He was then awarded a scholarship in orchestral conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, but turned it down in favour of professional teaching and directing.
He subsequently taught at the Fine Arts Core Education School in Montreal from 1979 to 1990, before becoming an associate professor at the Faculty of Music of McGill University.
[3] He went on to lead this choir as its director for audiences in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa,[5] Saratoga Springs, New York City (Carnegie Hall),[6] and Philadelphia[5] for 35 years until his retirement in 2007.
Renowned conductors with whom Edwards worked include Charles Dutoit, Franz-Paul Decker, Zubin Mehta, Bramwell Tovey, Trevor Pinnock, Helmut Rilling, Robert Shaw, Leonard Slatkin, Roger Norrington and Kent Nagano.
[8] Edwards retired from the Saint Lawrence Choir, Chorus of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and Choeur des enfants de Montréal in 2007.
[9] During his retirement, he focused on the 17-voice women ensemble Concerto Della Donna, acting as conductor and musical director.