LYDIA ADAMS . Conductor
LYDIA ADAMS . Conductor & Artistic Director2011/12SEASONThe Armed Man: A Mass for PeaceNovember 12, 2011 at 8:00pm . Metropolitan United ChurchThe Amadeus Choir and the Hannaford Street Silver Band presentKarl Jenkins’ masterwork The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace.Glorious Sounds of the SeasonDecember 17, 2011 at 7:30pm . Yorkminster Park Baptist ChurchCelebrate the 25th anniversary of our Seasonal Song-WritingCompetition. Featuring the winning compositions with otherholiday favourites. Special guests The Bach Children’s Chorus.The Sealed AngelFebruary 3, 2012 at 8:00pm . Koerner HallRodion Shchedrin's hypnotic choral opera The Sealed Angel isone of the most important Russian works of the 20th century.Performed by Toronto's Elmer Iseler Singers and the AmadeusChoir and featuring ProArteDanza.Music of the SpheresApril 21, 2012 at 8:00pm . Ontario Science CentreJoin us as we celebrate Dr. Roberta Bondar’s 20th anniversary offlight in space. The Amadeus Choir and Elmer Iseler Singerscombine their voices for a stunning presentation of two worldpremieres by Lydia Adams and Jason Jestadt.SUBSCRIBE NOW AND SAVE!www.amadeuschoir.com . 416-446-0188“Music of the English Chapels Royal,” with verse anthems byparticular sub-species of choral composition in which full chorusesalternate with solo passages. English composers of the Reformationfound both contemplative and dramatic elements inherent in thisform and the challenge for choirs is to execute them in a mannerwhich avoids the monochromatic sound that is the bane of churchmusic performance.The Cantemus Singers is a relatively new Toronto choir,conducted by Michael Erdman. They specialize in secular musicof the Renaissance, though for their “Rule Britannia” concerton September 24 and 25 they will be performing sacred worksby Taverner and Gibbons as well as secular music by familiarElizabethan composers. They will also be performing roundsby Purcell, fun and rowdy works that are most enjoyable in alive setting.From September 21 to 25, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra andChamber Choir perform “Music Fit for a King.” This concerttakes a pan-national approach to regality, showcasing music thatFrederick the Great, who wrote at a time when we prized royalty fortheir artistic talent rather than their polo skills or their shapelinessin a bikini.One historical source reports that Frederick the Great receiveda standing ovation from the audience every time a composition ofhis was performed. This seems entirely plausible to me. What criticwould dare risk royal censure by remaining seated? Still, the sourcein which I found this information is a comic book published in the1970s, so I can’t vouch for its accuracy with complete certainty.As the makeup of Canadian society changes and our connection toour British Commonwealth past becomes increasingly remote, willwe see less of concerts with a royal theme? In the meantime, whatNoel Edison ARTISTIC DIRECTOR11/12seasonA Night of BrahmsWednesday November 9, 2011KOERNER HALLFestival of CarolsWednesday December 7, 2011YORKMINSTER PARKBAPTIST CHURCHHandel’s Messiah with the TSOWednesday December 14, 2011ROY THOMSON HALLSacred Music for a Sacred SpaceGood Friday, April 6, 2012ST. PAUL’S BASILICABelshazzar’s FeastWednesday May 23, 2012KOERNER HALLPHOTOGRAPHY FRANK NAGY GRAPHIC DESIGN ROSSIGNOL & ASSOCIATESTMC and Festival Orchestra performMozart in Koerner Hall, Telus Centre forPerformance and Learning, May 2011Subscriptions from only 3BoxOffice 416-598-0422, x24 www.tmchoir.org24 thewholenote.comSeptember 1–October 7, 2011
explains our ongoingfascination with therecent royal marriage?Was it simply part of ourPeople Magazine-fueledgeneral preoccupationwith those we considerrare and glamorous? Or,watching the union ofwhat may be our futureking and queen, did weenact a connection withour ancestors — peasants,for the vastmajority of us — thatapproached somethingprimal and ancient?Canadian writer mentioned above who was by no means uncriticalof either royalty or privilege, but who also had a keen eye for thehypocrisy that can underpin even the best of modern egalitarianintentions. In High Spirits, his wonderful, humorous collectionof ghost stories, Robertson Davies describes a meeting betweenhimself and the spirit of one of the current English queen’s mostillustrious ancestors:“I am a democrat. All my family have been persons of peasantby the labour of their hands. I acknowledge no one my superior ongrounds of a more fortunate destiny, a favoured birth. I did whatany such man would do when confronted by Queen Victoria; I fellimmediately to my knees.”Ben Stein is a Toronto tenor and theorbist. He can becontacted at choralscene@thewholenote.com.GREG TJEPKEMAPax Christi Chorale25 TH AnniversarySeason2011-2012Pax Christi Chorale: Stephanie Martin, Artistic DirectorDaniel Norman: Assistant ConductorPax Christi Youth Choir: Lynn Janes, ConductorBruce Kirkpatrick Hill: AccompanistSALIERI - MASS IN D-MAJORSunday, October 23, 2011 – 3:00 pmPre-concert chat at 2:15 pmGrace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd., TorontoWith orchestra and soloists:Melanie Conly, sopranoNina Scott-Stoddart, mezzo-sopranoGraham Thomson, tenorBenjamin Covey, baritoneBRITTEN - SAINT NICOLASSaturday, December 3, 2011 – 7:30 pmSunday, December 4, 2011 – 3:00 pmGrace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd., TorontoWith orchestra and special guests:James McLean, tenorHavergal College girls’ choirBruce Ubukata & Stephen Ralls, duo pianists ofThe Aldeburgh ConnectionCanadian Children’s Opera Chorus boy soloistsELGAR - THE KINGDOMSunday, May 6, 2012 – 3:00 pmKoerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning273 Bloor Street West, TorontoWith orchestra and soloists:Shannon Mercer, sopranoKrisztina Szabó, mezzo-sopranoKeith Klassen, tenorSpecial guest British baritone Roderick WilliamsTHE CHILDREN’S MESSIAHSaturday, December 10, 2011 – 4:00 pm – 5:00 pmChurch of Saint Mary Magdalene, 477 Manning Ave, TorontoPay what you can at the door.To order single or subscription tickets, call (416) 491-8542.For more information or to audition for Pax Christi Chorale orYouth Choir, visit our website at www.paxchristichorale.orgSeptember 1–October 7, 2011 thewholenote.com 25
