces, voices, and personalities.
The Richmond Singers is a community of 55 women and an active participant in community life in Richmond. Since its inception in 1971, when a handful of women responded to a newspaper ad inviting women who want to sing together, the choir has grown steadily and performs regularly in concerts and events. The Richmond Singers supports principles of diversity and equality of opportunity; its members range in age from 20s to seniors, bringing diverse backgrounds and talents to the choir and its performances.
Directors over its history include Alex Murray, Earl Hobson, Jeanette Gallant, Mavis Weston, Natasha Neufeld, and since September 2019, Fabiana Katz, along with equally talented accompanists. The choir produces two to three major concerts each season, often featuring local guest performers and accompanists. The Richmond singers has also commissioned several pieces of music, most recently “Under One Sky” by Larry Nickel for its Spring 2024 concert.
The Richmond Singers actively participates in BC Choral Federation activities and is committed to supporting the community. Both the main choir and its eighteen-member Ensemble are available to sing at events for the City of Richmond and for charity benefit concerts, thereby raising funds for community organizations including the Richmond Hospice Society, Canadian Cancer Foundation, Tim Hortons Kids Camps, South Arm United Church Fall Fair, and most recently $2,000.00 to support community outreach work hosted by St Alban’s Church. In September 2009 the Richmond Singers sang at the Richmond Olympic Oval for the opening ceremony of the BC Seniors’ Games. The main choir also participates annually in Richmond Culture Days with an open rehearsal, each year attracting new members to join its vibrant community. And the Ensembles performs an interactive program almost weekly at seniors’ residences and centers within and outside Richmond.
The choir’s founding member, Pam Hiensch, still in the Ensemble, was awarded the Governor General’s Canada Volunteer Award in 2021 for her initiative in forming the Richmond Singers and for its impact on the community. The main choir was honored to represent BC at the July 1, 2003 UNISONG celebrations in Ottawa and in 2009 represented BC at Festival 500 in St Johns, Newfoundland. In 2016 the Richmond Singers were accepted, among 1000 singers from around the world, to sing at the Kathaumixw International Choral Festival in Powell River.
Through continuing strong leadership and its dedicated members, the Richmond Singers survived COVID-19: during the pandemic lock-down, members participated in weekly virtual rehearsals and produced four virtual choral recordings including “O Canada” for the City’s Canada Day celebrations in 2021 and the Ensemble recorded performances to distribute to seniors’ residences.
The Singers are ever grateful to the faithful audiences who enthusiastically reflect their joy in making music together.
More Information
Read about our Musical Director, Fabiana Katz and Accompanist Hilary Jung.
Celebrating 50 Years
Half a century of singing is a lot of music. We are the Richmond Singers and we are celebrating our 50th Anniversary. This is our story. Since 1971, with six directors, three accompanists and five decades later, we are still going strong. Singing for ourselves and our audiences.
Love to Sing?
Find out more details about our upcoming season's auditions now!
Rehearsal Information
Monday evenings from 7 - 9:15 PM
at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Richmond
There are one or two workshops throughout the season
with a choral clinician or a guest director
Artistic Director: Fabiana Katz
Our Community Of Support
Donate Now
The Richmond Singers Choir is registered as a charitable organization under the BC Society's Act (1984). All donations are gratefully acknowledged with a receipt for income tax purposes. Please contact us for more information.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia, the City of Richmond, and Business / Arts artsvest
The Richmond Singers are proud members of Richmond Arts Coalition and BC Choral Federation
and are grateful for their artistic and intellectual support.
