Welcome to the online home of Chroí, the Southern Ontario Celtic band that gets a bit deeper into Celtic music.
You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com/chroimusic and you can also check out our ChroiTube channel at youtube.com/@ChroiTube, and through Christopher Dawes’ various ideasaboutmusic.ca channels.
As of March 2026, Chroí is freshly back from an extended COVID pandemic hiatus. On this page – ideasaboutmusic.ca/chroi – we’re excited to share our membership, media, music and mandate with you – and even more excited to bring our thoughtful story-driven brand of Celtic music to you and your community.
Chroí (Irish Gaelic for ‘heart’), a unique foursome of songster/players descended from diverse Celtic peoples, seeks and shares their ancestors’ spirit through soulful, exuberant and tragic music. Their concerts, pub-style ceilidhs and occasional religious services have been enjoyed throughout Southern Ontario are a thoughtful, powerful and fun window on Celtic culture—and a great chance for toe-tapping and singing along.
Christopher Dawes, well-known in several of Southern Ontario’s musical communities, has served both as a keyboard collaborator with the choral and instrumental conducting programs of U of T’s Faculty of Music, and as a Director of Canada’s Summer Institute of Church Music, since 2004. Especially known for his work with choirs of all shapes and sizes, he is a busy ensemble/solo performer, consultant and media professional active across Ontario music scenes for over 30 years. Based in Georgetown, ON since 2000, Chris pursues varied musical projects, speaks at conferences and concerts, and blogs and podcasts at ideasaboutmusic.ca.
Jenna Gallagher is a now-Eastern Ontario-based musician with diverse musical interests and styles. Initially a learn-by-ear Suzuki violin student, she went on to complete her Bachelor of Music in Performance at Wilfrid Laurier University with Jeremy Bell of the Penderecki String Quartet.
Since then, she has broadened into Gypsy jazz, traditional Celtic, Bollywood, and other areas. She lives and works in Marmora, ON as a metal fabricator, and performs and teaches frequently near home and beyond.
Doug MacNaughton‘s singing career began at 20 with his operatic debut with Edmonton Opera, and went on throughout Canada,
the United States and Europe. A singer, actor, multi-instrumentalist, poet, songwriter and arranger, he takes ‘Renaissance Man’ to a new level.
He is overjoyed to be a part of Chroí, where he explores his love of Celtic music with like-minded performers. Doug, against his better judgment, now lives and works in New York City. More about Doug and his recent recording release Old Enough To Know Better at dougmacnaughton.com.
Paul Ormandy, from premiere theatre orchestras for The Lion King and others, to the legendary Phase II Pan Groove Steel Orchestra in Trinidad and Tobago, and as former contract Faculty at York and Toronto Universities, Paul has spent 40 years hitting things with professional precision. Whether performing, recording or shaping the next generation of musicians at the Toronto District School Board, Ormandy is a true rhythmic chameleon who doesn’t just play global percussion—he lives it. Based in Orangeville, ON, Paul joined Chroí in 2026, as its heartbeat.
A STOR MO CHROÍ
When the evening’s mist
In the mountain
and meadow is falling,
O turn, A Stór,
from the throng and list;
and maybe you’ll hear me calling.
For the sound of a voice
you seldom hear;
For somebody’s speedy returning:
“A rún, a rún!,”
Oh, won’t you come back soon
To the one who really loves you.
Ideas About Music 