Founded by Miss Lillian Sit in April 2002, the Alata Harmonia Chorus of Canada started as a Chamber Ensemble of 18 members, with Ms Giulietta Tam as its Honorary Music Advisor. Between July 2002 and March 2003, the Ensemble held three different A cappella concerts, first of its kind in the Chinese music community.

In September 2003, Miss Lillian Sit expanded the organization to form the Alata Harmonia Choir, comprising of over 100 members, with the original Chamber Ensemble as the core. The development avails the appreciation of choral music and the elevation of the standard of choral singing to a bigger population of music lovers. By developing vocal techniques and harmony appreciation, members can experience the intrinsic richness and depth of choral music. Repertoires cover a wide spectrum of musical styles: western and eastern, classical and contemporary, as well as sacred and secular.

Since 2004, the Alata Harmonia Chorus has presented many successful concerts of different nature:

In April, 2004, a joint concert with the Toronto Korean-Canadian Choir was presented to promote a better understanding among different cultures.

In April, 2005, we presented “Sing Through the Ages”, an educational concert for the understanding of the development of choral music in the western world.

In October, 2005, we performed the works of Canadian-Chinese composers, including Requiem in Chinese by Mr. Anlun Huang, to commemorate and raise fund for victims of natural disasters such as South Asia Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. A total amount of $ 15,000 was raised and donated to Canadian Red Cross for the natural disasters relief.

In January, 2006, we participated in the Chinese New Year Show “The Same Song” held in the Roger’s Centre, organized by the Beijing Central Television.

In March, 2006, we presented G. Rossini’s Messe Solennelle.

In July, 2006, we took part in an international choral festival, Le Mondial Choral Loto-Quebec, bringing Chinese choral music to the French audience.

In November, 2006, on the occasion of the 250th Anniversary of Mozart’s death, we presented a concert named “How Beautiful”, featuring Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore and Gounod’s Messe Breve No. 7 aux Chapelles.

In March, 2007, we performed J. Brahms’ A German Requiem with two pianos accompaniment.

In November, 2007, to celebrate Canada’s 140th Anniversary, a concert was held featuring works of Chinese-Canadian composers. In December, 2007, we presented a concert showcasing A cappella choral music written by Canadian composers.

Besides cross cultural performances, visits were made to senior homes and nursing homes where Christmas and seasonal songs were performed, bringing joy and warmth to the confined seniors.

In June 2008, we were invited to take part in the third Dong Zhou Cup World Chinese Choral Music Festival held in Beijing. Besides winning a Silver Cup for overall performance, we also received The Best Tone Quality Award, The Best Artistic Style Award, The Best Musical Interpretation Award and The Best Diction Award. Participating members were thrilled with the experience. After the contest, the group made successful touring performances in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuxi, and Hong Kong.

On Nov 1, 2008, with honour, we presented “Songs Of Love”, comprising of five acts and eleven scenes, a grand choral singing-dance-recitation product of local poet Chuan Sha and composer Liang Er-hei. This was a wonderful experience for the choir to appreciate the broad scope of choral singing and to improve on our interpretation techniques.