More about Fiona......

Fiona Blackburn has earned an esteemed reputation for her passionate support of the art of singing in all its forms, as well as for her engaging and uplifting interaction with singers of all ages. Fiona holds three degrees from the University of British Columbia: a Bachelor of Music in voice performance, a Bachelor of Education in secondary music, and a Master of Music in choral conducting. She performed, recorded and toured for 13 seasons with the Vancouver Chamber Choir and sang numerous roles with Vancouver Opera for five seasons. Her solo concert work includes performances with the Vancouver Symphony, Vancouver CBC Orchestra and Symphony Nova Scotia among others. Fiona has two Celtic CDs to her credit and even performed for five summers on an Alaskan cruise ship.

As an educator and choral director, Fiona has taught music from kindergarten to university, where she was adjunct professor in the Department of Education at UBC.

Fiona recently retired from her appointment as Artistic Director of the British Columbia Girls Choir which she founded two decades ago. She toured internationally with the singers to over 15 countries. In 2018, the choir was awarded the coveted ‘Children’s Choir of the World’ trophy, the highest honour at the world’s prestigious Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales. She has also directed the Zephyra Women’s Choir and Pacifica Singers, the associate ensemble of the Vancouver Chamber Choir.

Fiona was awarded the BC Choral Federation’s 2016 Healey Willan Award for her work to promote choral singing in our province; and she was awarded the Most Inspiring Director Award at the Vancouver Kiwanis Choral Festival that same year.