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Volume 4 Issue 5 - February 1999

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1 4 EHORAL ~SCENE BY

1 4 EHORAL ~SCENE BY lARRY BECKWITH Exciting choral events abound in Toronto, this month, featuring some famous visiting British ·columbian, European and American choirs, as well as important concerts by our local favourites. Friday, February 5th sees two marvellous concerts. The Elmer Iseler Singers, under Lydia Adams direction, present "Composers' Choice," with a raft of new choral compositions including Leonard Enns' "Missa Brevis," the winning entry in the Oritario Choral Federation's Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Competition. Watson Henderson herself has a premiere on the programme, "Im Memoriam Elmer Iseler." The same evening sees a complete performance ofMonteverdi's pivotal late renaissance masterpiece, "Vespers of 161 0" by the Toronto Consort with a great array of guest artists, including sopranos Ann Monoyios and Suzie LeBlanc, and tenors Alan Bennett and Paul Elliott. As Monteverdi would have done, this performances uses accomplished individual singers and instrumentalists, one to a part, instead of a choir and orchestra, thereby creating a highly unusual true consort sound. The following weekend, on the 12th and 13th, the Tafelmusik Choir and Orchestra occupy Massey Hall for performances of Mozart's "Requiem." This is a coming together of sorts of the two lives of Tafelmusik. TI1eir recordings and tours of Europe are often conducted by Bruno Weil, though Weil rarely conducts in Toronto. Well, he'll be on the podium for these performances of the Mozart. Also on the programme is Beethoven's Sym- . phony No. 1. It will be a joy to hear the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir in Massey Hall, once again. Three wonderful choirs visit Toronto later in the month and early in March: Jon Washburn's Vancouver Chamber (;hoir gives two concerts, one at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga on the 21st, and another at Roy Thomson Hall at noon on the 23rd. This is a durable outfit, led by the energetic Washburn. They give a concert every two or three weeks in Vancouver, record often and tour each year, as well. At this point in time, they are truly Canada's only full-time professional choir and they always put on a great show. Another exciting visit is that of the Stuttgart Chamber Choir, conducted by Frieder Berni us. The last time they were in the city it was for stunning performances of Bach's "Mass in B Minor" with Tafelmusik. This time, they perform five of the six Bach motets (Feb. 23 at St. James' Cathedral) and team up on the 26th with tl1e Elmer Iseler Singers for what promises to be an event: a concert in tl1e "Encounters" series featuring a major new work by Harry Freedman, Schoenberg's "Friede aufErden," Schnittke's "Concerto for Choir," Penderecki's "Agnus Dei" and more. Skilful perfonnances of profmUld 20th century choral music are. few and far between these days, so congratulations to Lawrence Cherney's Soundstreams organization for presenting what is sure to be a very exciting concert. Early in March, the San Francisco Girls' Choir come to town New • ·Los Angeles Washington, DC • Toronto 732 Spadina Ave. at Bloor New Classes begin in Jan./Feb. Learn to Sing! classes Young Singers (10-16) Opera Workshop Sight Singing Private Instruction 960-0472 5 _@@! 1 '99 l4Ai 1 7 '9Q . Vbotenote= QUICK PICS to perform with the Toronto Children's Chorus. Also on tl1e FEBRUARY bill are the irrepressible Amabile Feb 05 8:00: Elmer lseler Youth Singers from Londo11, Singers Ontario. Feb 05 8:00: Toronto Consort Feb 06 8:00: All the King's I also want to draw your attention · Voices to another rare choral treat: two Feb 12 8:00: Choir & soloists of nights (Feb. 25 & 27) of Britten's Lawrence Park Church "War Requiem", performed by Feb 12 8:00: Tafelmusik Chamthe Toronto Symphony and the ber Choir Mendelssohn Choir, conducted Feb 13 7:30: Metropolitan choir by (soon-to-be Sir) Andrew and friends . Davis. Soloists are Elena Feb 13 8:00: Choir of Grace Prokina, Ben Heppner and Hakan Church on-the-Hill Hagegard. Feb 14 3:00: Toronto Chamber Choir It's a busy choral month. There ,Feb 15 8:00: Mississauga Choral are many other slightly smaller, Society . scale concerts going on as well. Feb 20 7 :00: High Park Girls' I'd especially like to note one by Choir and Boys' Choir of Toronto; Ian Grundy's new VocalPoint Bel Canto Children's Choir of Chamber Choir on the 27th. Amherst, New York It's busy here at the OCF, as well. Feb 21 2:30: Amadeus Chamber If you are between tl1e ages of 16 Choir and 22 and are interested in Feb 21 3:00: Mississauga Choral auditioning-for the 1999 Ontario Society; Vancouver Chamber Youth Choir, please contact me Clioir at 363-7488. March I is the Feb 21 4:00: Toronto Children's deadline. Chorus Training Choirs I, II, & Ill Feb 21 4:30: St. Anne's Choir Larry B~ckwith is the General Manager of the Ontario Choral Federa(ion BELL' ARTE 5 N G E R S LEE WILLINGHAM, DIRECTOR CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 ~EAT MASS IN C MINOR KV 427 (417A) UoLEMN VESPERS KV 339 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ~HARLA NAFZIGE 1 R, SOPRANO LAURA SCHATZ, SOPRANO ROSEMARY MACPHEE, MEZZO COLIN AINSWORTH, TENOR ROBERT STEWART, BARITONE AND TALISKER PLAYERS Saturday, February 27, 1999 8:00P.M. Yorkminster Park Baptist Churi:h 1585 Yonge Street (on east side, just north of St: Clair) Admission: Adults • Students/Seniors (group rates availablt!) For tickets or concert infonnatiiln 41&69!H879 TORONTo's ONLY COMPREHENSIVE CLASSICAL & CONTEMPORARY CONCERT LISTING SOURCE

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