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Choral singing, choral attendance, and the situation of choirs in Canada

Three major research projects for Choral Canada

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November 14, 201714 November 2017

Funded primarily by Choral Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts, three major research projects have recently been completed:

  • A survey of 2,000 Canadians 18 or older related to choral singing and attendance
  • A detailed survey of 861 choral organizations in Canada, representing over 1,500 choirs and 60,000 singers
  • An estimate of the number of choirs in Canada, involving a random sample of 864 schools and 977 churches as well as the survey of choral organizations

Key research findings include:

  • 3.5 million Canadians sang in a choir in 2016 (10% of the population).
  • The 3.5 million choral singers would constitute the largest city in Canada, 27% larger than the population of Toronto in 2016 (2.7 million, according to the 2016 census).
  • About one in every 4 Canadian children sings in a choir (23%).
  • 3 times more children under 18 sing in a choir than play hockey.
  • 1.8 million Canadian adults (7% of all adults) sing in a choir. There are about 50% more adult choral singers than hockey players in Canada.
  • More than 1 in 4 Canadian adults attended a choral performance in 2016 (7.8 million people).
  • There are about 28,000 choirs in Canada.
  • Choirs are involved in the social fabric of their communities. For example, 68% of responding choirs did community outreach (such as singing at hospitals, support facilities or other community events), and 62% performed at charity concerts or singing engagements in 2016.
  • Attracting new singers is a key challenge for Canadian choirs.

A more detailed summary of the research is available here.

Also available are three infographics produced for the project:

  1. Key findings from the public survey
  2. Findings regarding choral (and music) education
  3. Key findings from all research elements
Full Report

Download full report

Infographics
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