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Volume 24 Issue 8 - May 2019

  • Text
  • Theatre
  • Symphony
  • Concerts
  • Singers
  • Arts
  • Jazz
  • Choral
  • Musical
  • Toronto
  • Choir
What a range of stuff! A profile of Liz Upchurch, the COC ensemble studio's vocal mentor extraordinaire; a backgrounder on win-win faith/arts centre partnerships and ways of exploring the possibilities; an interview with St. Petersburg-based Eifman Ballet's Boris Eifman; Ana Sokolovic's violin concert Evta finally coming to town; a Love Letter to YouTube, and much more. Plus our 17th annual Canary Pages Choral directory if all you want to do is sing! sing! sing!

CANARY PAGES

CANARY PAGES theWholeNote 2019/20 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY Festival. We are returning to Luminato and SING! festivals in 2019. ARIANNE SCHAFFER 647-296-9775 member@citychoir.ca www.citychoir.ca ●●Cummer Avenue United Church Choir Cummer Avenue United Church Choir consists of a group of volunteer singers supported by a number of professional section leaders. The choir provides strong and vibrant musical leadership in worship each Sunday, 12 months of the year. A wide range of musical styles are included in the repertoire, and in addition to full choir anthems, various ensembles and solos are presented by members of the choir. On selected Sundays, the choir presents extra choral music such as traditional carols at Christmas and a cantata at Easter. Rehearsals are held Thursday evenings from early fall to early spring and on Sunday mornings all year. Due to extensive renovations of our church site, we are temporarily worshipping with the congregation of Willowdale/Emmanuel United Church just a few blocks south at 349 Kenneth Ave. CUMMER AVENUE UNITED CHURCH 416-222-5417 taylorsullivan@yahoo.com www.cummeravenueuc.ca ●●DaCapo Chamber Choir The 24-voice DaCapo Chamber Choir was founded in 1998 in Kitchener-Waterloo under the direction of Leonard Enns. The mission of the choir is to identify, study, rehearse and present outstanding choral chamber works of the past 100 years and to champion music of Canadian and local composers. In November 2018, the choir released its newest CD, NewWorks, with selections received through the first 10 years of its national choral composition competition. The 2019/20 season marks the end of a 3-season exploration of themes related to the global refugee crisis: 17/18 Displacement, 18/19 Resettlement, 19/20 Renewal. Guest artists will include harpist Angela Schwartzkopf (November), mezzo-soprano Jennifer Enns-Modolo (March), and pianist Catherine Robertson (May). Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @DaCapoChoir. SARA MARTIN, MANAGER 519-725-7549 info@dacapochamberchoir.ca www.dacapochamberchoir.ca ●●Duly Noted Duly Noted is a Toronto-based a cappella ensemble, singing everything from madrigals to Shawn Mendes. We are currently 8 women strong but have had up to 12 members. One primary mandate is to support charities while sharing our love of singing. To date we have raised over ,000 for local GTA charities. Find out more about us and when we are performing at www.dulynotedtoronto.com JENNIFER KIRNER 416-629-7554 dulynotedto@gmail.com www.dulynotedtoronto.com ●●Durham Girls’ Choir Girls from across Durham region come together in this active, fun, performing choir. Our Junior and Senior ensembles provide girls aged 7 through 18 an opportunity to sing together, build team spirit and participate in a variety of public performances. Through weekly rehearsals, our members build leadership skills, further their musical education and create lasting friendships. Registration for our 2019/20 season is now open, and young singers of all talent levels are encouraged to join us as we share the joy of music with our Durham Region community. Visit our website to hear us perform, read what alumni say about the choir and see photos from our many events throughout the year. We hope you will join us! LAURIE STAPLEY 905-434-7269 durhamgirlschoir@sympatico.ca www.durhamgirlschoir.org ●●Echo Women’s Choir Celebrating its 28th year, Echo is a 60-voice, nonauditioned community choir open to women from all walks of life. Echo rehearses each Tuesday night at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto (beside the Eaton Centre), performs at city-wide grassroots events, and holds fall and spring concerts. Co-led by Becca Whitla and Alan Gasser, Echo aims to build a strong, varied and vibrant culture and community through song. Repertoire includes music from worldwide village singing traditions and newly-commissioned music. Echo aims to keep membership fees and concert tickets accessible to all. To join Echo, register on our website. Spring concert: “Gracias a la Vida (Thanks to Life): A Celebration of Songs from the Americas, with special guest Amanda Martinez, May 12, 3pm at Holy Trinity. ALAN GASSER 416-779-5554 info.echo@gmail.com www.echowomenschoir.ca ●●Elmer Iseler Singers Elmer Iseler Singers is a 20-voice professional chamber choir based in Toronto and founded in 1979. Directed by the acclaimed Lydia Adams, the Singers are known for tonal beauty and interpretive range, and valued for their contributions to masterclasses and workshops with schools and community choirs. Their unique “Get Music! Educational Outreach Initiative” mentors conductors, music educators and students. EIS has 15 recorded CDs featuring Canadian music. EIS with TSO was 2019 Grammynominated and JUNO awarded for a collaborative CD. Touring in Canada is a major part of the Elmer Iseler Singers’ activities, offering both concerts and workshops to Canadian audiences. Weekly rehearsals are on Mondays and Tuesdays in preparation for our Toronto Series. Open auditions are held in May. JESSIE ISELER, GENERAL MANAGER 416-217-0537 info@elmeriselersingers.com www.elmeriselersingers.com ●The ● Elora Singers With 2019 marking its 39th year, The Elora Singers (TES) has established itself as one of Canada’s leading professional chamber choirs. Under artistic director Mark Vuorinen, the 25-singer ensemble fulfills a rich mandate with its year-round activities. TES presents its own winter concert series serving Elora and surrounding communities. TES is also involved in education programs, community programs and health & wellness programs throughout the year. Each July TES serves as the resident choir for the annual Elora Festival with an intense performance schedule of solo work, collaborative efforts, and education and outreach programs.TES is JUNOand Grammy-nominated, with a dozen recordings on the NAXOS label. CHRIS SHARPE 226-384-7412 chris@elorafestival.com www.elorasingers.ca ●●Encore! Encore! (formerly the YRDSB Staff Singers) is a non-auditioned, 60-voice SATB community choir based in Aurora. The core of the group has been making music together for 31 years, but new members are always warmly welcomed. Singers hail from Thornhill in the southern part of York Region to Barrie in the north. The choir rehearses Thursday evenings at Dr. G.W. Williams Secondary School in Aurora from September to May. We perform two concerts annually in December and in the spring. Our repertoire includes a wide range of musical styles which appeal to singers and audiences alike. Most concerts include collaborations with instrumentalists. Join us May 5 for “Summer of ‘69: Voices of a Generation” - a tribute to Woodstock! DEE LAWRENCE, CONDUCTOR GEORGE VANDIKAS, ACCOMPANIST 905-722-6535 deelawr@rogers.com www.encoreyr.wixsite.com/choir ●●Etobicoke Centennial Choir Etobicoke Centennial Choir (ECC) is an inclusive, community-based SATB choir in its 53rd season. We aspire to enrich the community through vibrant and diverse performances, ranging from choral masterpieces to contemporary compositions and popular music. ECC is a welcoming choir that offers singers a challenging but supportive choral music experience, facilitated by our professional music director, accompanist and vocal section leads. Our 2019/20 season begins December 7 with Vivaldi’s Gloria. On April 4, 2020, we perform Cherubini’s Requiem Mass in C minor, along with works by Brahms, Vaughn-Williams and others. On June 6, C6

“Musica Borealis” will highlight diverse vocal music from northern climes. Rehearsals are Tuesday evenings. New singers are always welcome. Open rehearsals are held in early September and January. CAROLINE CORKUM 647-518-5297 info@etobicokecentennialchoir.ca www.etobcokecentennialchoir.ca ●●Exultate Chamber Singers Exultate Chamber Singers is an auditioned group of 30 skilled singers who enjoy performing a variety of chamber choir repertoire, both a cappella and accompanied, including many works by Canadian composers. Now in its 39th season, the choir is under the direction of artistic director Mark Ramsay and continues its tradition of presenting four concerts per season. In addition, the choir commissions new works, collaborates with guest artists, and supports aspiring young music professionals with singing and conducting opportunities. Rehearsals take place on Tuesdays from 5:45-7:45pm at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St. For audition information, please contact exultate@exultate.net. VIVIAN MOENS 416-971-9229 exultate@exultate.net www.exultate.net ●●Fanshawe Chorus London Fanshawe Chorus London has built a world-class reputation since its inception at Fanshawe College in 1969 by performing the finest in classical choralorchestral music. As an elite auditioned community choir conducted by artistic director David Holler, the chorus provides college-level training for adult singers and gives emerging vocal soloists the opportunity to perform professionally with orchestra. The chorus has won the prestigious Ontario Lieutenant- Governor’s Award twice and was selected to sing at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Canada Day celebrations during the 2010 visit of HRM Queen Elizabeth II. Winner of London’s Classical Vocal Group of the Year in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017, Fanshawe Chorus London offers talented adult singers an inclusive welcoming community committed to “Making Hearts Sing.” APRIL VOTH 519-433-9650 generalmanager@choruslondon.com www.choruslondon.com ●●Georgetown Choral Society GCS, with some 80 amateur singers, has been delighting audiences since its formation in 1971. Our rehearsal and performance home is the Christian Reformed Church in Georgetown, Ontario. Our choral director, Christopher Dawes, is a freelance professional musician and is among Canada’s leading church musicians, concert organists and choral accompanists. He performs across a wide spectrum of the Toronto music scene and occupies a range of musical leadership positions. GCS is a registered charity performing a variety of musical genres, including classical, pop and folk, and from sacred to secular, at a level normally associated with professional groups. It has performed at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall, the Ford Centre in North York and the Mississauga Living Arts Centre. It has also performed in Holland and Ireland. LAURENT THIBAULT 905-877-7795 lthibault@cogeco.ca www.georgetownchoral.ca ●The ● Georgian Bay Children’s Choir Now in its 32nd season, the Georgian Bay Children’s Choir welcomes singers ages 5 through 20 from the Southern Georgian Bay Region of Ontario into its multi level choral music program. Concert programs represent many genres including folk, sacred, pop, broadway, world music, Canadian composers, commissioned works and more. Music literacy is a key component of our program. Choir performances include 2 family concerts in May & December - annually, with guest appearances with the Georgian Bay symphony, Concert choir and other groups, Seniors homes and community events. In July we will be participating in the Ottawa Unisong Festival. DR. LESLIE WYBER AND LINDA HAWKINS, CONDUCTORS REANNE KRUISSELBRINK, ACCOMPANIST MARYLOU TREMILLS, CHOIR FOUNDER 519-371-1237 lindamariehawkins@gmail.com www.gbcc.ca ●●Grace Church on-the-Hill The choir of Grace Church on-the-Hill proudly embraces our excellent Anglican choral tradition while looking towards the future for new inspiration. Our choirs for both adults and children sing weekly from September to June. Our children’s choirs provide the ideal learning environment for young musicians, and we have funding available to subsidize the cost of music lessons for our children! Choristers of all ages develop lifelong friendships, self-esteem, and the joy of coming together to sing. We take a choir tour every year. Some tours are small, like a day trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake, and some tours are larger, such as our two-week tour to sing in cathedrals in Dublin and Oxford in 2016. We welcome new members every September. STEPHEN FRKETIC 416-488-7884 music@gracechurchonthehill.ca www.gracechurchonthehill.ca ●●Harbourfront Chorus Did you know that Choral singing improves health and happiness? You are invited to join Harbourfront Chorus, a non-auditioned community choir. We perform a wide range of music that spans from early Renaissance music to contemporary popular songs. Rehearsals run Tuesdays from 7:45pm to 9:15pm at the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre, located at the south-east corner of Queens Quay W. and Bathurst St. Our season runs September through May. The 2019/20 season begins Tuesday, September 10. CATHERINE NETHERSOLE 416-458-2530 harbourfrontchorus@gmail.com www.facebook.com/harbourfrontchorus ●●Harbourtown Sound An award-winning, volunteer-based auditioned men’s chorus, offering a wide range of a capella music - barbershop, inspirational, jazz, pop, soft rock - all designed to both bring back fond memories and to create memorable new ones. Representing the Hamilton chapter of the Ontario District of the Barbershop Harmony Society, we have been entertaining at home and abroad since 2003. As a not-for-profit community group, we promote a love of singing and an appreciation for choral music. Under the direction of Jordan Travis, we are always GEORGIAN BAY CHILDREN’S CHOIR theWholeNote 2019/20 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY C7

Volumes 26-29 (2020- )

Volumes 21-25 (2015-2020)

Volumes 16-20 (2010-2015)

Volumes 11-15 (2004-2010)

Volumes 6 - 10 (2000 - 2006)

Volumes 1-5 (1994-2000)