about our choir
Kingston Senior Choristers is a community-based choir that formed in the fall of 2005 under the leadership of Lynda Stoness, with members of the former Mary Fisher 55Plus Choir.
The choir originally rehearsed at the Senior’s Centre on Francis Street, and now the group of about 80 choristers meets at Bay Park Baptist Church on Progress Avenue.
The concert location has changed a number of times, and recently the Salvation Army Citadel has proved to be an excellent concert venue for our spring and fall performances.
Over the years the choir has been very fortunate to have had excellent and dedicated piano musicians to accompany us, including Marilyn Wesson, Ted Brown and Kate Van Allen, who was with us for ten years, and Beverly Koski.
Our music is a mixture of folk, jazz and spiritual songs. We sing in the usual four-part sections, and frequently perform with soloists and guest musicians at our concerts.
Caroline Dowling
Music Director
Caroline is a retired secondary school teacher, and is involved in choirs and musical ensembles in the Kingston and surrounding community. She has a Bachelor of Music degree from Queen’s with a minor in Math, from ‘back in the day’. Currently living on an island in the St. Lawrence River, Caroline dabbles in gardening and farming with her husband.
Lynda Stoness
Music Director Emerita
Lynda is the founder and former director of the Kingston Senior Choristers, and currently sings with the choir’s alto section. Born and raised in Kingston, she is a retired music teacher and an accomplished artist. She studied at Peterborough Teacher’s College and Queen’s University, and received her Master’s Degree in Choral Music from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, N.Y. In 2020, Lynda was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteerism.
Stella ter Hart
Accompanist
Stella ter Hart is a Canadian composer, educator, adjudicator and accompanist. She is
the only individual in Canada to have been awarded all four available diplomas from the
Toronto Conservatory of Music: piano pedagogy, piano performance, composition and
theory. Stella has served as an Examiner for the Toronto Conservatory for over 10 years. She is presently the Artistic Director of the Frontenac Women’s Chorus and the adult mixed choir, Melodia.
We are very grateful for her collaboration with the Kingston Senior Choristers for our concerts.