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Caledon East resident Lydia Adams receives Order of Canada

October 16, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Riley Murphy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Conductor Lydia Adams was appointed to the Order of Canada for her “dedication and leadership in enriching the lives of Canadians through choral music” in 2023, and just last week, Adams and other appointees were recognized at the Order of Canada Investiture Ceremony.

Adams has been the Artistic Director and Conductor of Canada’s Elmer Iseler Singers for 25 years, and before that was with the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto for 35 years.

Her recognition through the Order of Canada states that “with a passion for promoting diverse voices and nurturing emerging talent, she champions both established and contemporary Canadian compositions, and has fostered a vibrant and inclusive musical community.”

Adams shared that her music career was “written in the stars.”

Growing up in Nova Scotia, her mother was a piano teacher, choir director, organist, and music director.

Adams said she gained a lot of inspiration from her mother as well as her own piano teacher, and added it “got into her blood.”

From there, Adams studied music at Mount Allison University, the Royal College of Music and the National Opera Studio.

Adams then went on to work in Toronto with the renowned Canadian conductor Elmer Iseler, a longtime resident of Caledon.

She spent many years as Iseler’s pianist, and when he sadly fell ill, the Board of Directors asked Adams to take over the choir.

Adams now celebrates her 27th year with the Elmer Iseler Singers, as they mark their 47th year.

She shared when she received the call from the Governor General’s office, she thought it was a prank. Standing on a wharf in her hometown, she was told she had been appointed to the Order of Canada.

“It’s a great honour to be honoured by your country,” says Adams. “It puts you in mind right away of all the people who supported you because this award doesn’t happen just out of the blue, and it only happens in something like what I do, conducting choirs, because of support starting right from your parents, your grandparents, and your whole community that helped bring you up.”

“It’s the culmination of a tremendous amount of support, all the communities who supported you,” she says.

Adams says that music, particularly choral singing, is about bringing people and communities together.

“That’s what’s so great about music and about singing, is that you bring people from many, many, many walks of life and many cultures and come together to sing together. It’s a really powerful force,” says Adams.

“It’s my passion to seek out innovative programming, and build great educational programs, working in collaboration with as many people as we can, commission established and emergency emerging composers, and really just working to bring people together through music, and through collaborations.”

Adams says that as the choir has grown, they have also gained the opportunity to collaborate with many different groups.

“We’re so honored to collaborate with members of the Indigenous community of Turtle Island and we worked with a wonderful Islamic writer. The opportunities are there now to work with Canada’s multicultural community and everybody is open to it,” she says. “It’s been a warm embrace to come together with various communities and to work organically with creators to create great music.”

Elmer Iseler Singers is celebrating their 47th season with a variety of concerts and events.

Their first concert in the Toronto concert series will be “A Portrait in Song: The Music of Eleanor Daley” on November 2.

On December 12, Amadeus Choir and VIVA Chamber Singers will return to perform Handel’s “Messiah” with the Elmer Iseler Singers, orchestra, and guest soloists.

Finally, “The Earth Sings” will be the third Toronto series concert on April 12, featuring two world premieres and a performance of ‘The Living Flame of Love’ in tribute to the late Canadian composer, Norma Beecroft.

Adams has dubbed the 47th season “This Moment to Shine,” as she feels it’s a great time to “put some light into the world.”

To view the full schedule and upcoming performances, visit www.elmeriselersingers.com.

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