BCBUSINESS.CA DECEMBER/JANUARY 2019 BCBUSINESS 57
M
usic has always
been a big part of
Paul Larocque's
life. He sang in school, church
and university choirs, took
part in musical theatre and
completed the Royal Conserva-
tory of Music piano program.
After moving from his native
Ontario to Vancouver in 1995,
Larocque joined the St. Augus-
tine's church choir, becoming
a member of the Chor Leoni
Men's Choir in 2004.
Larocque, president and
CEO of Arts Umbrella since
2016, describes joining Chor
Leoni as life-changing for its
musical training, friendships,
commitment to community
service and opportunities to
perform around the world. The
baritone has travelled with the
choir to Bosnia, Czech Repub-
lic, Germany and Italy, as well
as across Canada and to the
U.S. Last summer Chor Leoni
competed in the Singapore
International Choral Festival
and the Bali International
Choir Festival, winning gold
medals and singing in the pres-
tigious Grand Prix at both.
The 50-odd Chor Leoni
members are volunteers, but
the choir is a professional-
calibre classical vocal ensem-
ble, Larocque says. "It's very
serious about its approach to
music, the creation of new
works, but also celebrating
music from around the world,"
he explains, adding that it may
be one of the busiest amateur
choirs in North America, sing-
ing to more than 18,000 people
in the 2017™18 season.
To celebrate the 100th anni-
versary of the armistice ending
The Music Man
Arts Umbrella head Paul Larocque sings
with Chor Leoni in Vancouver and around
the world
by Felicity Stone
W E E K E N D WA R R IOR
(
quality time
)
WARRIOR
SPOTLIGHT
Arts Umbrella president
and
CEO Paul Larocque
is heading a $27-million
capital campaign to finance
larger headquarters in a
50,000-square-foot former
Emily Carr University of
Art + Design building on
Vancouver's Granville
Island. The move, in late
2019, will allow Arts
Umbrella to increase the
number of students in
donor-funded programs
by 10,500. The non-profit
is also piloting a distance-
learning program to bring
arts education to more
than 40 schools across
Northern Canada.
O FF
T H E
C LO C K
ADAM BLASBERG
CHOIRBOYS
Larocque (centre)
practises for the
annual Christmas
concert
