About Us

Fun Fact!

Many of our current members were part of Eklectic, a choral group that sang together for over a decade, under the direction of the late Ken McLeod.

Our Story

Prairie Vox Community Choir is a rather new endeavour that draws from the strong choral tradition already rooted in Portage la Prairie.

Prairie Vox Community Choir was founded in 2022 by Lori Mackedenski, who envisioned a welcoming, unauditioned choir for singers of all backgrounds. Starting with just fifteen members, the choir held rehearsals at Prairie Vineyard Church and debuted at the 2023 Prairie Sounds Music Festival. A grant from the Community Foundation of Portage and District supported the purchase of a choir keyboard. After a brief hiatus, Prairie Vox relaunched in Fall 2024 under Choir Director Janine Waines with accompanist Gareth Rice. Increased outreach and new artistic opportunities—such as performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra—led to rapid growth. A formal board now oversees the organization’s operations. Prairie Vox has performed with the WSO, collaborated with Joi de Vivre, and was invited to join Konektis for a 2025 concert in Brandon. The choir continues to foster community, musical excellence, and accessible choral singing in Portage la Prairie and beyond. In the winter of 2026 our choir went to Carnagie Hall in New York to perform with DCINY under the direction of Jonathan Griffith.