Artistic Director and conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Choir Howard Dyck has announced he will retire from leadership of the organization next year after 37 years.
The 2009-10 season will mark his 38th season of leading the choir, and “the time has come for me to move on to other challenges,” said Dyck, whose international conducting career has taken him to 17 countries and who has been named to the Order of Canada.
"These have been memorable years, filled with countless musical highlights and blessed with many deep and lasting friendships.
In his time with the choir, Dyck took it from relative obscurity to an internationally respected, innovative organization.
In 2002, he conducted the Canadian premiere of Franz Schmidt’s Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln in Kitchener and in Toronto as the grand finale of the International Choral Festival. The Toronto performance, starring tenor Ben Heppner, was broadcast nationally on CBC Radio.
Under Dyck’s direction, Canadian singers such as Heppner, Measha Brueggergosman, Susan Platts and many others saw their careers develop from youthful promise to international acclaim.
The choir has commissioned numerous works by Canadian composers, such as Imant Raminsh, John Estacio, Glenn Buhr, Leonard Enns, and Barrie Cabena.
In February 2006, Dyck conducted the Canadian premiere of the Mozart Mass in C Minor as completed by Robert Levin. He also conducted the Canadian and Croatian premieres of Robert Levin’s completion of the Mozart Requiem in 1994 and 2008, respectively.
He established a long and well-loved tradition of a Good Friday performance of J. S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, St. John Passion or B Minor Mass, at the Centre in the Square in Kitchener.
Dyck plans to continue making music, as a guest conductor and in various special projects. The next concert on this year’s Grand Philharmonic season is Bach’s St. Matthew Passion on Good Friday, April 10.
