HORAL SCENE BY lARRY
HORAL SCENE BY lARRY BECKWITH For me the month of June always brings back fond memories of the 1989 and 1993 Internatiomil · Choral Festivals that hapPened iti Toronto. There are not~early as many choral events happening as there were in those special years, b~t a glance through the calendar brings up quite a few concerts of interest. S9NG OF SONGS June 2 is your last chance to take irl' the unique offering entitled . The Song of Songs. This is a · cqllaboration between David . Fallis's Toronto Chamber Choir,. Brad Ratzlaff's Trinity-St. Paul's United Church Choir and the Lachan Choir, directed by Ben Maissner. It's a multi~media affair centring on the myriad of art inspired by the biblical Song of Songs. ORPHEUS PREMIERES RA~JtiNSH The Orpheus Choir of Toronto, conducted by Brainerd Blyden Taylor, giv~s the premiere of ; Sonnets to Orpheus by the Canadian composer hnant Raminsh on June 5. The work includes eight of the famous sonnets by Rainer Maria Rilke and is set for baritone (Kevin McMillan), large choir and orchestra. Presenting a new work of this magnitude is a huge · undertaking and I know that this event has been in the works for some years now. Bravo to the Orpheus Choir for bringing it to fruition .. The programme also includes Elgar's Sea Pictures and VailghanWilliams' Serenade to Music. The Raminsh will be broadcast on CBC's Choral . Concert at the end of June. AMADeUs AND NEXUS Th.e neXt evening at the Ford Centre, the Amadeus Choir, conducted by Lydia Adams, give their season-ending concert with Nexils. Robin Engelman will . have a new work ori the programme along with pieces by iohn Wyte and William Mathias. (And remember, if you are ~ · The Toronto Choral Society ~ .. .Goes to the Movies! A Wl)nd(1r:IW eveniirg of treasured music .trom familiar, well-loved and Oscar-winning movies featur'ing · Requiem By Wolfgang llmadeu$ Mozart interested in entering the Amadeus Choir's popular Christmas Carol and Chanukah Song writing competition you have until September 20 to get your entries in. Cash awards and performances happen in December. For more information, the choir has a splendid website at http:// amadeus. idirect.com.) BIG DAY FOR CQ June 12 is a big day for Choirs Ontario. We're holding our Annual General Meeting at Bloor Street United Church at 4:00pm, breakillg for dinner, then · returning to the church for a concert by Ron Cheung's Voices choir. If you are at all interested in the organization, please attend our AGM and- if you still like us! - consider taking mit a membership. As always, if you'd like further information about Choirs Ontario, just give me a call at 9i3-1144. TSO TIMES TWO 1l1e Toronto Mendelssohn Choir participates in two Toronto Symphony progrrumnes tlus month. Mahler's Third Symphony, conducted by music director Jukka-Pekka Saraste is rarely heard and features women's voices. The annual tlrrowback to colonial times known as the Last Night oftl1e · Proms, conducted by the-wonderful Bnimwell Tovey highlights old warhorses, Empire chestnuts and incongruities like the· Polevetsian Dances from Prince Igor. Don't argue with tradition! GUELPH SPRING If you fancy a trip out of town, the Guelph Spring Festival continues into the flrst week of June and presents a Bach celebration on June I. There are also several children's choir concerts Ulking place in June. The Oakville 'Cliil4ren's Chorus performs-June 5, the awardwinning La Jeunesse Northum-. berland Girls' Choir of Cobourg performs June 6 and again at the· end of the month in a run of Anne of G.reen Gables. The Georgian Bay Children's Choir of Owen Sound gives concerts June 5 and 12 and the Saugeen Children's Chorus concerti;zes June 13 in Port Elgin. CAM MAC I( you are~ ad!llt amate.tir chorister, the Canadian Amateur Musicians/Musiciens Amateurs du Canada run a camp in the summer that you might be interested in. It takes place at Cedar Glen in the Caledon Hills and runs from July 25 to August 1 and August I tQ 8. For more. information, -call cAMMAc at 421-0779 . . Ple~;~s.e see Choral Quick Picks. page 14 Larry Beckwith. is the.Geheral . M anager of Choirs Ontario. He can be reached at 416 923 1144. And. selections from Titanic, Platoon, Carousel and others ********** Conductor: Geoffrey Butler Accompanist: William_ O'Meara Guest Soloists: Suzanne Kompass -Soprano Sandra Boyes - Alto Mark Dubois -Tenor Bruce Kelly - Baritone Wednesday, June 2, 1999 ~ 8.00 p.in. George Westo~ ~ial Hall, Ford Centre for the Performing Azts 5040 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontazio .- Tickets -..50 for Tickets and Information call: 416-410~3509 · All voices are welcome to audition for one of Canada's premiere large choirs, conducted by Lydia Adams. The 115- voice SATB choir, cele _brating its 25th season in 1999-2000, perfonns in the George Weston Recital Hall, Ford Centre for the Performing Arts. For an· appointment, call Joan Andrews at (905) 642-8706. r--·-- -- ---------....,......·- --- -~ I I COME SING I WITH US! I j ~~~~~ ~gh~l~~n~r of I auditions for the 1999- ! 2000 seas()n. Singers l in all voice ranges : ore welcome. · I l l To schedule on I . oydition, telephone the. Choir Office at ., ! (905) 527-5995. l ___ _______ ______ ---- -- ----·-· --
