Montreal -- After 1,000 performances, including a trip to Paris, a choir of Montreal homeless people has fallen silent.

The Accueil Bonneau choir was formed in a men's shelter in 1996 to sing Christmas carols for spare change in the city's subway.

The group soon achieved international recognition, including an invitation to sing at Paris's busiest subway stations in 1998. The choir also released two CDs, was the subject of a book and a TV program and performed at the Just for Laughs comedy festival as a free street act.

The choir decided its Dec. 21 performance would be the last after some of the men said they wanted to move on, said Sister Nicole Fournier of Accueil Bonneau, a homeless drop-in centre. "Many of them found a job because they became more stable, more trustful in themselves from this experience," said Fournier.

Members of the choir ranged in age from 19 to 67. Many were alcoholics and ex-drug addicts.
CP