From science fact in "Integral Man: Music and the Movies," to science fiction in the editor's opener; from World Fiddle Day at the Aga Khan Museum to three Canadians at the Cliburn; from wanting to sashay across the 401 to Chamberfest in Montreal to exploring the Continuum of Jumblies Theatre's 20-year commitment to the Community Play (there's a pun in there somewhere!).
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CANARY PAGES theWholeNote 2016/17 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY ●Toronto ● Shape Note Singing Community You are invited to sing shape note music from the Sacred Harp every month at Bloor/Spadina in Toronto. Everyone is welcome, no experience or religious affiliation necessary. The singing is participatory, not a performance or rehearsal, and there are songbooks to borrow. Singers sit divided by voice part (treble/soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) in a “hollow square” formation. The music is sung in a strong, rhythmicallyaccented style. The Toronto community has been singing shape note music together since 2000, and we have never cancelled a monthly singing. Visit our Facebook group or email us for Toronto singing details. For general information about the Sacred Harp and listings of regular singings in Canada and around the world, visit www.fasola.org. PLEASANCE CRAWFORD 416-922-7997 pleasancecrawford@rogers.com www.facebook.com/groups/torontoshapenote/ ●Toronto ● Summer Music Community Chamber Choir Chamber Choir with Matthias Maute and Laura Pudwell, July 30 to August 5, 2017: Are you an advanced amateur musician looking for an opportunity to connect with other musicians who share your passion? Refresh vocal skills and study one of the great works of choral literature – Vivaldi’s Gloria – in the intimacy of a chamber vocal ensemble. Must be over 18 years of age. Tuition includes a ticket to all TSM Festival Concerts July 30 to August 5, daily lunch and coffee. Cost: 5 plus HST. JENNIFER MAK 647-430-5699 jennifer@torontosummermusic.com www.torontosummermusic. com/community-academy/ chamber-choir-with-matthias-maute ●Toronto ● Welsh Male Voice Choir Calling all male singers! Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir (TWMVC) is growing and is seeking more members…If you are a male singer (you don’t have to be Welsh) who has always wanted to sing in a choir or rekindle your singing spirit from the past, drop in to one of our Wednesday night rehearsals in May or June at Dewi Sant United Church, 33 Melrose Ave., Toronto. We are a friendly bunch, open to singers of all abilities, performing a wide variety of traditional and contemporary music. For more information, please go to our website. ALAN SADEGURSKY 647-389-8084 alansadegursky@yahoo.ca www.welshchoir.ca ●●Univox Univox is a mixed-voice SATB community choir for young adults that is part of the larger Vox Choirs organization. The organization holds relationship building, social responsibility and musical excellence as its core principles. No audition is required for membership but most choristers have previous choral experience or some musical proficiency. Our season runs September to June and rehearsals take place Tuesdays, 5:45pm to 8pm, at New Horizons/Dovercourt Baptist Church. Regular attendance is expected. Selected repertoire spans five centuries, including choral classics, contemporary works and popular music, ranging from Gabriel Fauré to Daft Punk. MARKETING COORDINATOR 647-866-8487 marketing@univoxchoirs.org www.univoxchoir.org ●●Upper Canada Choristers The Upper Canada Choristers is a mixed-voice community choir with a diverse membership that interweaves fun with the commitment to musical excellence and vibrant community service. Performances feature collaborations with international choirs, local children’s choirs, and professional instrumentalists and singers. Cantemos is an auditioned a cappella Latin ensemble within UCC. Led by artistic director Laurie Evan Fraser, the choirs perform three diverse choral programs annually. Weekly rehearsals for the Main Choir are Monday evenings from 7:30pm to 9:30pm at Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300 Lonsdale Rd. Cantemos rehearses on Saturday mornings from 9:30am to 11:30am at 2 Romar Cres. The choirs sing up to 20 concerts annually in a variety of community venues. LAURIE EVAN FRASER, CONDUCTOR/ ARTISTIC DIRECTOR 416-256-0510 info@uppercanadachoristers.org www.uppercanadachoristers.org ●●Uxbridge Chamber Choir The Uxbridge Chamber Choir is an amateur SATB choir under the direction of founding conductor Tom Baker. Since 1983, the choir has brought unique performances of the great choral masterpieces from the Renaissance to modernity to the rural communities of Uxbridge and surrounding area. Together our enthusiastic singers develop and express their musical talents, often collaborating with local professional vocalists and instrumentalists. Recent performances include Beethoven’s Mass in C, Gjeilo’s Sunrise Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, Monteverdi’s Vespers, Bach’s St. John Passion and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. Membership is by a non-threatening screening process at the first rehearsal. Rehearsals are Monday nights, September to May in Uxbridge. HILARY BALMER 905-852-2676 uxbridgechamberchoir@gmail.com www.uxbridgechamberchoir.ca ●●Vesnivka Choir Vesnivka Choir was established in 1965 by founding artistic director Halyna Kvitka Kondracki. This award-winning women’s ensemble has delighted audiences around the world with its rich repertoire of Ukrainian liturgical, classical, contemporary and traditional folk music. The choir’s regular concert season comprises three major concerts, one of which is an annual Christmas concert. Vesnivka, together with its partner the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir (TUMCC), are often accompanied by professional soloists and chamber ensembles of area musicians. Vesnivka also sings at Christmas and Easter Liturgies. Singers are welcome; rehearsals are held on Tuesdays, 7:30pm to 9:30pm (4 Bellwoods Ave., Toronto). Male singers are welcome to join TUMCC; rehearsals held on Mondays, 7:30pm to 9pm (2445 Bloor St. W., Toronto). LESIA KOMOROWSKY 416-236-8278 lkomorowsky@gmail.com www.vesnivka.com ●●Victoria Scholars Men’s Choral Ensemble A past winner of the Canada Council Healey Willan Grand Prize in the the CBC Radio National Competition for Amateur Choirs and one of Canada’s finest male choral ensembles, the Victoria Scholars Men’s Choral Ensemble treats audiences to a wide range of music, from Medieval plainchant and works from the Baroque, Renaissance and Romantic eras through to contemporary and newly commissioned works from some of Canada’s best-known composers. Along with an annual three-concert series in Toronto, the Victoria Scholars have released five widely acclaimed recordings, including the most recent release in January 2016, Songs of Love, toured nationally and internationally, and perform regularly with international vocal soloists and arts organizations. If you are an experienced musician with excellent sight reading abilities and would like to join the Victoria Scholars for the upcoming season, please contact us today. JERZY CICHOCKI 416-761-7776 info@victoriascholars.ca www.victoriascholars.ca ●●Village Voices Village Voices, a diverse, mixed-voice community choir of about 70 voices based in Markham, will enter its 29th season in September. The choir presents two major concerts annually and sings at seniors’ residences and special community events. Directed by Oksana Vignan, the choir performs a wide variety of choral repertoire, from the great standard classics to contemporary music. Village Voices has collaborated and performed with other choirs in Ontario and as guest artists of instrumental organizations such as the Markham Concert Band and the Kindred Spirits Orchestra. The choir’s musical skills are honed regularly through special workshops with outstanding C16
choral musicians. On May 12 and 13, 2017, Village Voices is proud to celebrate Canada150, with the concert “Here’s to Song,” a mix of traditional and folk songs as well as Missa Pax, a contemporary score by Canadian Tim Corlis. ELLEN DOWSWELL 905-763-4172 info@villagevoiceschoir.com www.villagevoices.ca ●●VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto VIVA! Youth Singers of Toronto, now in its 17th season, is a vibrant, inclusive choral organization with excellent musical opportunities for all singers from the age of 4 to adults. VIVA!’s Inclusion Program offers support for differently-abled singers. Diverse programming features age-appropriate choral training through instruction in vocal technique, private vocal instruction and music theory. Singers from the Junior Choir and up may choose to perform with VIVA! in the National Ballet of Canada’s Nutcracker. VIVA!’s fine musicians and mentors deliver authentic musicmaking in a supportive, singer-centred community. During the 2017/18 season, singers will explore music/arts that are inspired by First Nations and Indigenous cultures. For the older choirs, the season will culminate in a cultural/musical exchange to Canada’s north. SUSAN SUCHARD, GENERAL MANAGER 416-788-8482 info@vivayouthsingers.com www.vivayouthsingers.com ●●VOCA Chorus of Toronto The VOCA Chorus of Toronto is a dynamic, auditioned ensemble that performs eclectic repertoire (including premieres of arrangements by our artistic director) in collaboration with some of Canada’s finest artists. Each season consists of two major concerts, two retreats (one locally with guest clinician; one out of town), a cabaret, and community performances. Rehearsals are Monday evenings at Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Ave., Toronto. On Saturday, May 27, 7:30pm at Eastminster, we will present Carmina Burana, featuring the two piano/ percussion version of Orff’s monumental masterpiece, along with selections by Gjeilo (including an instrumental world premiere), Letourneau (an Ontario premiere) and Tate. Director: Jenny Crober. Accompanist: Elizabeth Acker. Guests: TorQ Percussion Quartet, Shawn Grenke, Elizabeth Polese, Michael Nyby, Christopher Mayell. JENNY CROBER 416-463-8225 crober.best@gmail.com www.vocachorus.ca ●●Voices Chamber Choir As the choir enters its 22nd season, Voices Chamber Choir has firmly established itself as one of the finest amateur choirs in Toronto. Our repertoire spans from the early Renaissance to brand new works by Canadian composers, from standard repertoire performed with orchestra to an all unaccompanied program. Our music challenges the singers to be their best and beyond with exhilarating results. If you would like to sing in a choir that will give you more than just a night out to socialize, a choir that will engage your musical senses, come and join us. RON CHEUNG 416-519-0528 rkmcheung@yahoo.ca www.voiceschoir.com ●●Wayne Gilpin Singers Beautiful melodies, rocking sax solos, edgy new jazz arrangements of Handel’s Messiah– if any of this appeals to you, read on. The Waterloo-based Wayne Gilpin Singers is an auditioned (a singer-friendly audition, we promise!) chamber choir that sings a wide variety of music, including contemporary Christian, gospel, show tunes, spirituals and more. Resident composer/accompanist Andrew Gilpin pens unique arrangements for an ever-expanding Jazz Messiah, an annual event that twins Handel’s beautiful melodies with modern rhythms and musical styles. Also featured in concert are talented guest artists on bass, drums and saxophone, providing an unforgettable musical experience for both audience and choir. WAYNE GILPIN 800-867-3281 wayne@gilpin.ca ●●Windsor Classic Chorale Windsor Classic Chorale believes in honouring choral music by singing it well, contributing to its growth and promoting it in our community. We are teachers, librarians, administrators, lawyers and accountants with a variety of backgrounds and interests. What brings us together is our love for choral music and the belief that it expresses the deepest parts of our humanity. Under the direction of Bruce Kotowich, the Chorale celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2017. Season highlights include our annual Remembrance Day Concert, several Christmas appearances throughout the area, and a February concert on themes of love. As hosts of the annual Windsor Choral Festival, we will bring together diverse choirs from Windsor-Essex to sing, learn, and celebrate unity through song. JENNIFER SWANSON 519-956-8234 jswanson0526@gmail.com www.windsorclassicchorale.org ●Yip’s ● Children’s Choir and Youth Ensemble (Canada) Established in 1990, Yip’s Children’s Choir (Canada) consists of Choir, Musical Theatre and Overseas Concert Group - Chorus Canadiana. The choir is dedicated to the promotion of formal music and fine arts education for children and youth. Repertoire includes classical (Renaissance to contemporary) music, religious works, art music, folk music, musical theatre, Broadway musicals and operettas. The choir has made appearances in Toronto’s performing arts scene as well as national and international concert tours. In 2014/15, Chorus Canadiana completed successful tours to Europe, as part of the Rhapsody! International Music Festival, and to the Golden Gate International Children’s and Youth Choral Festival in San Francisco, under the direction of music director Ron Ka Ming Cheung and accompanist Dorothy Yu. Weekly rehearsals are Saturday afternoons at Markham area. The choir sings up to 4-6 concerts/ events annually in a variety of community venues. Interested children are welcome to observe a choir rehearsal. KATHERINE KWOK, ADMINISTRATOR 905-948-9477 x2100 info@yips.com www.yips.com VIVA YOUTH SINGERS OF TORONTO theWholeNote 2017/18 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY C17
