The Chanteuses is a ladies (18+) choir of select voices. Many of the singers in this group have been with the Columbian Choirs for over 10 years-some sung with the choirs as girls. However, the group is always happy to have new singers so, all are welcome.

The choir has sung on Parliament Hill for Canada Day, for the Alberta Lt. Governor, with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Alberta Ballet. The choir has been competitors in both the local and provincial festivals as well as being twice finalists in the CBC Amateur Choir Competition. The choir has worked with many Canadian composers, including Dr. Mark Sirett whose piece "Every Child Has Known God" was commissioned for and dedicated to the choir.

Rehearsals are Thursday evenings, 6:30-8:30 pm at St. Joseph's High School (10830 109 St.).

Conductor - Heather Bedford-Clooney

Heather Bedford-Clooney has a BEd in Music, an ARCT (voice), an ATCL and a Licentiate in Speech and Drama from Trinity College, London. She has done graduate work at the University of Alberta, Dartmouth University and the Westminster Choir College.

Ms. Bedford-Clooney has maintained a voice studio in Edmonton for thirty years. She has had students compete at the local, provincial and national level of the festival movement. She is the Artistic Director of the Edmonton Columbian Choirs and conducts Chanteuses which has been a finalist twice in the CBC Amateur Choir Competition. She is also the conductor of the Festival Singers of Sherwood Park.

Ms. Bedford-Clooney is the Past-President of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors (ACCC), Past-President of Music Alberta and the Alberta Choral Federation (ACF), and Past-President of Opera NUOVA. She is currently the Executive Director of the Edmonton Kiwanis Music Festival. Ms. Bedford-Clooney received the Richard S. Eaton Award from the Alberta Choral Federation at the 2008 Alberta Music Conference.