Douglas C. Cowling

Doug Cowling

Doug was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario and his early church formation was at St. George’s Anglican Church in St. Catharines. Doug moved to Toronto to study at the University of Toronto, completing an MA. He began his career teaching English at Seneca College and then taught for some time at George Brown. Music, though, was always an integral part of his life’s work.

He is a four-time Juno award winner for his work with Classical Kids. He is known for his work with Mozart’s Magical Fantasy and Vivaldi’s Ring of Ministry, and the author of Hallelujah Handel, published by Scholastic Books. Doug’s church music has been published by Church Publishing in New York and he edited two collections of global music: Let Us Make Music Together: A Multicultural Sampler and LUMMT: Members of the Household of God, published by the Diocese of Toronto. Apart from church music, Doug was involved over the years with Toronto’s Tallis Choir (he was a founding member) and the with the Toronto Classical Singers. His symphony shows, including Tchaikovsky Discovers America, have been performed by orchestras across North America.

Doug served as organist and music director in several parishes in the Toronto area, including Church of the Messiah and St. Phillips’ Etobicoke. He was a long-time parishioner at St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto and a lead contributor to their Folk Mass Ensemble. Doug also served as a consultant and leader of workshops in church music in the Diocese of Toronto, and at ecumenical conferences in Canada and the US. In this capacity, he helped to shape and form dozens of clerics for ministry. He was also a regular lecturer on music and liturgy in the Continuing Education department of St. Michael’s College.

Doug was a contributor to the Handbook for the Book of Common Praise in the Anglican Church of Canada. He is also a contributor to Let Us Keep The Feast and co-author of Sharing the Banquet: Liturgical Renewal in your Parish, both published by the Anglican Book Centre. Doug had a strong interest in congregational liturgical participation and his musical compositions were largely designed to support and encourage the participation of the laity. He also had a love of children and their playful inclusion in the liturgy, with the aim to form their faith through the use of big, generous symbols.

Doug lived in Toronto his whole adult life and with his wife Elizabeth, raised two sons. He died suddenly of a heart attack in January 2017 following a short time of illness. He is deeply missed, though his work lives on in various parish churches across the Diocese of Toronto. It is our hope that the publications found on this site, some original to Doug and others inspired by him, might further contribute to his legacy of faith formation through the liturgy and music of the Anglican Church. We are grateful for the support from the bursary founded by the family in his name and memory, to fund this important work.