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The Toronto Community Orchestra (TCO) is a welcoming and enthusiastic group of primarily amateur musicians of all backgrounds and professions united by our love of music. We have been proudly sharing our music with the community for more than 50 years. The orchestra had its humble beginnings in 1970 as the Timothy Eaton Memorial Orchestra. In 2011, the TCO moved to East End United where it has attracted even more local musicians expanding to a membership of 60. Rehearsals are currently held at 800 Greenwood Avenue with two “pay what you can” (PWYC) concerts performed at East End United each season.

Our repertoire is primarily classical, but we also do include more contemporary works. The repertoire team works hard to put together programs that are challenging, yet manageable and exciting. Over the past seven years, the orchestra has developed to a new level of proficiency and has enabled us to play music that has broadened our horizons. Since 2022, the TCO has been led by Artistic Director Nick Arrigo, and we are excited to have Nick return this season.

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Esprit Orchestra is Canada's only full-sized, professional orchestra devoted to performing and presenting new music.

Founded in 1983 by Music Director and Conductor, Alex Pauk, Esprit’s commitment to commissioning and advancing contemporary music has set it apart as one of the few organisations 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.

With a dynamic annual subscription concert series, this skilled 65-member 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.

In the 2023/24 Subscription Season, Esprit Orchestra will present a series of five concerts at Koerner Hall comprising a co-commissioned work by Unsuk Chin, a tribute to Kaija Saariaho, a performance of Rita Ueda's Azrieli Prize awarded work and performances of 20th century masterworks by Ligeti, Xenakis, R. Murray Schafer and John Adams, alongside today's brightest voices in new music, including Žibuokle Martinaitytė, Vito Žuraj, Misato Mochizuki and Anna Meredith.

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Pioneering tour-de-force Ensemble Vivant’s innovative genre-diverse classical/jazz programming is rich with passionate, deeply communicative playing that touches the hearts and souls of listeners of all ages. EV has 15 internationally acclaimed CDs heard on radio worldwide.

Of EV’s album iFUGUE ~ A World of Fugues, U.S.A. magazines Fanfare & American Record Guide respectively wrote: “Smokin…Fugues shouldn’t be this much fun!”; “Lively readings of fugues by all sorts of composers. A few are presented in original form, such as Bach’s Prelude & Fugue 9 (WTC I), played beautifully by pianist Catherine Wilson.”

More Praise:

• “…highest-level chamber music-making. No matter the genre, there is magic in EV's music-making.” - Jazz Icon Rick Wilkins, C.M.
• “Chamber music at its evocative best!” – The WholeNote
• “…beautiful, poised performances...capture the passion and verve…Wilson’s piano gives this music unerring drive and plenty of sparkle.” - Toronto Star

EV’s invaluable live/virtual programs for underserved communities (endorsed by neuroscientists on music and the mind) are conducted through Euterpe (musicisthekey.org). Awards include Ontario Trillium Foundation; Canada Council; Levante Foundation; Ross Mitchell Foundation and more.

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Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation (NSAF) marks its 30th anniversary this season under the continuing leadership of Artistic Director Eric Robertson. NSAF has presented a rich variety of concerts for Toronto audiences, including its popular weekly recital series, as well as international groups such as King’s College Cambridge Choir and St. John’s College Choir. It has also featured Canadian artists including David Hetherington, John McDermott, Colin Fox, Sharlene Wallace, Anne Lindsay, Neil Swainson, John Johnson, Guido Basso, the Gryphon Trio, and NEXUS.

Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation is also involved in the “City Carol Sing”, a large annual charity event that raises money for food banks across Canada. Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation governed by an elected volunteer board of directors and operates with the assistance of professional advisors. All of our concerts are "admission free – donations welcome."

Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation, in cooperation with Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, begins its 2023/24 season on Tuesday, October 3rd with the first recital in its weekly “Lunchtime Chamber Music” series.

BN / Registration Number for Nine Sparrows Arts Foundation: 13592 9552 RT0001

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If you like singing and have musical experience, The Toronto Choral Society is here for you! Come and be a part of a classic Canadian musical experience here in Toronto. Join us this September 6th for the start of our 2023/24 season, we rehearse at Eastminster Church on Danforth on Wednesday nights 7pm to 9pm. Singers are welcome in all voice parts. We perform a wide range of musical styles from opera to musical theatre. Each year we present a minimum of three concerts, and this December we are performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at Koerner Hall, the jewel of Toronto concert venues. For our Spring 2024 Concert, we will be performing the exhilarating Carina Burana! In the winter months we will be holding a “Uncrate the Sun” fundraising event, featuring treats from sunny destinations, with details to follow. However, you may want to practise up on your Macarena! We welcome you to join our choir and take your place in good company in spirit and voice. Please go to our website for more details. See you in September!

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The Annex Singers of Toronto, now in its 44th season, is a spirited, auditioned choir with an eclectic repertoire spanning seven centuries. Under the dynamic and creative leadership of Artistic Director Maria Case, the choir performs three concerts annually, collaborating with an array of professional soloists and ensembles. Recent large-scale works 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, an ensemble drawn from the main choir, is dedicated to presenting gems from the chamber repertoire. We provide ongoing professional development to choir members, engage in community outreach, and encourage young singers with a sponsorship program.

In our 2023/24 season, we continue our tradition of creative programming with "In the Margins" on December 16, 2023, "Romantic Gems" on March 16, 2024, and "Fascinating Rhythm" on June 1, 2024 at Grace Church on-the-Hill. Rehearsals are on Monday evenings at St. Thomas’s Anglican Church, 383 Huron Street. We welcome experienced singers — please visit our website to arrange an audition.

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SoundCrowd, Toronto’s first large-scale contemporary a cappella ensemble, burst onto the scene in 2016 backing up former Barenaked Ladies' front man Steven Page at the Danforth Music Hall. The brainchild of Artistic Director, Scott Pietrangelo, they have since studied and performed under the direction of Deke Sharon (Pitch Perfect, The Sing Off) at New York City's Carnegie Hall, created exciting viral music videos, been seen at special events at the Princess of Wales Theatre, The Opera House, the Distillery District, Nathan Phillips Square, Fort York, Harbourfront, Ontario Place, and even on national television – flash mobbing the hosts of CTV’s The Social for their 1,000th episode.

SoundCrowd has shared billing with the likes of Chantal Kreviazuk, Cadence, Margaret Atwood, Tomson Highway, Countermeasure, Retrocity, and cast members from both Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen and various productions of Les Miserables. Their first album, All Voice, No Limits, was released in May 2023 and can be found on all major streaming platforms. For more information about singing with SoundCrowd or where you might find them next, please visit our website.

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TO Live is one of Canada’s largest multi-arts organisations, operating three iconic venues: Meridian Hall, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and Meridian Arts Centre. In addition, TO Live presents a full range of performing arts, theatrical, and concert events at these venues in both downtown and uptown Toronto. Our Music at the MAC series features world-renowned artists and outstanding local talent at Meridian Arts Centre in North York.

TO Live believes that the arts are crucial to creating healthy, vibrant, and engaged diverse communities. Our vision is to build a better city through the arts. We are a creative hub for audiences, artists, and all those who work with us.

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Vesnivka Choir is an award-winning women’s ensemble established in 1965 by founding artistic director Halyna Kvitka Kondracki. The choir has delighted audiences with its rich repertoire of Ukrainian classical, contemporary, sacred and traditional folk music. Vesnivka, together with its partner the Toronto Ukrainian Male Chamber Choir (also founded by Ms. Kondracki), are often joined in concert by area musicians and soloists. We are preparing an exciting concert season, starting in the Fall with concerts in London, Ontario (October 29, 2023) and Toronto (November 4, 2023), entitled “Ukraine - Glorious and Free”, joined by guest ensemble the Canadian Bandurist Capella.

We’ll celebrate the new year with our annual Christmas concert on January 14, 2024, featuring traditional and contemporary Ukrainian Christmas carols and New Year’s songs, with guest youth vocal and bandurist ensemble Zoloti Struny. Our concert season will end on May 11, 2024 with “Spring Rituals”, a performance where we will be joined by Red Sky Performance, a leading contemporary indigenous performance company, with a program featuring traditional music from both Ukrainian and Indigenous cultures that celebrate spring and the return of the summer sun.

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Originally formed as the Peterborough Symphony Singers in 1990, the Peterborough Singers (PS) became a stand-alone entity in 1993. This highly regarded choir boasts upwards of 120-plus members under the direction of founding conductor Sydney Birrell. Each season, the choir presents four concerts, incorporating a blend of repertoire from gospel to sacred and pop to oratorio. World-class, professional Canadian soloists enjoy performing with the choir time and again. The PS also makes a point of incorporating young emerging artists into their season, giving them a chance to perform alongside some of the more seasoned performers.

Specially commissioned music from Canadian composers is part of the regular repertoire. The Singers also hold weekly music classes enabling young musicians to gain the skills required for Choral music performance. The season ahead will feature Bach's great St. Matthew Passion. The Peterborough Singers have just completed their 30th Anniversary season and are proud of their contribution to the arts within our community and surrounding areas. Please visit our website for further details.