Who are the Canadian Tenors and what were they doing at the Emmys?

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The Canadian Tenors are making lots of post-Emmy best and worst moments lists — most often landing in the latter category — after the “popera” quartet sang their rendition of Hallelujah during the In Memoriam segment of the 2011 Emmy Awards last night. The group is known for its cover of the Leonard Cohen classic, which may have been why they were chosen to perform in the first place, but its execution at the Emmys was beyond cheesy. However, while the quartet’s first shot at a worldwide audience could’ve been better executed, it has at least left everyone (even some Canadians) wondering: Who are the Canadian Tenors? The answer below.

Victor Micallef (Toronto), Remigio Pereira (Quebec), Fraser Walters (Vancouver) and Clifton Murray (Port McNeill, B.C.), form the group, which was founded in 2006.

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Who are the Canadian Tenors and what were they doing at the Emmys? Back to video

Their most recent claim to fame is winning best performance in a performing arts program or series (individual or ensemble) for television special, Season of Song: The Canadian Tenors and Friends (CBC) at this year’s Gemini Awards. Their 2009 self-titled debut album went platinum in Canada and their 2010 christmas album, The Perfect Gift, also released in the U.S., went gold.

Impressive points on their musical resume (which may have convinced producers to let them on the Emmy stage) include an appearance on Oprah and performing for world leaders at last year’s Toronto G20 Summit.

The band is currently on tour and planning on “bringing their voices to the world” by touring Europe, China and holding a 2011 holiday tour in the U.S. Hopefully last night’s unpopular introduction to American audiences will be long forgotten when the group brings holiday cheer south of the border.