Cardston Girls Choir ~ Canada

As ambassadors of Southern Alberta, the Cardston Girls Choir have enjoyed meeting other people and sharing their love of choral singing with a large variety of audiences.  They have not only received many awards and invitations, but recognition for their musical integrity and impeccable discipline.  Their program includes music from past centuries to modern contemporary with an emphasis on new Canadian choral repertoire.  The girls also enjoy entertaining their audiences with a varied program combining music and choreography.

Cardston, Alberta, home of the first Canadian Mormon temple, is nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and is only a few minutes north of the Canadian/American border.  Immediately to the north of our community lies the Blood Indian Reserve, the largest reserve in Canada.  A majority of the population in this area are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was settled by the early Mormon pioneers at the turn of the century. It is a cultural base distinct from the rest of the country.

Leslie Dittmann   Founder and Director

Leslie McMahen Dittmann loves children, music and especially making music with young voices.  Through the Ann Campbell Singers and the University Singers in Lethbridge, she developed her passion for choral music.  She studied music at Brigham Young University as a piano major, received her Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Lethbridge and a Diploma of Fine Arts in Kodaly Studies from the University of Calgary.
She was the Music Specialist at Cardston Elementary School for 17 years where she also created and conducted a very successful 80 voice children’s choir.  She also founded, and still continues to conduct, the renowned Cardston Girls Choir.  The choir has performed and competed locally, provincially and internationally and has enjoyed continued success.
Leslie received the “Con Spirito award” from the Alberta Choral Federation in the first year of its inception, and was honored to receive the Melvin Jones Fellow award for dedicated humanitarian services from the Lion’s Club International Foundation.   Leslie has enjoyed her roles as adjudicator and clinician where she can share her joy of music with others.