Volume 30 Issue 5 | April & May 2025

CHORAL SCENEL’ensemble

CHORAL SCENEL’ensemble vocal Les voix du coeurWHAT TO LOOK FOR IF YOU’RE CHOIR CURIOUSANGUS MACCAULLThe other day there was a detailed message onThe WholeNote voicemail. It was from a longtimeToronto resident who explained that she waswanting to join a choir for the first time in many years,wanting to reconnect with the sense of community she’dfelt singing with others in her youth, especially nowbecause she was confident being in a choir would helpher recovery from a recent stroke.Her message was very specific about certain things she wanted anddidn’t want: it was important to her that the choir not be religious orcompetitive; gathering to sing was more important than preparing toperform for an audience; adjacency to her neighbourhood would benice, but as a lifelong transit user, she was happy to go where the TTCwould take her.And she said this: “I would like to sing again, for fun – to be partof a group of people using their own voice to create music. Before Iemigrated here, and especially as a youth, I was always in choirs. Iwould like to resuscitate that part of myself.”Her words struck a deep chord with me, because I too have beenactively looking for a choir to join this year. I too had great experienceswith music in my youth. My early musical training was on clarinet,then I enjoyed singing in a choir during college. I knew if I couldfind a choir that fit my busy schedule as a parent, I would make newfriends and feel healthier.I found my choir. The eclectic mix of music at City Choir, which isled by six choral directors, was what caught my attention first. And Iwas fortunate that their Tuesday night rehearsal slot worked for me.So far, it’s been a lot of fun. Since joining, I’ve even started bringingmusic home: director Gregory Oh’s selection for this season of TheHighwomen’s Crowded Table has become a family favourite: my wifeand kids sing along to it with me while we do the dishes.The Canary Pages: Every spring for 23 of the past 25 years, TheWholeNote has published The Canary Pages – a directory of choirsin our region, ranging from purely social to highly competitive. It’salways been a spring thing, because that’s the time of year whenpeople who want to sing start looking for a choir to join, sometimesfor the first time, or one that offers a greater (or lesser) challengethan the one they are in.Each of you will have criteria as personal and specific as mineor as those of the reader who left that lovely voicemail for us. Sohere are a few questions to help you sift through what might beimportant (or not) for you.Is there an audition? I didn’t need to audition for City Choir. Theorganization does ask accomplished singers to volunteer as section leads,but it’s not even necessary to read music to join. Another non-auditionedchoir in Toronto is Harbourfront Chorus. Or, if you’re in Richmond Hill,there’s Chorus York. It’s also worth checking at churches in your neighbourhoodfor non-auditioned opportunities to sing.If you want to audition, Jubilate Singers may be worth considering.Or Toronto Classical Singers. Both of these organizations strive forhigher artistic standards while still offering a very supporting environment.There are also auditioned choirs like Pax Christi Chorale andToronto Mendelssohn Choir where you can sing alongside some paidprofessional singers. Some churches, like Leaside United, use themodel of a professional core as well.What style of music do you want to sing? Like with food, sometimesyou’re open to just singing whatever. Music is sustenance forthe soul after all! As long as it’s healthy, does it matter the style? Manychoirs aim to bring an eclectic mix of repertoire to satisfy the appetitesof their choristers.But other times you may have a particular sound in mind. Forwomen wanting to sing with women, there’s Echo Women’s Choir.They sing a range of songs, including socially conscious music aboutwomen. The Vesnivka Choir is also a women’s ensemble. It focuses onUkrainian music and has been bringing the wonderful sounds of thattradition to Toronto for 60 years.For men wanting to sing with men, MenAloud Chorus seeks to offercamaraderie. They also seek input from choir members for repertoire.The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir is another men’s ensemble. Mostof their music is sung in Welsh and they tour to perform.The Canadian Celtic Choir also features the songs of Wales; alongwith Scotland, England, Ireland, and the Maritimes. It’s open to bothmen and women in its home base of London. Or there’s L’ensemblevocal Les voix du coeur if you want to spend time exploring the deepand varied tradition of French-language music.20 | April & May 2025 thewholenote.com

Toronto Chamber ChoirTake a look at the early birds in our Canary Pages, on pages 50-51,and see if anything piques your interest. If you’re curious about aparticular style or wondering what any given choir sounds like, it’salways a good idea to take in one of their concerts or see if you canattend an open rehearsal first.Do you like the vibe? Many factors in addition to the musical styleaffect the vibe of a choir. Size is one. Toronto Chamber Choir, forexample, has 30–40 singers. The Mississauga Chamber Singers aremore intimate, with under 25 singers. When I walk into rehearsals forCity Choir, there’s a buzz of friendly chatter: the membership includeswell over 100 singers. The history of a choir is also going to affect itsvibe. How long has it been around? What’s the structure of the organizationsupporting it? What kind of funding has it secured in the past?Of course, logistics! The best choir to join is the one you CAN join—regardless of any of the above. The rehearsal time, location, andaccessibility have to work for your life. Maybe you never thought you’djoin a group focused on a style of music you’d never heard of; but ifthe choir you want to join, because of what you already know you like,is across town, and there’s a choir only 20 minutes away that meets ona night you are free singing unfamiliar songs, I say try the latter!Any size choir is a commitment, so consider what size commitmentyou want make, beyond weekly rehearsals. How much will you haveto do at home to prepare? How many concerts are there each seasonalong with any travel to perform? Unless you’re a paid singer, mostchoirs will have dues, possibly on a sliding scale. Some choirs will alsoneed you to purchase specific attire for performances. And remember,choirs change, and people do, too. Maybe a group that didn’t work foryou before, will now!In any case, if you’re still reading at this point, I’d definitelyconsider you “choir curious” and encourage you to take the next step.Maybe like me you’ll soon find yourself filling your home with thesounds of a new song. Maybe you’ll find your loved ones are evensinging along, and the dishes get done!Angus MacCaull is a Toronto-based journalist and poet.He is currently at work on a memoir about coming to termswith tinnitus as a promising young clarinettist.Bernstein& DurufléMETROPOLITANUNITED CHURCHMAY0420257:00PMKATHLEEN ALLAN, CONDUCTORJONATHAN OLDENGARM, ORGANAlex Hetherington, MezzoJesse Blumberg, BaritoneAmahl Arulanandam, CelloZane Mallett, HarpYang Chen, PercussionAMADEUSCHOIR.COMCanadian Childrens Opera Companythewholenote.com April & May 2025 | 21