CANARY PAGES The 18th
CANARY PAGES The 18th Annual presents FEATURE Choral Directory You may be thinking about eventually joining a choir, or perhaps you’re a fan of choral music. The Canary Pages reflect the rich history and current diversity of Ontario’s choral scene where there’s something for everyone, from community choirs to auditioned professional choirs. Flocks of choir profiles have arrived and we’re posting new ones almost daily! We’ll continue to update the online Canary Pages as profiles and photos arrive throughout the summer, so check back often to see the latest updates! By the time we print them all in our beautiful September edition we’re hoping that the music-making picture will be clearer for everyone. And meanwhile, we all need to sing - even if it’s only singing along, safely at home, with an online performance by a favourite choir. Here are the choirs whose profiles arrived by the time we printed this edition A Cappella Niagara Achill Choral Society Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto Avanti Chamber Singers Bel Canto Singers Canadian Celtic Choir Choralairs Choir of North York Chorus York Church of St. Mary Magdalene Common Thread Community Chorus Cummer Avenue United Church Choir DaCapo Chamber Choir Duly Noted Echo Women’s Choir Ensemble vocal Les voix du coeur Georgetown Choral Society Grand Philharmonic Choir Harbourfront Chorus Healey Willan Singers Jubilate Singers Leaside Chancel Choir London Pro Musica Choir MCS Chorus Men of Note Milton Choristers Mississauga Festival Chamber Choir Mississauga Festival Choir Oakville Choir for Children & Youth Oasis Vocal Jazz Orpheus Choir of Toronto Peterborough Singers Resonance Serenata Singers Society of Singers SoundCrowd Tempus Choral Society The Annex Singers The Cellar Singers The Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the -Apostle The Yorkminstrels Toronto Beaches Children’s and Youth Chorus Toronto Chamber Choir Toronto Children’s Chorus Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir Upper Canada Choristers Vesnivka Choir Village Voices VIVA Singers Toronto Voices Chamber Choir West Toronto Community Choir Young Voices Toronto WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR CHOIR TO BE INCLUDED? Contact Karen Ages 416-323-2232 ext 26 karen@thewholenote.com COMMU It was barely a couple of weeks ago (April 12) that some of you might have seen in your inbox a communication something like the following from me: Attached are four or five questions that will form the basis of a story planned for the May/June issue of The WholeNote. I hope it is mostly self-explanatory. If you wish to be involved, send your completed questionnaire to me at publisher@thewholenote.com. Please also suggest other individuals in the community you think we might invite. … The goal is to present a musically and regionally diverse picture of our community. Well, here are the first fruits of that invite, with more replies coming in every day, and already a long list of suggested people to write to. It’s a lovely problem to have. We are hoping that this first version on the printed page can be the start of something that online, over time, helps us share and compare as we, collectively and individually, find our way through these gnarly times. I hope you get the same pleasure out of reading it as I have putting it together. If you feel a little less alone at the end of it, that’s a good day’s work done. If you feel like adding your voice to the mix, better still. There are simple instructions, at the end of the story, for how to chime in. I hope you will. David Perlman 8 | May and June 2020 thewholenote.com
UNITY VOICES TRICIA BALDWIN Speaking as director of the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, Kingston, we were lucky that our programming, for the most part, fit into the September – April university school year timeframe. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 cancellation involved five concerts and one film screening and it was heartbreaking to cancel these. As to the question of following through on cancelled concerts, we have paid the artists and provided refunds for tickets to those who wanted them, as our 2020/21 season was already programmed. We had set aside savings from previous seasons that has enabled us to deal with COVID-19 related financial issues. (We had also done this at Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra when I was managing director there, to enable the organization to keep on steady ground with a buffer in funds set aside for future opportunities and challenges, whatever they may be.) COVID-19 measures are necessary for our society’s physical health, but they are hitting arts organizations so hard. I am glad that the governments are helping the sector. After all, the arts and cultural industries are a billion industry and major employer/ engager in Canada. The silver lining is that our technological expertise is skyrocketing, and more importantly, I believe the focus on core priorities and valuing the artists and audience as the arts’ COVID-19 has brought forward core stakeholders can lead the tipping point, hastening to healthy developments in the sector. Baumol’s cost the creation of new structures disease (costs rising faster to support the creation and than revenues) was already production of the arts in a causing substantial structural issues. COVID-19 has brought different way than has been the forward the tipping point, case through the latter half of hastening the creation of new the 20th century to now. structures to support the creation and production of the arts in a different way than has been the case through the latter half of the 20th century to now. Strong developments and innovation arise in hard times as we focus on what matters, and there will always be a great sense of purpose and urgency in making music that will propel us forward. As an example, we delayed our Bader and Overton Canadian Cello Competition and have converted it online. It’s currently planned for June 24-27, 2020, but we are waiting to hear about potential conflicts with the semi-finalists’ schedules. All semifinal and final performances will be webcast on CBC. After much testing, we will be using OBN streaming software with VIMEO ingest. We have purchased an excellent stereo microphone kit for each competitor to ensure the full high fidelity sound at the source including a WARM stereo microphone kit and FOCUSRITE USB interface and microphone stands. Jury members will be receiving high fidelity Sennheisser headphones. Our own technical director has 20 years of extensive recording experience, and for this, we are very grateful (as we are for the support of Bader Philanthropies and CBC throughout the metamorphosis of the competition). We are also in the process of creating a digital concert hall for high quality performance films and high-fidelity streaming, and an online summer festival with local musicians. The musicians will be paid, and will go away with a high definition film/audio with which to promote themselves. To stay in touch, watch our website as announcements come up at www.queensu.ca/theisabel, and email us at The Isabel box office (IBCPAboxoffice@queensu.ca). We will also be posting on facebook facebook.com/queensuisabel. JULIA WEDMAN I am a baroque violinist, a member of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Eybler Quartet, and I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble. I play regularly with the Toronto Bach Festival, Theater of Early Music, L’Harmonie des Saisons, and occasionally I fly over to Europe for thewholenote.com May and June 2020 | 9
