Howard Dyck

Howard Dyck’s musical roots go back to the town of Winkler, Manitoba where he was born, and where he began studying piano and violin and singing in many school and church choirs. After completing his undergraduate education in Canada and the United States, Dyck was awarded scholarships for advanced conducting studies in Germany.

When Wilfrid Laurier University engaged him in 1971 to teach in the music department, Dyck, his wife Maggie, and their children moved from Winnipeg to Waterloo Region. Within a year of his arrival Dyck was conducting the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir. Now known as the Grand Philharmonic Choir, it became the heart and soul of his musical activities. Under Dyck’s visionary leadership, the choir has experienced unprecedented growth in size and expertise; its success has established Kitchener-Waterloo as a leading Canadian centre for choral music. For more than three decades, thousands of singers of all age groups have had the opportunity to perform under Dyck’s direction, singing in the adult, youth and children’s choirs. The Grand Philharmonic Choir has toured internationally and has been featured on numerous CBC Radio broadcasts as well as on television.

Closely identified with Handel’s Messiah, which he has conducted more than 100 times, Dyck regularly brings the great traditional choral works to local and national audiences. His vast repertoire includes many 20th and 21st century composers. A number of contemporary choral works have had their premiere performances under his baton.

During his years in Waterloo Region, Howard Dyck has also conducted the Kitchener Bach Choir, London Pro Musica, and the Bach Elgar Choir of Hamilton. He is the founding conductor of the Stratford Concert Choir and Consort Caritatis. His guest conducting career has taken him across Canada and to 18 countries on three continents.

A veteran CBC Radio broadcaster for more than 30 years, Dyck, with his clear, rich and authoritative voice, is known nationally and as the long-standing host of Choral Concert and Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. Among his numerous awards and honours are Doctor of Laws degrees from Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, the Distinguished Service Award from both the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors and Choirs Ontario, the Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Award, the City of Waterloo Legacy of Leaders, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Award, and the Order of Canada.

Photograph – V. Tony Hauser