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Established in 2009, the Wychwood Clarinet Choir is directed by clarinetist and conductor Michele Jacot. Members of the choir include skilled clarinetists who share a love of music-making, friendship and fun. The group rehearses weekly and performs on a regular basis in Toronto’s St. Clair and Wychwood area. The instrumentation of the WCC extends from the contrabass clarinet to the E-flat sopranino. The choir’s repertoire includes many compositions and arrangements written by the group’s own Composers’ Collective, and by the choir’s late composer and conductor laureate, Howard Cable.

The Wychwood Clarinet Choir embraces the ideal of ‘music for life” and is committed to sharing the musical experience in educational settings and in the wider community.

Choir members are admitted by audition and pay a modest annual membership fee.

Three concerts are planned for the 2019/20 season. “Creepy Clarinets,” a Halloween themed concert on October 27; “Midwinter Suites” on February 23; and “Sounds of Spring” on May 24. Please visit the choir’s website for all the exciting details!

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York Region Chamber Music is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting chamber music experiences inside and outside the concert hall to inspire both seasoned concertgoers and first-time listeners. Primarily based at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, York Region Chamber Music also presents throughout York Region at venues such as the Aurora Cultural Centre.

York Region Chamber Music focuses on featuring exciting, young, professional performers and bringing new works by emerging composers to the stage. As advocates for classical music and the arts, we have strong ties with the community and local organizations through partnerships, including the City of Richmond Hill and the York Region Arts Council.

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York University’s Department of Music presents many public events each season. This year, our “Faculty Spotlight Series” showcases jazz bassist, Al Henderson; pianist Dorothy de Val; pianist/composer Michael Coghlan; and The Accolade Trio featuring clarinetist Patricia Wait and cellist Mark Chambers. 

Classical chamber concerts and performances by the York U Concert and Chamber Choirs are also offered along with electroacoustic explorations and student compositions. Our annual “World Music Festival” celebrates a wide variety of musical practices including Caribbean, West African and Celtic traditions. The “Music at Midday” series offers free lunchtime performances featuring guest artists, faculty, and student talent. 

Masterclasses by leading Canadian and international artists are frequently open to observers. Each term concludes with showcase performances by the York U Symphony Orchestra, Gospel Choir and Wind Symphony, as well as a four-day jazz festival. Performances take place in the Tribute Communities Recital Hall or in the informal setting of the Martin Family Lounge in the Accolade East Building at York’s Keele campus.

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The Yorkminster Park Baptist Church senior choir, under organist and music director William Maddox, enjoys a reputation as one of the best congregational choirs in the city of Toronto. Yorkminster Park presents a series of free organ recitals at 12:30pm, every Wednesday from September through June, with performers from around the world.

We have a wide variety of unique musical events throughout the year, but Yorkminster Park is renowned for its special seasonal concerts. 

The quality and dedication of the music ministry at YPBC is never more evident than during Advent and Holy Week and these services have become community traditions: “City Carol Sing,” “Carols by Candlelight,” the “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols,” “Passiontide Devotion” during Holy Week and traditional Evensong services three times a year. Our sanctuary is frequently made available to other choral and concert groups, which draw appreciative audiences from all over Southern Ontario.

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Luisa Trisi’s lifelong love of arts and culture led her to launch Big Picture Communications in 1999. She has worked with many of North America’s leading figures in classical music, dance, and theatre, and has designed publicity campaigns for major arts hubs, cultural initiatives, national festivals, and conferences.

Luisa provides an array of strategic communication services to a broad range of clients, including many high-profile Canadian cultural organizations. Throughout her 20-plus years of experience, she has established an extensive network of media and industry contacts. She works closely with clients to generate noteworthy coverage in a variety of traditional and digital outlets - from mainstream media to niche publications. Passionate about city-building, community, and creativity, Luisa thrives on connecting people and ideas.

Prior to launching Big Picture Communications, Luisa held positions with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Dance Umbrella of Ontario, and Theatre Columbus. As director of communications and an instructor at Ryerson Theatre School for almost a decade, Luisa designed and taught courses on entrepreneurship to students pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.

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The Bobolink Agency is a full-service performing arts agency which has represented some of Canada’s finest musical artists, ensembles and attractions for bookings across Canada. These currently include tenor Ben Heppner, the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Men of the Deeps and “Unforgettable: The Nat King Cole Story.”

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Concerts in Care Ontario provides live professional music for our senior audiences living in long-term and memory care, assisted, and independent living facilities. We offer classical, jazz, American Songbook, and occasional special event ensembles from solos to quartets. We curate a series of concerts over a 12-month period, starting with a minimum of four concerts, with no upper limit. This way the seniors hear a variety of the best professional musicians in each genre, or from their preferred styles.

Narrative and connection with audiences is a huge part of our mandate. We understand that music is a socializing opportunity. So Concerts in Care performances belong to the residents, not to the musicians. Our performers tell stories, describe the music, and spend time after the concert visiting with their audience members. We operate in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Sudbury, and London, partnering with the local professional symphonies, top freelancers, and festivals to ensure best quality performances for our aging populations. Fees are on a sliding scale, designed as much as possible to suit the budget of each facility.

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Dean Artists Management brings over 20 years of excellence and expertise to the management of classically trained singers, conductors, opera directors and choreographers.

Committed to integrity and personal attention, the size and structure of our agency enables us to remain responsive to our clients’ needs, while sustaining successful relationships with producers in North America and abroad. 

Working as a team to strategically broaden the careers of established artists, we are equally known for our ability to nurture and guide emerging careers. Our artists include specialists in both early and contemporary music, carefully chosen “crossover” artists, and those directors and conductors who have a particular knowledge of, and affinity for, opera, choral and vocal orchestral repertoire. After more than two decades in international arts management, we remain competitive and attuned to the trends of the symphonic, opera and choral music markets, and the visions of our colleagues and clients.

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Celebrating 20 years as an entertainment publicity, promotions and marketing agency, dkpr public relations inc. is known for “getting you noticed, getting you in the news.” With a celebrity client list and experience working in New York, Los Angeles, London and Toronto, dkpr specializes in publicity and marketing for many kinds of music and musical theatre. dkpr’s services include: media relations for small to mid-sized music organizations; creating social media campaigns; marketing and advertising; and creating cost-effective websites and promotions. We also frequently work with individual artists to assist them in producing their shows to attract new audiences and corporate sponsorships and media partnerships. Principal Deborah Knight has worked personally with Placido Domingo, The Three Tenors (Carreras, Pavarotti, Domingo), Ben Heppner, Michael Schade, Sondra Radvanovsky, several orchestras, Tony Bennett and Diana Krall, Martin Short, Andrea Martin, and Bea Arthur, just to name a few. Media outlets include: CTV, CBC, Star!, Comedy Network, WTN, and HGTV across several television shows. We are a small office, based downtown with rates that are affordable and we will give complementary meetings over coffee for interesting projects.

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For over 35 years, the IRCPA, a unique, charitable, service organization has provided resources to emerging young professional musicians. Our goal is to enable them to achieve sustainable fulfilling careers that meet or exceed their goals in the search for excellence.

For the jazz trio or string quartet that feels stuck in its development and is keen to reach new audiences, the singer who has completed his or her training but isn’t clear on the next steps to take, the pianist looking beyond winning competitions - for all of these situations and more, the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists aims to help turn potential into accomplishment and employment.

We provide workshops and roundtable discussions for networking and information on the workings of the industry, which are not easily available. Encounters with seasoned experienced artists for savvy solutions to challenges, including financial planning are tools the new professional receives only with experience. Public performances build audiences and fan bases. Membership and most events are without charge. Please visit our website - our charitable number is: 100220417 RR0001.

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Having begun her career as a summer reporter on the Winnipeg Tribune, arts publicist Linda Litwack is a long-practised matchmaker between artists and the media. Her services include various forms of writing and editing – from media releases and bios to radio spots, online postings and CD booklets – working with designers, photographers and other professionals, and, of course, liaising with the media.

In addition to media, music and other contact lists, she maintains a list of friends, usually offering discounts for special events. Since leaving CBC Publicity (20 years in radio and 3 in TV), she has collaborated with numerous creative people on intriguing projects, mostly in classical music but also in theatre, TV documentaries, books and the visual arts. Longtime clients have included Show One Productions, pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico and soprano Denise Williams. Linda ran the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir for several years, and chaired its Program Committee. She is also a board member of the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists.

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Rebecca Davis Public Relations provides publicity, media and communications services to musicians, arts organizations and record labels, specializing in classical, jazz and other niche genres.

From offices in New York and Florida, RDPR brings a respected and enthusiastic voice, in-depth musical knowledge and broad promotional expertise to help artists achieve meaningful visibility in both mainstream and specialist press. We boast a network of relationships with members of the media in print, on-air and online that we reach through targeted pitching and creative storytelling. Our holistic approach to a client’s communications strategy involves refining and amplifying messaging to effectively reach audiences across all channels from websites and press materials to social media.

Rebecca Davis PR has implemented successful media campaigns for instrumentalists, singers, composers, ensembles and institutions, including: Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann, Danielle de Niese, Elīna Garanča, Bryn Terfel, Giancarlo Guerrero, Tessa Lark, Yuja Wang, Cantus and the Calidore String Quartet as well as institutions including the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the Nashville Symphony.

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SPEAK Music is a Canadian publicity and promotions company based in Toronto, Ontario. Our mission is to help discover new musical talent and reconnect established artists with the ever-changing Canadian media landscape. We specialize in genres from folk to indie, world music to jazz, country and blues to pop, and everything in between. With a focus on artist development, SPEAK Music has been providing encouragement and professional support to performing musicians, independent record labels, distributors, festivals, not-for-profit organizations, and music charities since March 2003.

SPEAK Music has you covered in the media landscape, including press releases and album servicing, consulting, media training, reviews, features, interviews, premieres, non-commercial radio, and tour press. We want your music to be heard by as many media and music tastemakers as possible.

Director and PR professional Beverly Kreller has extensive media and artist relations, publicity, special event, and production experience. Beverly has strong communications and writing skills, and is highly organized, motivated, enthusiastic, and results-oriented. She is also a musician; performing and touring regularly, in her widely-acclaimed duo HOTCHA!.

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The Aga Khan Museum explores and celebrates cross-cultural dialogue through the arts. A centre for innovation and creativity, the Museum offers unique insights and new perspectives into the potential of art and culture to act as a catalyst for intercultural dialogue, engaged global citizenship, and social change. Visit our website for the most up-to-date information on programs and events at the Museum.

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Enlivening Toronto’s arts community for 47 years, the award-winning Amadeus Choir is a semi-professional choir of auditioned voices from Toronto and the surrounding areas. The Choir champions the best of choral music and premieres works of Canadian and international composers through a self-produced Toronto concert series, guest performances, and special events. Known well beyond Toronto through tours, festivals, recordings, and national and international radio broadcasts, the Choir collaborates with many professional performing arts organizations in the GTA. In 2019, after celebrating the 35-year leadership of Lydia Adams, the Choir welcomed Kathleen Allan as artistic director and conductor.

We are delighted to announce our 2020/21 season: re:Vision - Choral creation in a new age. As the world rushes into an unexpected era, we present a vision for the future of choral music, leaning on the ways in which choral music strengthens the bonds that make us human. Our theme is “vision” in all its forms: envisioning and innovating the future of our art form, seeing through the eyes of diverse artistic creators, and a hopeful vision for a future where all people can raise their voices in song together.

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The Annex Singers of Toronto, now in its 41st season, is a spirited 60-voice auditioned choir with an eclectic repertoire spanning seven centuries. Under the dynamic and creative leadership of artistic director Maria Case, the choir performs three programs each season, collaborating with an exciting array of professional soloists and ensembles. Recent performances include Poulenc’s Gloria, Dobrogosz’s Jazz Mass, Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor, and the acclaimed original choral drama December Diaries. The Annex Chamber Choir, a smaller ensemble drawn from the main choir, is dedicated to presenting gems from the chamber repertoire. We offer choral development workshops led by some of Toronto’s most innovative clinicians, engage in community outreach, and encourage young singers with a sponsorship program.

In the 2020/21 season, we will present a virtual seasonal concert on Saturday, December 12, and continue our tradition of creative programming in the spring of 2021. Fall rehearsals will take place on Monday evenings over Zoom. We welcome experienced singers - please visit our website to arrange an audition.

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Renowned concert pianist Andrew Burashko formed Art of Time Ensemble in 1998 by inviting a group of like-minded musicians and prominent figures in dance, theatre and other art forms to perform one-off concerts in Toronto. The company has gone on to become a leader in Toronto’s vibrant performing arts scene, through its subscription season at the Harbourfront Centre Theatre, regular appearances at Koerner Hall, album releases, performances with leading Canadian orchestras, and tours of its unique offerings to dozens of cities throughout Canada and the United States.

Exploring the relationship between classical music and other genres such as jazz, pop, electronica, rock, folk, electroacoustic, gospel and others, Art of Time seeks to reveal the qualities that lie at the heart of all great music.

The ranks of Art of Time Ensemble’s artists are deep and their talents unmatched; featured collaborators include authors Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, jazz legend Branford Marsalis, vocalists Madeleine Peyroux, Sarah Slean, Hawksley Workman and Tony Award-winner Brent Carver, composers such as Gavin Bryars and Jonathan Goldsmith, and many more.

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The Azrieli Foundation improves the lives of present and future generations by focusing its funding in education, research, healthcare and the arts. In addition to strategic philanthropic investments, the foundation operates a number of programs including the Azrieli Prize in Architecture, the Azrieli Fellows Program, the Azrieli Science Grants Program, the Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program and the Azrieli Music Prizes.

Established in 2014, the biennial Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) offer opportunities for the discovery, creation, performance and celebration of excellence in concert music composition. Two international prizes focus on new Jewish music; a third celebrates creating new Canadian music. Submissions are accepted from composers of all faiths, ages, backgrounds and affiliations and evaluated by two expert AMP juries.

All three winning composers receive a $50,000 CAD cash prize and are invited to participate in: the rehearsals and performance of their winning works at the AMP Gala Concert; subsequent international premieres; and the recording of their work for a future commercial release.

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The Barrie Concert Association, a charitable non-profit organization, presents 12 live performances of mainly Classical music from September/October to May. One-hour piano/organ recitals are also held the first three Wednesdays of every month - presenting classical, baroque, blues and light jazz.

During the COVID-19 situation, we daily get phone calls from subscribers hoping concerts can resume. They miss the music - and in these times probably need the music more than ever. However we can only start the performances again when it is safe to do so - we must care for the health challenges of the audience. We will keep you posted with developments as they happen.

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Luisa Trisi’s lifelong love of arts and culture led her to launch Big Picture Communications in 1999. Passionate about city-building, community, and creativity, Luisa thrives on connecting people and ideas. She has worked with many of North America’s leading figures in classical music, dance, and theatre, and has produced publicity campaigns and panel discussions for major arts hubs, cultural initiatives, national festivals, and conferences.

Luisa provides an array of strategic communications services including writing, media relations, content creation, and editorial planning for a broad range of individual clients and cultural organizations. Throughout her twenty-plus years of experience, she has established an extensive network of industry and media contacts.

Prior to launching Big Picture Communications, Luisa held positions with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Dance Umbrella of Ontario, and Theatre Columbus. As Director of Communications and an instructor at Ryerson Theatre School for almost a decade, Luisa designed and taught courses on entrepreneurship to students pursuing Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees.

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Robert Missen, the Burlington-based proprietor of The Bobolink Agency, celebrates 35 years representing some of Canada's most distinguished classical and jazz performing artists, ensembles and attractions. His two artist management companies, Robert Missen Artists (1990 to 2005) and The Bobolink Agency (2010 to present), have arranged and promoted tours of such artists as Ben Heppner, Maureen Forrester, Veronica Tennant, Sylvia Tyson, Michael Burgess, Elmer Iseler Singers and The Men of the Deeps.

In the upcoming seasons Bobolink will be undertaking tours with RH Thomson (A Christmas Carol), Heather Bambrick and The Canadian Jazz All Stars, and musical theatre star Chilina Kennedy among others. Black Artists Matter, a special new roster, will feature attractions celebrating such esteemed Black Canadian artists as Joe Sealy and Jackie Richardson (“Africville Stories”), Thom Allison in “Unforgettable - The Nat King Cole Story”, Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley in “Sugar and Gold - The Underground Railroad Story”, and special programs from the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and Toronto Mass Choir.

Stay tuned for a new Toronto venture entitled “Words and Music”, which celebrates cabaret, Bach cantatas, and art song recitals.

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Now over 50 years old, the CCOC consists of six chorus divisions of children and youth from junior kindergarten to grade 12, and is the only permanent children's opera company in Canada to regularly commission and produce operas for children. Opera is simply storytelling with music, and those are two things that kids and youth love!

A unique experience, the CCOC offers members unparalleled performance opportunities and life skills through age-appropriate vocal and dramatic training. This year programming will be predominantly online, with the occasional gathering in person when safe and appropriate. Auditions are held April to June and occasionally during the year. A non-auditioned in- and after-school workshop program was launched in 2008 as part of the OPERAtion KIDS outreach arm of the CCOC.

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Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The company enjoys an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The company typically presents six fully-staged productions at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts annually. In light of current health guidelines around the spread of COVID-19, the company has created "Opera Everywhere" - a new slate of digital opera experiences that can be shared and enjoyed safely. The COC’s repertoire spans the history of opera from the Baroque to the 21st-century and includes several commissioned works and Canadian premieres. The COC engages professional opera artists from all over the world, including a significant number of Canadian singers, directors, conductors and designers. The company performs with its own professional chorus and orchestra. The company also fosters emerging Canadian talent through its Ensemble Studio, Orchestra Academy and company-in-residence programs.

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Founded in 1998, the Canadian Sinfonietta (CS) is a chamber orchestra led by artistic director and founder, Tak-Ng Lai, in partnership with concertmaster Joyce Lai. The orchestra is composed of 14-25 professional musicians who perform a series of concerts annually as a large ensemble, as well as a number of chamber concerts in various intimate settings throughout the GTA and Ontario.

The mission of CS is to reintroduce live chamber music to the growing GTA communities, producing a new generation of concert-goers by presenting concerts that are traditional with a twist. The programs are innovative and often feature world premiere works both Canadian and international, multicultural music, non-western instruments, and highlight diverse Canadian artists. CS is a community-conscious group and plays an active role through the partnership with local community organizations in promoting the appreciation of music across various cultures; mentoring young artists, and using music as a language to engage and link people of all ages and status within the community. CS believes that “chamber music is for everyone.” In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CS now also has an online presence, with virtual projects, as well as outdoor concerts.

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The Canzona Chamber Players concert series is a volunteer community group, founded in 2002 by Jacob Stoller and Jonathan Krehm. Prior to COVID-19, live concerts were produced for St. Andrew by the Lake church, on Toronto Island by Roger Sharp and Jonathan Krehm, and beginning in 2012 for venues in downtown Toronto, most recently the St. George the Martyr church. Many of the live concerts were documented by Alison Gray (video) and John Gray (audio) and are available to watch on Canzona's YouTube Channel or on our website.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Canzona Chamber Players have been safely broadcasting recitals, recorded to the highest standard, made possible by technical wizardry of Evan Mitchell (video), and John Gray (audio). These performances can be viewed on our youtube channel. The concerts are free to view, and Canzona Chamber Players asks for any amount to be made to the St. Michael's Hospital Foundation COVID-19 Courage Fund at http://smh.convio.net/couragefund.

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Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra is a volunteer community orchestra that has been based in Scarborough since 1986. The orchestra presents seven concerts each season, including a subscription series of five concerts.

Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra brings to life some of the greatest musical masterpieces, presents internationally-acclaimed performers, and helps introduce some of Canada’s rising stars in their debut performances with a symphony orchestra.  Looking for an orchestra to play in? Send your inquiries to us via email.

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Steeped in musical heritage and assisted by a generous acoustic, St. Mary Magdalene offers a music program strongly rooted in the tradition established by Healey Willan. Every Sunday at 11am: Solemn Mass - the Gallery Choir sings a mass and motet from the west gallery, while the Ritual Choir sings the Gregorian propers from the east end. Both choirs rehearse on Thursdays. At the 9:30am Sung Mass, the SMM Singers sing a motet and lead congregational singing. Membership is informal: rehearsals are at 9am directly before the service; regular attendance is not mandatory.

One Sunday per month at 4:30pm, the meditative Solemn Evensong and Benediction is sung, preceded by an organ recital at 4pm. 

For information, please contact the director of music, Andrew Adair.

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Fine music is central to life at the Church of St. Peter and St. Simon-the-Apostle. Whether it is our own choir that sings services in the Anglican prayer book tradition – and whose calibre is such that it has twice been invited to sing services in cathedrals in Britain, most recently at Gloucester and Chichester in the summer of 2019 – or the many visiting ensembles and choirs choosing us for their concerts. The church seats 300 for a concert and has an adjacent hall, also with superb acoustics, seating 175 for a smaller concert.

Our 1883 Jacobean Arts and Crafts building (with exquisite windows, a beautiful sanctuary, and a cloister-style courtyard) sits in one of the most intensely interesting neighborhoods in the city. At 525 Bloor St. E. (close to subway), between Sherbourne and Parliament, it has old Rosedale to the north, multi-faceted St. Jamestown to the south, and a fever of new condo developments to the east and west. It exists as an oasis in the midst of this, providing space as well for local youth choral programs and music teachers. Please join us for services, or consider our space for your next musical event.

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Since 2006, Concerts in Care Ontario has presented programming that makes a significant impact in a range of seniors’ care communities across Ontario. Anchored at the intersection of artistic excellence and research about music and the brain, we curate series of turnkey concerts in seniors’ facilities, performed by top-calibre professional musicians. Concerts in Care Ontario knows that music can unlock the healing power to transform. Our concerts provide a focal point for building bridges between elders, caregivers and loved ones, while engaging powerful emotions which can activate memory and improve mood for seniors in care who may be isolated and withdrawn. As soon as Ontario went into lockdown in mid-March, we immediately transformed our musical services into digital musical content in two distinct forms to connect with seniors effectively:

• Live 30-min concert videos that bring specially trained professional musicians to thousands of isolated seniors through high quality productions framed in an informal and personal approach.
• Interactive Zoom Concert Calls including highest quality performances, plus live Q&As and conversations with the musicians.
• And Music Outside plus Concertmobile with Tapestry Opera.

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Confluence - “an act or process of merging” - presents engaging concerts ranging from jazz to traditional South Asian music, opera to pop, across centuries and cultures. Artistic producer Larry Beckwith and artistic associates Andrew Downing, Marion Newman, Patricia O’Callaghan, and Suba Sankaran collaborate with a wide cross-section of Toronto's rich and diverse arts community to create intimate, thought-provoking programs, including cabarets, anniversary programs celebrating important figures in music, salons and lectures on a wide variety of musical topics, and commissions of new works by Canadian artists. Our 2020/21 online season features: “Something to Live For - A Billy Strayhorn Celebration”; “A Purcell Remembrance - The Exaltation of Poetry”; “Creativity and Aging - The Late Works of Olivier Messiaen and Leonard Cohen”; “The Mandala - The Beauty of Impermanence”; “The Butterfly Project - The Ballade of Chō-Chō San”; “The John Beckwith Songbook - Over 70 Years of Originality”; and “Gracias a la Vida - Spanish Serenades”. In September we launched The Fuse, a monthly podcast that supports the vibrant Canadian music scene with interviews and articles about musicians, artists, and administrators across the country.

“...this series has established itself as one of the most important and consistently interesting in the city.” - John Gilks, Opera Ramblings.

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Counterpoint Community Orchestra has been operating as a community orchestra in downtown Toronto for 34 years. Formed in 1984, it was the first lesbian/gay/gay-positive orchestra in Canada and in the world. Counterpoint is a full symphony orchestra, and the programming is drawn from Baroque through contemporary orchestral repertoire. Rehearsals are at the 519 Community Centre on Church Street. The other pages in the ‘About Us’ section of our website give a more detailed history and description of Counterpoint Community Orchestra.

Counterpoint Community Orchestra performs three concerts during the season in December, March and June and participates in “Nuit Rose”.

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The 24-voice DaCapo Chamber Choir was founded in 1998 in Kitchener-Waterloo under the direction of Leonard Enns. The mission of the choir is to identify, study, rehearse and present outstanding choral chamber works of the past 100 years and to champion music of Canadian and local composers. Our 2020/21 season has been postponed, but we hope to present the concluding concert of our three-year “Road to Refuge” series (cancelled this past May) as soon as it is safe to gather in 2021. “Illimitably Earth” will be a full-on celebration of renewal – it will be a shout of joy (on so many levels!). We will include two extended works for choir and piano, with guest pianist Catherine Robertson: Srul Irving Glick’s celebrative “Triumph of the Spirit” and Thomas Nazziola’s “Another Spring,” a work that is absolutely on point as the conclusion of our three-year Road to Refuge project.

In the meantime, we are releasing archival concert recordings on our YouTube channel. And our NewWorks CD is available to stream on all major platforms (Read the review of this CD in the April 2019 issue of The WholeNote.) Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @DaCapoChoir!

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The Don Wright Faculty of Music at Western University in London, Ontario is situated in a research-intensive university on a campus that is inviting and striking. It is an environment that enables students to grow artistically and academically, with a strong focus on community. Our students are among 650 of the brightest and most talented young artist scholars, who come to study in one of our many undergraduate and graduate programs. With the faculty and staff, they are committed to excellence in creative and scholarly work.

In our 2020/21 season, we invite you to experience online the incredible diversity of musical styles and genres our students, faculty and guest artists have to offer. From student ensemble performances (from choirs and opera to orchestra, band, jazz, percussion, and early music), faculty concerts, and our signature “Fridays@12:30” concert series, we are pleased to bring this year's performances to you at home. Our goal is to share select performances online throughout the year - a blend of livestream and pre-recorded opportunities - while closely following university and local health authority guidelines. Safety and health is critical, as is offering students a musical experience.

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We are a newly formed, non-profit organization guided by internationally-acclaimed conductor Noel Edison to present choral music at its best. Our vision is to reach out to communities large and small with the world’s finest choral music. 

During our 2019/20 inaugural season, The Edison Singers presented concerts in three communities: Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Wellington County. These three centres are the hubs for our annual choral calendar, and our aim is to become an integral part of the musical life of each community.

For The Edison Singers' 2020/21 season we will be offering seven video recordings to be released online. You will see some behind-the-scenes footage of our physically-distanced rehearsals and be treated to brief on-camera introductions/programme notes from our conductor. Please stay tuned to our website for more details.

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Elmer Iseler Singers (EIS) is a 20-voice professional chamber choir based in Toronto and founded by the late Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979. Directed by the acclaimed Lydia Adams, the Singers are known for tonal beauty and interpretive range, and valued for their contributions to masterclasses and workshops with schools and community choirs.

The Elmer Iseler Singers have 15 recorded CDs featuring Canadian music. EIS with Toronto Symphony Orchestra were 2019 Grammy-nominated and 2019 JUNO-awarded for the brilliant Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Chandos CD recording, with Peter Oundjian conducting. EIS are 2014 National Choral Award recipients and JUNO nominees for “Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance” for Dark Star Requiem with Tapestry Opera and Gryphon Trio in 2017, and for David Braid’s Corona Divinae Misericordiae with Patricia O’Callaghan in 2019.

We are pleased to announce that the Elmer Iseler Singers will join the Viva Youth Singers in educational and collaborative sessions of mentorship with the EIS as vocal coaches in a study of Handel’s Messiah choruses in a virtual situation. We are excited about this new Get Music Initiative. The program of six sessions will take place in late October and throughout November 2020.

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Over its 40-year history, the Elora Festival, under the direction of Mark Vuorinen, has been recognized as one of North America's signature choral festivals, though it also presents all forms of classical, jazz, folk and popular music. The Elora Singers is the Elora Festival's Ensemble-in-Residence. The choir performs during the three weeks of the Festival, both with solo concerts and in collaboration with guest artists and ensembles.

Through a regular concert series, recordings, and touring, The Elora Singers has established a reputation as one of the finest professional chamber choirs in Canada. With twelve releases on the NAXOS label, The Elora Singers is known for its rich, warm sound and clarity of texture. The choir is renowned for its diverse styles, for its commitment to Canadian repertoire, and for its diverse collaborations with other Canadian and international artists. Recent and upcoming collaborations include the State Choir LATVIJA, Gesualdo Six, Voces 8, Festival of the Sound, Swiss Piano Trio, Natalie MacMaster and Steven Page. A new recording featuring new works by Barbara Croall (Giishkaapkag) and Reena Esmail (This Love between Us) was released in June 2020.

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“…chamber music at its evocative best!” – WholeNote 2020 review.

Pioneering piano chamber music sensation Ensemble Vivant performs innovative genre-diverse repertoire combined with passionate, deeply communicative playing that touches the hearts and souls of listeners of all ages.

Opening Day recording artists with 14 internationally-acclaimed CDs.

• “…highest-level chamber music-making. No matter the genre, there is magic in Ensemble Vivant's music-making.” - Jazz legend Rick Wilkins, C.M. 
  “…beautiful, poised performances...capture the passion and verve…Wilson’s piano gives this music unerring drive and plenty of sparkle.” - Toronto Star

Core Quintet: Catherine Wilson, piano/artistic director; Corey Gemmell, violin; Norman Hathaway, viola; Tom Mueller, cello; George Koller, bass. Regular collaborators: Kevin Turcotte, trumpet; Mike Murley, sax; Nick Fraser, drums; and others. EV is known for bringing evidence-based live performance programs to children (endorsed by the scientific community) and conducted through the not-for-profit registered charity Euterpe: Music For Health Canada (www.musicforhealthcanada.org). Euterpe received a three-year Ontario Trillium Foundation Grant in 2020.

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Founded in 1983 by music director and conductor Alex Pauk, Esprit Orchestra’s commitment to commissioning and advancing contemporary music has set it apart as one of the few organizations of its kind on a global scale. Esprit consistently collaborates with outstanding composers, and performs with first-class soloists and ensembles from Canada and abroad. Each concert season, Esprit Orchestra commissions, promotes and performs the work of Canadian composers, and features Canadian premieres of music by leading international composers. With a dynamic annual subscription concert series, this skilled orchestra presents music that is otherwise unavailable in Canada, always performed to the highest standards in the acoustically acclaimed Koerner Hall at the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning.

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Etobicoke Centennial Choir (ECC) is a welcoming, inclusive SATB community choir. We strive to enrich the lives of our choristers and audience members through inspired performances of diverse choral repertoire, ranging from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions and popular music.

ECC offers amateur singers a challenging but supportive choral music experience, facilitated by a professional music director, accompanist and section leads.

As a result of public health guidelines and restrictions related to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020/21 season will be like no other in ECC’s 54-year history. We will be offering virtual rehearsals on Tuesday evenings at 7:30pm, working on choral repertoire and vocal training. New singers are most welcome to join us in this new venture. If conditions permit, we may perform a live concert in late spring 2021. Please visit our website for further updates.

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The Etobicoke Community Concert Band is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020. Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, we have been unable to present our 25th Gala at this time. The band consists of approximately 45 to 50 members, ranging from amateur to semi-profession status. We play four formal concerts each year at Etobicoke Collegiate, 86 Montgomery Rd., with a wide variety of musical themes such as broadway, Hollywood, international music, patriotic themes, Big Band and conventional concert band music. There are two offshoots of the concert band, the Etobicoke Jazz Ensemble, which plays music from Latin jazz to traditional Big Band tunes, and we also have a great Woodwind Quintet.

The mission of the band is to enliven the spirit of the people of Etobicoke by providing high quality musical entertainment. The mission is accomplished by: providing an opportunity for musicians from the community to practice and perform in a challenging and supportive ensemble environment with a goal of developing and enhancing the musical skills of individuals. Meeting the needs of the community through public performances which present repertoire with wide appeal that take place at a variety of locations throughout the community.

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Celebrating 60 years of great orchestral music making in and around Etobicoke, the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra features programming that has something to inspire all our musicians and audience members.  We pride ourselves on being a welcoming community orchestra that offers amateur and professional musicians alike a challenging and friendly musical experience. Granted, this is not the 60th anniversary season the EPO had planned, but until it is safe to return to live performances at our usual Etobicoke venues, you can still celebrate music in your community with us! Join us on our online portal (eporchestra.ca) where you will find all things EPO presented with the same energy and enthusiasm you have come to expect from our live performances. You will enjoy mini performances, interviews, and conversations from soloists and orchestra members talking about their role in the orchestra, how important music is in their lives, and how much they appreciate the opportunity to perform for the community of Etobicoke. Join the talented team of musicians at the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Exultate Chamber Singers is proud to be celebrating its 40th anniversary during its upcoming 2020/21 season. The choir is enriched not only by the excellent musicianship of its members but also by their varied academic and professional backgrounds. Together they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire. Founded and led for 30 years by conductor and organist John Tuttle, the choir has since been under the direction of Dr. Karen Grylls (2011 to 2012), Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt (2013 to 2018), and its newest artistic director, Dr. Mark Ramsay. Exultate is a three-time winner of the Canada Council Healey Willan Grand Prize and recently won first place in the adult mixed-voice chamber choir category of the 2019 Choral Canada National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. The choir has appeared in performances with Alice Parker, Morten Lauridsen, and Ola Gjeilo, and has released five full-length albums to date.

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Flute Street is Toronto’s professional flute choir, whose players employ the full range of instruments from piccolo through treble, concert, alto, bass, contralto, contrabass, and even the double contrabass flute. Audiences have been delighted to hear the ensemble’s eclectic mix of classical, folk, jazz, pop, and Canadian and world premieres with featured international guest soloists, such as Jean-Louis Beaumadier, Christine Beard, Mary Ann Archer, Louis Papachristos, Kelly Via and low flutes specialist, Peter Sheridan. In addition to the regular three-concert series presented in Toronto, Flute Street has performed as guest artists in Quebec with Les Flûtistes de Montréal, at both Canadian Flute Conventions, and at the first International Low Flutes Festival in Washington D.C. Hear our current YouTube project, “Tutti Flutti” at our website, as we eagerly await our return to the live concert stage.

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The Hannaford Street Silver Band is Canada’s award-winning professional brass band. Its mission is to honour the traditions of this art form and place it in a contemporary context with a unique, Canadian point-of-view. We actively facilitate innovative creative projects and collaborate with the best of Canada’s diverse artists. Guided by the vision of artistic director David Pell, our 2020/21 season features streamed concerts that will showcase such artists as guest conductors James Sommerville and Gillian MacKay, mezzo-soprano soloist Marion Newman and world/fusion vocalist Suba Sankaran. Add to this wonderful mix, CBC radio host Tom Allen and the acclaimed actor Derek Boyes. This season we will also unveil our 10-piece virtuoso ensemble performing music from around the world. You simply can't keep a good band down!

The HSSB demonstrates its commitment to youth, outreach and education by running the Hannaford Youth Program. Directed by Anita McAlister, this vibrant program is a fantastic opportunity for brass and percussion players ages 7 to 24 to participate in three remarkable youth bands in both live and virtual settings.

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The International Resource Centre for Performing Artists (IRCPA) is a service organization for musicians providing resources needed to bridge the GAP between training and employment by Encounters with National and International experienced artists keeping skills sharpened and savvy information about the Industry, how it currently functions. and who's who in the business. Resources are also offered for mid-career artists who may need to change direction.

Membership is without cost. Sign-up forms are on our website. Paid public performances are live-streamed and can be used as auditions. IRCPA proposes a new Centre for Music by converting an unused heritage building. If we are successful, there will be practice/rehearsal studios, meeting rooms, recording studio, two performance venues, and office space for arts organizations such as the IRCPA. There is also space for an affordable residential building for the music community in perpetuity. The main floor includes a Community Centre, box offices,  instrument repair shops, cafe/restaurant. We welcome volunteers to help with this new Centre for Musicians to meet, exchange ideas, create and collaborate.  A great opportunity for artists to live, work and perform in Toronto.

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The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (the Isabel) is a home for the creative arts at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and a hub of vibrant artistic study, creation, and exhibition in our community. The building houses the Queen’s Department of Film and Media and the DAN School of Drama and Music, as well as the Isabel house season, which brings some of the most exciting and acclaimed musicians to its 567-seat concert hall. Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, the Isabel brings together world-class arts spaces and programs with a captivating sense of place, creating a dynamic venue for our students and community to learn, discover, think, do, and experience together. 

Opened in September 2014, the Isabel was designed by Oslo/New York-based firm Snøhetta and Ottawa’s N45, with acoustics and theatre design by ARUP and Theatre Projects Consultants. Anchored by a transformational gift to the Initiative Campaign from Drs. Alfred and Isabel Bader, the Isabel was inspired by the Baders’ love - of the arts, of Queen’s, and of each other - and is named in Isabel’s honour. For a virtual tour, visit www.queensu.ca/theisabel/content/virtual-walkthrough.

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We are a community choir of about 40 voices, who love to sing music from around the world in the original languages. During the 2020/21 season, we are not planning any live concerts until it is announced that it is safe to do so, but we may do some singing outside! While safe distancing is necessary, we will continue to sing together by using Zoom. Our conductor, Isabel Bernaus, has designed a repertoire that we can receive by email. We have tried the remote singing, and found it easy to do with a desktop or tablet. Technical help is available to those of us who need some coaching in launching the online system. As we progress, we hope to offer some optional live rehearsals to small groups. Our long term goal is to be ready when the world gets back to normal!