Blue Pages 2020

Read Profile

The namesake of the Victoria Scholars, Tomás Luis de Victoria, was an outstanding Renaissance composer whose music is renowned for its spirituality and emotional expressiveness. The Victoria Scholars bring clarity and balance of sound so characteristic of Renaissance music to all their repertoire, encompassing Medieval plainchant, works from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and contemporary eras, and newly-commissioned works. Past winners of the Healey Willan Grand Prize in the CBC Radio National Competition for Amateur Choirs, the Victoria Scholars have performed with many exceptional arts organizations (including Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Kiev Chamber Choir) and vocal soloists (including Sondra Radvanovsky, Michael Schade, Russell Braun and Norine Burgess). They have toured nationally and internationally and are heard regularly on CBC Radio 2 and Classical 96.3FM.

We are pleased to offer audiences a three-concert series each year; however, due to COVID-19 and in the interests of the health and safety of both our audience and choir members, we currently do not have any concerts planned. Please visit us on our website or Facebook for updates on the remainder of the 2020/21 season should the situation change.

Read Profile

Vesnivka Choir, established in 1965 by founding artistic director Halyna Kvitka Kondracki, is an award-winning women’s ensemble whose repertoire consists of Ukrainian liturgical, classical, contemporary and traditional folk music. The choir’s regular concert season comprises three major concerts, one of which is an annual Christmas concert. Vesnivka, together with its partner the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir (TUMCC), are often accompanied by local professional soloists and chamber ensembles. The choir also sings Christmas and Easter Liturgies. While regular rehearsals (normally held on Mondays for TUMCC and on Tuesdays for Vesnivka) as well as performances have been put on hold as a result of the current pandemic, the choirs are occasionally meeting virtually to continue their work. New singers are welcome. We invite you to explore our website for information on the choirs and on Vesnivka's e-library of Ukrainian choral music, which offers free downloadable scores in both Ukrainian and transliterated versions. Information on ordering CD recordings is also available on the website. We look forward to resuming our full schedule and sharing live music with you as soon as it is safe to do so.