our members, and we welcome Carol Benedetti: 705-323-9646 to gospel, presented by three highly PEEL CHORAL SocIETY invitations to sing locally in support Marilyn Gregory: 705-487-6385 experienced choir conductors: Tim Peel Choral Society was founded in of other community groups that www.hawkestone.net (Programs and Elia from Toronto and two English 1971 to provide the people of share a common vision to promote Organizations) conductors. No audition is neces Brampton with an opportunity to awareness about important social sary. This is not an existing choir share the experience of performing issues and foster a sense of community. Open Voices has about 110 singing members at each of two 18- week terms, and about 180 members in total. The choir rehearses its folk, jazz, spiritual, sacred and world repertoire Wednesday nights at a physically-accessible hall and performs at two concerts each year. www.open-voices.org 0RIANA WOMEN'S CHOIR Oriana Women's Choir, one of the finest choirs in Canada, was formed in 1972. This 40-voice auditioned choir is committed to choral excellence that provokes a passionate response to the power, beauty, and joy of song. The choir received "Best Performance of a Canadian Work" in the 2004 CBC National Choral Competition. Our final concert of the 2004-2005 season is Saturday, May 14, 2005; see our website for details. The choir presents subscription concerts in November, March, and May each year. Concerts are held at Grace Church onthe-Hill. Auditions are held August 31 for the fall term starting September 14. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings 7:30-9:45pm. info@orianachoir.com www.orianachoir.com 0Ro-MEDONTE CHILDREN'S AND YouTH CHOIRS Since 1995, the Oro-Medonte Community Choirs have given young people ages 8-18 the opportunity to be part of a rewarding musical experience. Choir members learn to read music, sing melody and harmony and perform musical theatre. Singers aged 8-12 join the Children's Choir, while the Youth Choir enjoys a more challenging repertoire and is by audition only. Highlights include: Weekend Rehearsal Retreat, The Orillia Kiwanis Festival, Christmas· and spring concerts and a variety of workshops and community performances throughout the year. Rehearsals are held Thursday evenings at the Hawkestone Community Hall, in Hawkestone. benedetli2857@rogers.com ORPHEUS CHOIR OF TORONTO Founded in 1964, the 60-member mixed-voice Orpheus Choir just celebrated its 40th season. The choir rehearses on Tuesday evenings at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church near Yonge and St. Clair and performs 4-5 concerts each season, including collaborations outside Toronto. Under the energetic leadership of artistic director Robert Cooper, repertoire is both sacred and secular, a cappella to full orchestral accompaniment, and aims to combine the traditional with the less-well-known, offering something a little different to concertgoers. The choir also provides opportunities for young singers to gain experience as soloists through its Sidgwick Scholarship. Admission is by audition in May/June and periodically throughout the season. orpheuschoir@sympatico.ca Helen Coxon: 416-530-4428 www.orpheus.on.ca llwEN SouND CHD.DREN' s CHORUS Our purpose is to bring together children of our community who wish to sing music of high quality in an atmosphere of learning and friendship. Founded in 1995, the Children's Chorus encourages young people to develop their vocal musical abilities, self-discipline, and sense of community. We learn a varied repertoire, both secular and sacred, in English and other languages, with an emphasis on Canadian composers. In addition to performing in two major concerts annually, the Chorus also sings at various functions and venues in the community. singoscc@sympatico.ca Nancy Stewart: 519-371-6559 OXFORD CHURCHMUSIC Oxford Churchmusic, now m Its 12th year, is a two-week singing vacation which takes place in Oxford, England. (July 22 to August 6 this year). Forty or more singers gather together to sing the best of church choral music, from Gregorian chant but a new group every year of people interested in combining their love of singing with a travel/cultural experience. Singers live in single ensuite rooms in a modern Balliol College residence. More details on website. oxfordchurchmusic@rogers.com Tim Elia: 416-766-6136 www.oxfordchurchmusic.ca PALESTRINA CHAMBER CHORUS Founded by Com. Alberto Di Giovanni in 1997, the Palestrina Chamber Chorus is a semi-professional mixed-voice choir with 35 members, all of whom have received formal training in vocal music. Under the direction of Maestro Sabatino Vacca, Palestrina is gaining a reputation as one of the finest choirs in Toronto. The repertoire of the choir consists of works from the Italian school. Participation is by audition only. music@centroscuola.ca Franca Di Giovanni: 416-256-4808 p AX CHRISTI CHORALE ToRoNrO's MENNONITE CHOIR Pax Christi Chorale has maintained a tradition of fine choral singing for eighteen years. Many of the choristers are local Mennonites, but the choir boasts members from several faith traditions and cultures. Conductor of Pax Christi since 1996, Stephanie Martin is dedicated to performing the great works of choral literature, with a view to honouring the composers' intentions, achieving musical excellence, and sustaining a supportive choir community. Plans for the 2005-06 season include a Christmas concert featuring Finzi's In Terra Pax and a May performance of Mendelssohn's St. Paul. Membership is open to anyone interested in serious choral singing. Rehearsals are Monday nights. paxchristichorale@hotmail.com Stephanie Martin: 416-494· 7889 www.paxchristichorale.org a wide range of choral music. The choir is a four-part mixed-voice ensemble. Under the direction of Mervin Fick, the choir presents two main concerts annually, a Christmas concert and a spring concert. This season, the choir will also present a Valentine's Dessert and Music Evening and a Fall Harvest Dinner and Concert. Peel Choral Society extends a welcome to both singers and audience to share our music. erdunk@rogers.com www.peelchoral.ca PENTHELIA SINGERS Penthelia Singers is a dynamic ensemble of 20 young women committed to excellence in performing a diverse and musically sophisticated repertoire in several languages, spanning the Renaissance to the 21 st century. Founded in 1997, the group was named Penthelia after an ancient Egyptian priestess-musician. Rehearsals are Wednesdays 7:30- 9:30pm at Rosedale Presbyterian. Concerts are held in December and May/June. The choir was a semifinalist in the 2002 CBC radio competition. Penthelia Singers are touring the North this April. Spring concert is May 15 at 2pm. Singers with good sight reading skills should contact artistic director Mary Legge to audition for the fall season. m.legge@rogers.com Mary Legge: 416-229-0522 www.penthelia.com PETERBOROUGH CHILDREN'S CHORUS The Peterborough Children's Chorus is an auditioned choir open to all children and youth aged 8 to 25 years living in Peterborough and the surrounding area. The choir's purpose is to promote the enjoyment of music and to provide opportunities for young people to develop their musical expertise through a varied repertoire and performances. The choir is an independent, non-profit organization operated by a volunteer board of directors. Music director Maureen Harris-Lowe has UNARY PAGES WWW.THEWHOLENOTE.COM MAY 2005
a bachelor of musical arts from the University of Western Ontario. Joanne Culley: 705-748-5353 www.peterboroughchildrenschorus.com PETERBOROUGH SINGERS The Peterborough Singers is a 90- member auditioned choir now in its l 2th season. Under the direction of Sydney Birrell, the choir has performed over a decade to packed houses and has featured many guest artists including Gary Relyea, Mark Dubois, Sally Dibblee, Measha Bruggersgosman, Brett Polegato, Curtis Sullivan and violinist Martin Beaver. The Peterborough Singers were thrilled to place second in the 2004 CBC Radio Choral Competition. The choir presents four or live concerts in their annual concert series and membership is by audition where choristers are reauditioned annually. singers@peterboroughsingers.com 705-745-1820 www.peterboroughsingers.com RAINBOW CHORUS Rainbow Chorus of Waterloo/ Wellington is proud of its survival as one of the few gay choruses outside a major Canadian city. The Chorus is a charitable, non-profit organization of amateur singers joined together to celebrate the diversity of our community and to build bridges through song. All are welcome: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered or straight. We sing an eclectic repertoire suiting a unique community and practise two-and-a-half to three hours, Wednesday evenings in Guelph. The Chorus is pleased to announce its Carnegie Hall debut, February 19, 2006 as part of a mass choir performing the moving AIDS requiem "When We No Longer Touch". margiejjohnson@yahoo.com Margie Johnson: 519-767-9989 www.rainbowchorusww.com have also commissioned and premiered the works of leading Canadian composers. The choir has four recordings to its credit, and has performed on four tours of England. Under the musical direction of Richard Cunningham, the choir looks forward to its 33rd season. kathybob@golden.net Kathy Lees: 519-725-4397 lbvERDALE YoUTH SINGERS The Riverdale Youth Singers is dedicated to providing exceptional musical education and artistic excellence in choral music performance while fostering the self-esteem and personal growth of the choristers. Since its creation in 1999, RYS has engaged in an active performance calendar, staging popular winter and spring concerts within its home Riverdale community and participating in various festivals and concerts throughout GT A. Last season the RYS expanded to more than 100 choristers with the introduction of a Young Singers division. Member info@sacredmusicsociety.com Harold Marcotte: 416-515-0767 www.sacredmusicsociety.com SCARBOROUGH CHORALAIRES The Choralaires were formed in 1993 and are led by Maria Case. The choir is an SATB community choir which rehearses on Tuesday evenings at Knob Hill United Church, 23 Gage Avenue, Scarborough. The choir presents two formal concerts each year, Christmas and spring time, and in addition they perform at senior's residences and fundraising events for community organizations. Their repertoire ranges from light classical to show tunes, including spirituals and folk songs. Membership requirements include a simple audition, sight reading ability, some choral experience and a desire to spend time with others who enjoy the magic of singing. brian.coker@sympatico.ca Brian R Coker: 416-498-8993 www.choralaires.ca ship in RYS is open to all children QUEENSMEN OF TORONTO MALE CHORUS The Queensmen of Toronto Male Chorus of over 30 members is directed by Harry Learoyd, organist and church choir conductor. For over fifty years, the chorus, dedicated to good singing, fellowship and community service, has gained an international reputation for a wellblended sound and a broad repertoire of show tunes, popular songs, spirituals and sacred music. The Queensmen rehearse Tuesday nights at 7:30pm at Central Etobicoke High School, 10 Dentield St., and perform at community events, church functions and 'Big Sings' in Ontario and neighbouring states. On Friday April 30, the Queensmen hosts 'Ontario Sings' with over 200 male voices at the Islington Evangel Centre. queensmen@rogers.com Harry Learoyd: 416-626-3368 http://ca.geocities.com/ thequeensmen%40rogers.com/ RAINBOW VOICES OF TORONTO Rainbow Voices of Toronto was founded in 1999 and is a non-auditioned community chorus of 50-60 women and men. Their mandate is to build bridges between the straight and gay communities through the power of song. The group rehearses Wednesday evenings at St Luke's United Church in downtown Toronto in preparation for their December and May concerts. Rainbow Voices also performs at various community events throughout the year. The repertoire ranges from traditional choral, modem pop, and gospel music to show tunes. Everyone who loves to sing and have fun is welcome to join! info@rainbowvoicesoftoronto.com Tom Wilson: 416-925-9872 x2166 www.rainbowvoicesoftoronto.com RENAISSANCE SINGERS The Renaissance Singers were founded by Raymond S. J. Daniels in 1972. The choir's early reputation was based on its polished performances of renaissance a cappella literature. Today, the choir sings music from the masters of all cen- turies. The Renaissance Singers ages 7 and up. Auditions for placement in RYS are held in May and June each year. conductor@riverdaleyouthsingers.org Laurie Smith: 416 875-1587 www.riverdaleyouthsingers.org s• Music SMS, founder of the World Youth Day 2002 Choir, is a world-renowned performing arts and educational institution with repertoire ranging from Gregorian chants to classical music, and including contemporary and commissioned works. SMS embraces people from a range of professions who have a gift for music and a desire to share it. Choir members dedicate significant time to rehearsing, recording, touring and performing. The choir accepts applications in early June and September. Auditions include range, sight-singing and solo tests. The three SMS Choirs include the 30-member Chamber Choir, Sacra Sinfonia, and the 70-member World Youth Day 2002 Choir. Rehearsals are in central and eastern Toronto. SCARBOROUGH SWEET AnELINES In 1956, Scarborough Chorus was founded as part of Sweet Adelines Inc., an international organization of 30,000 women promoting fourpart singing. The 35-member group sings for local seniors and service clubs and participates annually in regional competitions, where the group has previously won three times. Past highlights include the 1977 International Chorus Competition at Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, and singing the national anthems at a Toronto Rock pro-lacrosse game at Maple Leaf Gardens. Rehearsals are Wednesdays at 7pm at St. Paul's L' Amoreaux (3333 Finch Ave. East). Cindy Raskin directs. Ability to read music is not essential, but there is an audition process. ambarker@sympatico.ca Sylvia: 905-686-4097 SCHNEIDER MALE CHORUS The Schneider Male Chorus, sponsored by J.M. Schneider Inc. and directed by Laurence Rowbotham, has been providing quality performances for 65 years throughout southern Ontario, and on several tours MAY 2005 WWW. 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