Peterborough Singers Appoint Shawn Grenke as New Artistic Director
Conductor, pianist, and organist succeeds founding director Syd Birrell after extensive national search
PETERBOROUGH, March 18, 2026 – The Peterborough Singers have appointed conductor, pianist, and organist Shawn Grenke as the choir’s new Artistic Director and Conductor, succeeding founding Artistic Director Syd Birrell, who retired in December 2025 after 35 years at the helm of the ensemble.
Grenke’s appointment follows a comprehensive national search that included surveying choir members, screening applications, conducting in-person interviews and reference checks, and inviting finalists to lead the choir in conducting sessions. His formal start date with the Singers is July 1, 2026.
“After a thorough and rigorous search process, we are thrilled to welcome Shawn Grenke as our new Artistic Director,” said Singers Board Chair Dr. Carey Gibson. “Our search committee sought a leader who would carry the choir strongly forward while honouring the history and tradition that have made the Peterborough Singers what they are. In Shawn, we are confident we have found exactly that.”
A native of Belleville, Ontario, Grenke currently serves as Director of Music at Eglinton St. George’s United Church in Toronto, Collaborative Pianist with the Elmer Iseler Singers, Artistic Director and Conductor of the Achill Choral Society in Orangeville, Ontario, and Instructor of Conducting at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.
He holds a Bachelor of Music from Mount Allison University and a Master of Music from the University of Toronto. He is currently a doctoral candidate in Choral Conducting at the University of Alberta, where his research focuses on a collaborative choral commission with Cree composer Andrew Balfour, supported by a fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Grenke has performed throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe, and has participated in international choral festivals and competitions in Sweden, China, and Quebec. His performance credits include appearances at Roy Thomson Hall and the Winspear Centre, as well as broadcasts on CBC Radio. He was nominated for a Juno Award in 2019 and for the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting in 2018.
“I am thrilled to welcome Shawn Grenke as the next Artistic Director of the Peterborough Singers,” said retiring Artistic Director Syd Birrell.
Birrell noted a striking connection between the choir’s founding and Grenke’s appointment. “When Pam and I founded the Singers in 1990, one of the first things we did was invite Elmer Iseler to come to Peterborough and guest-conduct Carmina Burana. It was a bold move, to put it mildly. But we wanted to signal from day one that this choir was going to aim for the highest standard. That concert sold out, and it set the tone for everything that followed. Thirty-five years later, our new Artistic Director comes to us straight from the Elmer Iseler Singers. You could not write a more fitting next chapter.”
“This choir has always been about more than just good singing,” Birrell added. “It is about building something meaningful in a community, and about believing that a small city can produce music that rivals anything in the country. In my conversations with Shawn it has been clear that he shares that belief. The future of the Peterborough Singers looks very bright indeed.”
“I am absolutely delighted to join the Peterborough Singers as their new Artistic Director and Conductor,” said Grenke. “It is a true honour to become part of such an outstanding musical community.”
“When I first heard the Singers, I was immediately struck by both the beautiful sound of the choir and the strong sense of community that the Peterborough Singers embody,” he said. “I am especially grateful for the remarkable legacy created by Syd Birrell during his extraordinary 35-year tenure. To follow in the footsteps of a founding conductor is both humbling and inspiring.”
“Choral music is a uniquely powerful art form,” Grenke added. “It brings individual voices and hearts together to create something deeply moving, meaningful, and memorable. For me, fostering community through music lies at the very heart of choral singing.”
Grenke said he is already at work on an exciting program lineup for the 2026–2027 season.
About the Peterborough Singers
Founded in 1990 by Syd Birrell, the Peterborough Singers have established a reputation as one of Canada’s preeminent community choirs. Over 35 years, the choir has performed more than 100 concerts, bringing ambitious choral programming to the Peterborough region.
