Volume 20 Issue 8 - May 2015

CANARY PAGESTAFELMUSIK

CANARY PAGESTAFELMUSIK CHAMBER CHOIR by Cylla von Tiedemannof the emergency shelter “The Guesthouse,” thechoir also performs two benefit performances, a fullconcert in October and the Nine Lessons & Carolsin December.serenata@serenatachoir.caserenatachoir.ca● Serenata SingersThe Serenata Singers are 65 singers who enjoy singingfour-part harmony. We are currently in our 39th season.Under the direction of Joshua Tamayo, our amazingyoung conductor, we perform a wide range of musicincluding classical, show tunes, pop, folk and light opera.Rehearsals are Wednesday afternoons from Septemberto May at Wilmar Heights Centre, 963 Pharmacy Ave.,Scarborough. In early May we present two concerts atthe Chinese Cultural Centre theatre in Scarborough(“Hits of Hollywood and Broadway,” May 5 and 6,2015). The choir welcomes new members.JOSHUA TAMAYO, directorSLADJANA GRUNDSTEN705-526-6800facebook.com/serenatasingers76executivedirector@singtoronto.comsingtoronto.com● Spiritus EnsembleSpiritus Ensemble is a semi-professional choralinstrumentalensemble of 18 voices plus an orchestraof varying size that performs mainly the liturgicalmusic of J.S. Bach and other music of the GermanBaroque. We perform four or five times a seasonin Kitchener-Waterloo, sometimes in concert andsometimes in a “Bach Vespers” format. Rehearsalstake place on the two or three Saturday morningspreceding each performance. Performances are onSundays at 4pm. During the 2015/16 season, Spirituswill perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Pts 1-3, threeBach cantatas and his Mass in A, as well as works byKuhnau and Johann Ludwig Bach. To audition orfor more information please contact Kenneth Hull.KENNETH HULL519-579-8335krhull@uwaterloo.ca● St. James Cathedral Parish ChoirSunday and at Choral Evensong at 4pm on the thirdSunday of the month, with rehearsals Thursday evenings7:30pm to 9:30pm. Admission is by informalaudition. Repertoire is drawn from the finest musicin the Anglican choral tradition. Choral Scholarshipsare available for promising young singers. A choirtour to the UK is planned for summer 2015 and aspring concert will take place in 2016.SIMON WALKER905-844-3972choir@stjudeschurch.netstjudeschurch.net● St. Michael’s Choir SchoolFounded more than 75 years ago by MonsignorJohn Edward Ronan, St. Michael’s Choir School hasserved the Archdiocese of Toronto by educating andtraining musicians who sing at St. Michael’s Cathedral.The school is unique – offering an enrichedacademic program for boys from grades 3 to 12,with extended French instruction, as well as a livelyministry of sacred music. Choirs from SMCS performannually on tour and at many local concerts andevents. From September to June, the choirs singweekly Masses at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Auditionsare held annually between January and March.KATE ROSSER-DAVIES416-397-6367events@smcs.on.casmcs.on.ca● Summer SingersLooking for a summer choir to join? Look nofurther! The Summer Singers is a fun and musiclovingadult ensemble of over 60 voices which meetWednesday evenings 6:30pm to 8:30pm in June andJuly (eight weeks) at Bloor Street United Church, 300Bloor St. W., Toronto. Repertoire is a cool mix offolk, pop, standards, classical and more. An informalconcert is presented on the last evening. No audition.Membership for summer 2015 is 0.LINDA EYMAN, music director416-455-9238linda@thetorontosingingstudio.cathetorontosingingstudio.catheWholeNote 2015/16 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY● SING! The TorontoVocal Arts FestivalSING! is Canada’s premiere a cappella festival,bringing together thousands of artists, students, educators,and patrons to experience innovative and inspiringconcerts, workshops, and masterclasses. Held annuallythe last week of May 2015, stellar performancesinclude Take 6, Rajaton, Nathaniel Dett Choralewith Countermeasure, Estonian National Male Choir,tributes to The Beatles and to Canadian songwriters,Women of A Cappella and amassed sacred choir at theCathedral Church of St. James. SING! music spansworld, barbershop, jazz, classical, sacred, gospel, pop,rock, country, folk and beatboxing. At SING! the voiceknows no limits, embracing many genres, languagesand cultural backgrounds.PATRICIA SILVER416-694-6900The St. James Cathedral Parish Choir is a volunteerchoir of mixed voices. There are four paid sectionleaders. The Parish Choir sings at the 9am SundayEucharist at St. James Cathedral every week andrehearses on Thursday nights from 7pm to 8pm.VICKY ST. PIERRE416-364-7865info@stjamescathedral.on.castjamescathedral.on.ca● Choirs of St Jude’s AnglicanChurch OakvilleThe Gloria Choir sings at the 9:30am SundayEucharist and is open to people of all ages. Rehearsalsare on Wednesday evenings 7pm to 8pm. Repertoire isaccessible and enjoyable, and no audition is required.The Senior Choir sings at the 11am Eucharist every●Tafelmusik Chamber ChoirTafelmusik Chamber Choir, directed by Ivars Taurins,is one of Canada’s leading ensembles specializing inhistorically-informed performances of the music ofthe 17th and 18th centuries. Formed in 1981, it hasbeen praised for its clarity, nuance and brilliance. Thechoir joins the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra for itssubscription series at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, GeorgeWeston Recital Hall and Koerner Hall, and for its annualperformances of Handel’s Messiah and “Sing-AlongMessiah.” The choir regularly collaborates with OperaAtelier. Auditions are held as required to fill vacancies.TALIA HARRISON-MARCASSA416-964-9562 x226auditions@tafelmusik.orgtafelmusik.orgC14

●Tallis ChoirFounded in 1977, the Tallis Choir, directed by PeterMahon, specializes in renaissance choral music butperforms a wide variety of musical styles. The choirwill conclude another highly successful season onMay 2, “Triumphs of Renaissance France,” whenperiod brass joins the choir to evoke the 16th-centurysplendour of the Chapelle Royale of Francis I.The 2015/16 season features the RachmaninoffVespers in October, “Charpentier: Midnight Massfor New France, 1725” in November, “Palestrina,Prince of Music” in March and “Our Good Wills –The World of Shakespeare & Byrd” in May. Concertsare performed at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 141McCaul St. Guest appearances include the performanceof Apocalypsis by R. Murray Schafer duringthe Luminato Festival in June 2015. Rehearsals areWednesday evenings at Trinity College, Universityof Toronto.BEV JAHNKE416-467-5961bjahnke@sympatico.catallischoir.com●Toronto Beach Choraletorontobeacheschildrenschorus.comTAPESTRY CHAMBER CHOIR●Tapestry Chamber ChoirTapestry Chamber Choir was founded in 1988 andhas developed into a desirable choir for singers aswell as a rewarding musical experience for its audiences.Under the musical direction of Tony Browning,Tapestry enjoys “weavings of song” while exploringthe artistry of composers of any period. Recentcollaboration with the York Chamber Ensemble hasbeen most successful. If interested in joining thechoir, please contact us in August or early September.Tapestry presents three to four concerts a year in theNewmarket/Aurora area.CATHERINE BRYDON905-836-8589tapestrychoir@sympatico.catapestrychoir.ca●Tempus Choral SocietyTempus Choral Society is a 100-voice SATBcommunity choir based in Oakville, led by directorBrian Turnbull. Its repertoire encompasses contemporary,Broadway, Great American Songbook, gospel,classical and jazz. Tempus choristers are an eclecticmix and break-out groups add sparkle to performances.Tempus has performed with the CanadianMale Orpheus Choir and the Sankt Annae YouthChoir of Denmark and at many festivals. Tempusplaced third (jazz category) at the 2012 WorldChoir Games. In December 2014, the group sangthe Messiah at the Lincoln Center. Members willperform Dona nobis pacem (Vaughan Williams) atCarnegie Hall in April 2015. An auditioned jazzgroup will be added in 2015, as will a children’s choiropen to all but focused on under-privileged children.LESLEY PEPPINtempuschoralsociety@gmail.comtempuschoralsociety.comThe Toronto Beach Chorale is an auditioned SATBchoir of up to 65 voices, under artistic director MervinW. Fick. With a passion for great choral music, the TBCis usually joined by guest soloists and professional musicians,performing repertoire from the Renaissance tothe 20th century in three or four concerts per season.A registered charitable organization, TBC also participatesin community and fundraising events. TBClaunched a Choral Scholars Program to encouragesingers aged 19 to 24. Rehearsals are Wednesdays, 7pmto 9:30pm, September to May, at Kingston Road UnitedChurch (975 Kingston Rd., Toronto) with auditions inSeptember and January; the ability to read music andprevious choral experience are definite assets.MARITA FRANKEL647-348-3535GEORGE KOPULOS905-334-5305gkopulos@rogers.comtorontobeachchorale.com●Toronto Beaches Children’s ChorusDo you love to sing? Do you enjoy drama? Thenthe Toronto Beaches Children’s Chorus is for you!The TBCC was founded by music director and singerBronwen Low in 2006. The choir provides vocal anddramatic training in a fun and supportive environment.The children learn a variety of music from all differentgenres and enjoy bi-weekly drama classes with actorJoanne Mitchell. Jessica Riley, Anna Madgett, GaynorJones and Michael Gomiega round off the artistic staffteaching the four divisions of choir to kids aged 4 to 16.We perform at least three of our own concerts each year,including a fully-staged musical every spring. This yearwe look forward to presenting Oliver! at The BerkeleyStreet Theatre. Our Chamber Choir recently attendedthe Crossroads Children’s Chorus Festival in Nashville,Tennessee and look forward to touring again soon!BRONWEN LOW416-698-9864torontobeacheschildrenschorus@sympatico.ca●Toronto Chamber ChoirToronto Chamber Choir holds a place of prominencein Canada’s early music scene, specializingin renaissance and baroque music as well as worksfrom other eras related to our programming. In ourfour-concert 2015/16 season we offer exquisite Portuguesepolyphony Matteo Ricci might have heard onhis way to China, Christmas with glorious chorusesand dances from Dresden, a performance of stunningchoral works by female composers, and rarely heardmusic from Central & Eastern Europe. Concerts areheld at Church of the Redeemer and Calvin PresbyterianChurch – see our website for details. Rehearsalsare at St. Patrick’s Parish on Wednesday evenings.We audition for all voices in early June.LUCAS HARRIS, artistic director416-546-1786torontochamberchoir.ca●Toronto Children’s ChorusThe award-winning Toronto Children’s Chorus,marking its 38th concert season and ninth year underartistic director Elise Bradley, comprises a “family”of choirs – KinderNotes for children aged 3 to 6, fourTraining Choirs, the Main Choir (Cantare, Chorale,Chamber, and Choral Scholar levels) and the YouthChoir. All 300+ choristers perform in the TCC’sannual concert series and develop skills in vocal technique,sight-singing and music theory. Main Choirchoristers attend masterclasses and receive exceptionalperformance opportunities, including collaborationswith the Toronto Symphony Orchestra andSoundstreams Canada. The Chamber Choir alsorecords and tours nationally and internationally.Chorus auditions are held in May and September;auditions are not required for KinderNotes.CAROL STAIRS416-932-8666 x231carol@torontochildrenschorus.comtorontochildrenschorus.comtheWholeNote 2015/16 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORYC15