- CLASSICAL COl\li\IENT mass and motets by a Renaissance composer. Proceeds from every concert go to the Out of the Cold program. The Missa paschalis by Agricola (May 28) is next. Early on in the Toronto International Choral Festival -next month (June 2), one of the best and mosttravelled professional choirs in Canada, the Vancouver Chamber Choir (Jon Washburn, conductor), performs a beautiful program of Renaissance and early Baroque music - the beautiful Requiem for Six Voices by Victoria, and works by Weelkes, Janequin, Monteverdi and Morley. And if you've ever th6ught that early music is too esoteric, don't miss the Scottish Dunedin Consort (June 6), rapidly establishing itself at the forefront of professional singing in. Britain. Finally, while combing the listings, don't forget ·"Further Afield" starting on page 45. The Renaissance Singers May 25 concert. is a good example of why. Frank T. Nahishima , President of the Toronto Early Music Centre, is atjranknok@interlog.com CHORAL SCENE by Larry Beckwith May is the month when choral music-making is usually beginning to wind down for the season in Toronto, but 2002 is a special yeat. If anything, the action's just beginning. The first two weekends in May are packed with exciting choral con .certs, which will serve as hearty appetizers to the Podium conference on the May long-weekend and the commencement of the Joy of Singing Festival on May 31. -- The Toronto Children's Chorus celebrat~s Harry Freedman's 80th birthday in style on May 4 (his actual birthday's on April 5), with pe_rformances of a number ofhis choral works, including his classic Keewaydin from 1971 , a collage work using Ontario place names in Ojibway as a text. Originally born in Poland, but brought up in Western Canada, Freedman is one of our treasures. He studied with Weinzweig, Messiaen and Copland, but quickly developed his own unique compositional voice and has given us a beautiful body of choral works over the years. The concert on May 4 is at the pristine George Weston Recital Hall and features a pre-con- / cert talk with Freedman. It promises to be a festive and warm event. The following . afternoon (May 5) se~s an eclectic range of choral events happening, including a spring concert from the Echo Harry Freedman Women's Choir (directed by Alan Gasser and Becca Whitla). The program includes music from North America, Chile, the Balkans and the British Isles, with a little Brahms thrown into the mix, as well. On the same afternoon, th~ long- MAKING S 0 U N D B E TT E R CLASS I CA~~ 14 www.thewholenote.com M ay 1 - June 7 2002
CLASSICAL Col\IENT standing Toronto Jewish Folk also feature works by Andrew· Choir presents their 76th annual Ager, Paul' Halley and R. Murray spring concert featuring Yiddish Schafer. The choir recently placed songs and music by Leonard 2nd in the CBC Choral Competi Bernstein and the late Srul Irving tion and have been celebrating their Glick. Glick, a passionate composer 20th anniversary-with exciting perof large-scale choral works and Ii- formances to sold out houses all turgical pieces for temple worship, year. Get your tickets early to died on April 17 of this year, after avoid disappointment. a lengthy illness. Also on the afternoon of May 5, Jurgen Petrenko's In the middle Toronto Classical Singers romp of the month, the Alexander through Haydn's Creation, one of Singers and the Canadian Chil7 thegreathighClassicalchoralworks. dren's Opera Chorus keep the The ubiquitous Talisker Players Gilbert and Sullivan industry alive contribute the instrumentals. with performances of Iolanthe and The Elmer Iseler Singers par- The Mikado respectively. (And ticipate in the Aldeburgh Connec- · we' re already looking forward to tioil's annual Greta Kraus the CCOC's revival in 2003 of Schubertiad on May 8. Harry Somers' masterpiece, A The Exultate Chamber Singers Midwinter's Nights Dream --- but move from strength to strength with that's another story.) a performance on May 10 entitled The Young and the Young at Heart, On May 11, David Fallis' Toin which they are joined by the ronto Chamber Choir offer two chamber choir from Earl Haig Sec- of the most wonderful works inondary School and the TopcliffEI- spired by the patron saint of muementary School Choir.. Derek sic. Handel's St. Cecilia's Day Holman has written a new piece for Ode, which was ~ritten for the all three choirs and the evening will celebrations in 1739, features a The Orpheus Choir of Toronto ~ invites applications for th~ position of Artistic Director. ~ o a o NT o 'PJf Orpheus is a SO-voice auditioned choir with a 4-concert season, plus outside engagements, and a wide-ranging repertoire. Interested parties should send a resume to The Orpheus Choir of Toronto, P.O. Box 662, Sm. F. Toronto, ON M4Y 2N6, no later than June 30th, 2002. An information package will be sent out. For further information, please call Helen Coxon at ( 416) 586-5897(W) or (416) 251-3803 (H). i• ocaJ en s e1nb le An auditioned vocal ensemble is seeking new members for September, 2002 /'(lixed repertoire with exciting performance opportunities May 1 - June 7 2002 Rehearsals located in downtown core Director: Geoffrey Butler Accompanist: Jenny Crober For an audition, please call 905 764-5140
