CANARY PAGES
CANARY PAGES theWholeNote 2020/21 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY ●●The Cellar Singers The Cellar Singers is a 40-voice mixed choir based in Orillia. For over 50 years, the choir has delighted audiences in Simcoe and Muskoka with choral masterpieces grand and intimate. Under the direction of gifted choral specialist Mitchell Pady, the choir presents four main concerts each season. Rehearsals are open to all and are held Wednesday evenings, 7:15pm, at St. James’ Anglican Church, Orillia. Visit us on our website, or Facebook. com/TheCellarSingers or Twitter/@cschoir. For more information, contact us at our email or at 705-718-4124. REBECCA CAMPBELL 705-718-4124 info@thecellarsingers.com www.thecellarsingers.com ●●Choralairs Choir of North York The Choralairs are a non-profit, charitable, 50-member, four-part harmony adult choir who sing a variety of popular, jazz, folk, Broadway show tunes and seasonal songs. Directed by our talented team of Peter Ness as conductor and Asher Farber on keyboard, the choir requires no auditions, just a love of singing and the ability to carry a tune! Our rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings from September to June at Edithvale Community Centre on Finch Ave. West. We have been singing for seniors for over 57 years and perform regularly at senior citizens’ residences in the GTA. New members are welcome. However, due to COVID, our starting date has not been determined. Please check our website for updates and information. ELAINE 905-731-8416 choralairs@gmail.com www.choralairschoir.com ●●Chorus Niagara Chorus Niagara, the Power of 100, is a passionate group of singers of diverse ages and walks of life. As the Niagara region’s premier auditioned symphonic chorus since 1963, Chorus Niagara performs classic choral masterpieces, innovative new modern, and seldom-heard works, providing a showcase for emerging Canadian talent. Chorus Niagara attracts singers of all ages through its Chorus Niagara Children’s Choir (CNCC), Side-by-Side High School Chorale (SXS) and Robert Cooper Choral Scholars program (RCCS). Chorus Niagara performs in the beautiful, state-of-the-art Partridge Hall in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St.Catharines. Our artistic director is Robert Cooper, CM. View our flash mob with over 52 million views on YouTube. Visit our website, and for our children’s choir: www.chorusniagaracc.com. DIANA MCADOREY 905-934-5575 cnadmin@becon.org www.chorusniagara.org ●●Chorus York Chorus York is an amateur performance community choir based in Richmond Hill. We perform three to four concerts per year and sing a variety of choral music, from Bach to Broadway. We are diverse in age and culture, but we all share a love of fine choral music. Recent concerts include “Celebrate the Season,” a program of seasonal songs, and “Romantic Melodies,” a program of love songs for Valentine’s Day. Our 2020-2021 season will run from September to June, and end with a collaborative concert with the Richmond Hill Philharmonic Orchestra in June. Auditions run throughout the year, and new members are always welcome. Please send inquiries to info@chorusyork.ca. MARY-LOU MONTGRAIN 905-884-7922 mlmontgrain@rogers.com www.chorusyork.ca ●●Church of St. Mary Magdalene Steeped in musical heritage and assisted by a generous acoustic, the Church of St. Mary Magdalene offers a music program strongly rooted in the tradition established by Healey Willan. Every Sunday, at the 11am Solemn Mass, the Gallery Choir sings a mass and motet from the west gallery, while the Ritual Choir sings the Gregorian propers from the east end. Both choirs rehearse on Thursdays. At the 9:30am Sung Mass, the SMM Singers sing a motet and lead congregational singing. Membership is informal: rehearsals are at 9am directly before the service; regular attendance is not mandatory. One Sunday per month at 4:30pm, the meditative Solemn Evensong and Benediction are sung, preceded by an organ recital at 4pm. For information, please contact the director of music, Andrew Adair. ANDREW ADAIR 416-531-7955 andrew.timothy.adair@gmail.com www.stmarymagdalene.ca ●●The Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle Music is central to worship at St. Peter and St. Simon and is rooted in the rich liturgical tradition of the Anglican Church. The Adult Choir enjoys a repertoire from medieval chant to 21st-century anthems, motets and spirituals. With approximately 25 voices including a professional core, many of its members have had extensive choral training or as instrumentalists and solo singers. The choir provides musical leadership at the Sunday 10:30am weekly worship service including full mass settings and seasonal evensong services. Carol Services are presented for Advent and Christmas. Annual concerts feature major works, with soloists and instrumental ensemble accompaniment. In August of 2019 the choir travelled to the UK to sing for one week residencies at both Gloucester and Chichester Cathedrals. ROBIN DAVIS 905-409-6121 robin.davis@rogers.com stpeterstsimon.ca ●●Common Thread Community Chorus Common Thread: Community Chorus of Toronto is a non-audition chorus which promotes a sense of community by performing joyful and empowering music. All voices are welcome! We believe that everyone can sing and that together we can make beautiful music. We sing music that celebrates the dignity of all people and their struggles to create a better world. We sing for recreation, for reverence, for learning and laughter, for struggle, for hope and for understanding. We sing for social justice and to build community. HELEN NESTOR 647-345-7743 info@commonthreadchorus.ca www.commonthreadchorus.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 morning at 9am, 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 Avenue. TAYLOR SULLIVAN 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 & 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 3rd CD, NewWorks, with selections received through the first 10 years of its national choral composition competition. Although the 20/21 season remains uncertain, the choir will continue to release archival recordings online and plans to complete their 3-year “Road to Refuge” program in May - presenting the concert that was cancelled due to COVID-19 in May 2020. C4
For the most recent updates to the choir’s plans, please visit their website and check out their music on their YouTube channel! SARA MARTIN 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 10 women strong but have had up to 12 members and as few as 8. One of our primary mandates 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 on our website. JENNIFER KIRNER 416-629-7554 dulynotedto@gmail.com www.dulynotedtoronto.com info@elmeriselersingers.com www.elmeriselersingers.com ●●Exultate Chamber Singers ENSEMBLE VOCAL LES VOIX DU COEUR ●●Echo Women’s Choir Celebrating its 29th year, Echo is a 50-voice, nonauditioned community choir open to women from all walks of life. Echo performs at city-wide grassroots events, and traditionally holds fall and spring concerts. Echo aims to build community with a strong, varied and vibrant singing culture. Repertoire includes music from worldwide village singing traditions and newly commissioned music. Echo keeps membership fees accessible to all. This fall term, beginning on Tuesday, September 8, Echo will present a series of 3 online mini-sessions (4 weeks) and create virtual recordings, and the occasional Saturday singing outing. All are welcome. To join us, register on our website. ALAN GASSER 416-779-5554 info.echo@gmail.com www.echowomenschoir.ca ●●Ensemble vocal Les voix du coeur Les Voix du Cœur is a vocal ensemble of more than 40 amateur singers that, for 25 years, has offered lively concerts showcasing the richness of French popular songs from Canada and abroad. Our shows present choral singing and cabaret style numbers, combining music, theatre and dance in a highly entertaining performance. The only group of this nature in the GTA, we reach an ever-growing public, and we play a dynamic role in the Frenchspeaking cultural community in Toronto. Please visit our website to discover who we are and what we do, all in French! LES VOIX DU COEUR evlesvoixducoeur@gmail.com www.lesvoixducoeur.com ●●Etobicoke Centennial Choir Exultate Chamber Singers is an auditioned group of 28 skilled singers who enjoy performing a variety of chamber choir repertoire, both a cappella and accompanied, including many works by Canadian composers. The choir is under the direction of artistic director Mark Ramsay and will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this 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 to 7:45 pm at St.Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron St. Please contact Exultate for audition information. VIVIAN MOENS 416-971-9229 info@exultate.net www.exultate.net ●●Georgetown Choral Society ●●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. During COVID-19, singers of all voices are invited to audition by video. JESSIE ISELER 416-217-0537 Etobicoke Centennial Choir (ECC) is a welcoming, inclusive SATB community choir. We strive to enrich the lives of our choristers and community through inspired performances of diverse choral repertoire, ranging from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions and popular music. ECC offers amateur singers a challenging and supportive choral music experience, facilitated by our professional music director, accompanist and section leads. As a result of public health guidelines related to the global coronavirus pandemic, the 2020-2021 season will be like no other in ECC’s 54-year history. We plan to offer virtual rehearsals on Tuesday evenings, working on both repertoire and vocal training. If conditions permit a safe return, we hope to perform a concert in late spring 2021. Please check our website for updates. LAUREN MAYER 416-433-5495 info@etobicokecentennialchoir.ca www.etobicokecentennialchoir.ca 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 647-203-7795 lthibault@cogeco.ca www.georgetownchoral.ca theWholeNote 2020/21 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY C5
