More than 100 voices will fill Montreal’s Maison symphonique as Carol Bernard brings together Jireh Gospel Choir, Montreal Gospel Choir and former members for a milestone celebration of music, faith and community.
Rosie Awori – Local Journalism Initiative – Montreal Community Contact
For three decades, Jireh Gospel Choir has carried the sounds of gospel music from Montreal’s churches to some of Quebec’s most prominent concert stages. This November, the award-winning ensemble will celebrate its 30th anniversary during Noël Gospel, an annual holiday concert that brings together more than 100 voices for an evening of music and celebration.
Scheduled for November 28 at Maison symphonique, Place des Arts, this year’s Noël Gospel will feature Jireh Gospel Choir and Montreal Gospel Choir under the direction of founder Carol Bernard. The concert will blend traditional and contemporary gospel, spirituals, original compositions and Christmas favourites.
For Bernard, however, the anniversary is about more than the music.
“For me, it’s not about entertainment,” she told the CONTACT.
Since founding Jireh in 1996, Bernard has sought to take gospel music beyond church walls, introducing its Christian message to audiences in concert halls, festivals and other public spaces.
She describes the choir’s guiding philosophy as “ministry with excellence,” a commitment to combining musical quality with Christian principles in every aspect of its work.
That includes how members conduct themselves during rehearsals, honour commitments and interact with technicians and others behind the scenes.
“People are going to remember us for being different, not just on stage, but backstage,” she said.
The concert will unfold in three parts, beginning with Jireh’s 19 singers, each performing with an individual microphone, followed by Montreal Gospel Choir, an 80-voice multicultural ensemble known for its energetic performances and choreography.
The two choirs will then come together for a final segment.
Among the highlights will be Montreal Gospel Choir’s rendition of “Joyful, Joyful,” the gospel favourite popularized by the film Sister Act 2. The performance will feature soloists, choreography and a dance team.
“It’s really quite something,” Bernard said, laughing as she described the production’s energy.
Audiences can also expect “Minuit chrétien,” the French version of “O Holy Night,” a Christmas classic that Bernard has come to appreciate as an essential part of Quebec’s holiday traditions.
The choirs will revisit an arrangement Jireh previously recorded with Quebec singer Mario Pelchat. The live band will be led by musical director Paul Charles, who also serves as musical director for Radio-Canada’s Tout peut arriver.
This year’s concert will also welcome former Jireh members and musicians, including singer Priscilla Findlay, who will return to participate in the anniversary celebration.
Bernard’s journey into gospel music was hardly conventional. The daughter of immigrant parents, she studied mathematics and computer science before establishing a career at CN Rail, where she was climbing the corporate ladder in a male-dominated industry.
Although classically trained in piano and involved in church music, she had little experience with Black gospel until she won a local arts competition that introduced her to Union Gospel Choir at Union United Church.
She joined the ensemble and eventually became its director. With encouragement from friends and fellow musicians, including her future husband, Ted, and community advocate Miranda Potts, she founded Jireh in 1996.
The name was one she had previously used while leading a youth performing arts team through Youth for Christ.
“It means the God who provides,” she explained. “And he has provided for us, and he can provide for you.”
Bernard initially balanced directing Jireh with her corporate career. But after a particularly impactful concert at Église Nouvelle Vie on Montreal’s South Shore, she began reconsidering her professional future. By the end of 1998, she had resigned from CN Rail to pursue music full-time.
While Jireh’s members share a Christian faith, Montreal Gospel Choir, founded in 2011, intentionally welcomes singers from different cultural and religious backgrounds, including those who do not identify as Christian.
Some join because they love gospel music, often having encountered it through films such as Sister Act. Bernard, however, wants them to understand the history and spiritual meaning behind the songs.
“It’s Black music. This is a Black heritage thing we’re doing,” she said. “And we’re bringing it outside of the Black culture.”
Through rehearsals, musical instruction and small-group discussions, she introduces members to gospel’s cultural roots while creating opportunities for friendship, mentorship and conversations about faith.
She also sees the choir as a bridge for people who have never attended church or who have drifted away from religious life.
Over the years, Bernard has witnessed what she describes as profound spiritual transformations among choir members and concertgoers.
She recalled a young German visitor who attended one of Jireh’s Christmas concerts and later began exploring Christianity through conversations with her and her husband. He eventually connected with a church small group in Montreal, and the couple remains in contact with him.
Another member, who initially joined Montreal Gospel Choir because of his appreciation for Black music, later embraced Christianity after attending a fellow singer’s baptism. According to Bernard, he had been struggling with substance use and was deeply moved by a testimony he heard during the service. He subsequently became involved in church life and now performs on a worship team.
In another instance, a choir member’s spiritual journey influenced her mother, who decided to be baptized after witnessing changes in her daughter’s life.
“I saw the change in my daughter,” Bernard recalled the mother saying.
For Bernard, these encounters reflect the purpose behind the music and explain why she considers Montreal Gospel Choir among her most meaningful accomplishments.
Jireh’s influence has extended well beyond Montreal. The choir has performed in France, Switzerland and the United States, headlined the Montreal International Jazz Festival three times, shared the stage with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and opened for American gospel artist Kirk Franklin at the Bell Centre.
The choir’s story was also captured in the 2025 National Film Board of Canada documentary Jireh Gospel: Hearts in Chorus, directed by Wylem Decaille, which explores the ensemble’s music, community and faith as its members prepare for a Christmas concert.
Yet Bernard measures the choir’s success by more than public performances. For many former members, she said, Jireh has served as a school of discipline, professionalism and leadership. She continues to invest in mentoring singers and developing leaders who can carry the work forward.
As Noël Gospel approaches, the return of former members offers an opportunity to honour those who helped build the ensemble while celebrating a new generation of performers.
For Bernard, whose journey began with classical piano and a corporate office at CN Rail, the milestone is one she never imagined reaching.
“I’d never envisioned this day,” she said, “but I am excited for the future.”
Noël Gospel takes place Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, at 8 p.m., at Maison symphonique, Place des Arts, Montreal.
More information can be found on: https://jirehgospelchoir.com/fr/evenements/
