My Whistler
Making Sweet Music in the Mountains
Introduction by David Burke
Photo Joern Rohde
Name: Alison Hunter
Occupation: Professional Harpist, Choir Director
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Alison Hunter was the undisputed champion of time spent driving between Vancouver and Whistler with a harp in the back of a vehicle. She was also pregnant with her and her husband, Gary Pringle’s, third child for part of that period.
At the time, Hunter was working three days a week in the city, teaching music and performing on her harp. Unsurprisingly, “I got tired of driving up and down the highway,” Hunter said. “I was in a snowstorm at midnight in the canyon with a harp in the back. And I thought, ‘Why am I doing this?’”
Without question, the Whistler community has benefited greatly from Hunter’s decision to ply her trade(s) locally — first as a teacher (she retired in 2015), as a musician, and as one of the driving forces behind the acclaimed Whistler Children’s Chorus, and adult choir, the Whistler Singers. Along the way, she has picked up a few accolades, among them Citizen of the Year in 2009 and, in 2017, a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from David Johnston, then Canada’s Governor General.
When did you first come to Whistler, and when and why did you move here full-time?
[I] began skiing on Whistler Mountain in the mid-1970s; we moved here full-time in 1989. My husband became the controller of the Delta Mountain Inn. We wanted to raise our daughters in a smaller community with more access to outdoor activities.What was it like raising a family in Whistler when your kids (Jennifer, Verity, and Allyn) were growing up?
Whistler was a smaller, very tightly knit community. As many people didn't have extended families here, everyone supported each other. Our children and their friends spent most of their time running in a pack outside — [there were]no electronics in those days.
Photo Joern Rohde
How did you first become connected with the Whistler Children’s Chorus and Whistler Singers? How have those groups evolved in the intervening years?
I began singing in the Whistler Singers under the direction of Molly Boyd in 1992. That same year, Molly formed the Whistler Children's Chorus, and our two eldest daughters sang in it. When Molly moved away in 1995, I took on the responsibility for the children's choir and continued to sing in the Whistler Singers for a couple of years. The children's chorus grew to over 80 singers.
I rejoined the Whistler Singers in 2008 and, when the director at that time moved away in 2013, I took on the directorship. Over the years, membership has fluctuated. When I became the music director, there were 12 members. My goal for the Whistler Singers has been to increase membership and foster a sense of community and belonging for everyone. We had over 60 singers in the choir for the 2025-’26 season.
In 2017, I passed the conducting baton for the children’s choir to Jeanette Bruce, but have remained involved, serving as the chair for the children's choir board of directors. In the 2025-’26 season, the children's choir had over 30 singers participating.
What are a couple of the personal rewards you’ve gleaned from your involvement with those groups?
It is a privilege and joy to make music with the adult and youth singers. I have gotten to know so many amazing people through the choirs.
How would you characterize the role that such choral groups play in Whistler?
We are a not-for-profit community choir. Anyone can join; there are no auditions, [and] you don't need to read music or have sung in a choir before. We're about much more than singing and music. Singing in a choir is a unique activity. What other activity enables any mixed group of strangers of any age to create something beautiful together, as a team, often in a matter of minutes, with no equipment, no previous experience, no special clothing, and anywhere you like? We welcome singers from all over the world, and we really do have a lot of fun. We provide a place for everyone to belong as well as make some great music.
Is there a story about performing on the harp for Whistler events that you’d like to share?
I have had so many great experiences while playing harp in Whistler — farmers’ markets, street entertainment, corporate events, weddings on gondolas, riding up chairlifts with a Celtic harp across my lap, and being asked yet again if I can play Stairway to Heaven or The Friendly Giant.
Favourite place(s) in Whistler to hang out.
At home with a good book and a cup of tea, inside or outside.