When Faith and Music Take Centre Stage

Musician playing cords and school choir singing in the back

Sometimes the most unforgettable lessons happen outside the classroom. For the students of Vocal Rush, the St. Francis Xavier Catholic High School choir, that moment came when they stepped onto the TD Place stage to perform with the legendary rock band Foreigner.

Their Choir Director, Filomena Robibero, a long-time educator with the Ottawa Catholic School Board, received a surprise call last month from the band’s manager. He still had her contact information from 2018, when her students first won a national contest to perform with the group. There was no contest this time—just a personal invitation to return. A once-in-a-lifetime experience happening twice.

“It’s incredible to see students experience the power of music in such a meaningful way,” she shared. “Music connects people. It builds bridges between generations and brings our community together through shared joy and purpose.”

Building Bridges Through Music

For these young performers, it was more than a concert. It was a lesson in courage, connection, and community. Standing on a professional stage and singing alongside world-renowned musicians, they discovered that when you share your gifts, you create space for others to shine too.

Moments like this bring our faith to life. The students’ experience reflected what it means to open doors, build bridges, and nourish new beginnings. They celebrated community through collaboration, strengthened well-being by finding confidence in their voices, and showed innovation by turning learning into a lived experience.

A Lasting Encore

The educator behind Vocal Rush is no stranger to extraordinary moments. Over the years, she has led choirs that performed for the Conference of Bishops and conducted the Christian Community Day choir in 2017 and 2018. Each performance reminds us that faith and creativity go hand in hand and that the arts have a unique way of bringing people together.

Congratulations to the Vocal Rush choir and their Director for showing what it means to live faith through music. Their performance with Foreigner was a celebration of talent and a beautiful example of what happens when faith, courage, and creativity meet on stage.