Canary Pages 2013

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Marking its 130th anniversary, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir stands as one of Canada’s most celebrated choral groups. With the vision of maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée steering their 2024/25 season, expect a lineup of groundbreaking performances, including standout collaborations with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Through its performances, educational programs, and community engagement, the TMChoir aspires to introduce audiences to choral masterworks from the past and present - making both renowned and lesser-known pieces available, accessible, and inspirational to all. Within the 160-voice TMChoir is a core ensemble of 24 professional singers known as the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers. The choir will hold its annual auditions in May and August of 2024 and invites all to join its dynamic community of singers.

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The North Halton Community Singers, with some 65 amateur singers, started in 1971. Rehearsals are at the Acton Heritage Town Hall every Monday night and we perform at various venues in Halton Hills. The choir is led by music director Eleanor Wallace who has had a long and distinguished career as a music teacher in Georgetown and Oakville. Mark Peterson, a very accomplished musician, is our accompanist.

A non-profit organization run entirely by volunteers, the North Halton Community Singers is a registered charity performing a variety of musical genres, including classical, pop and folk, and from sacred to secular. It has performed at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall, the Mississauga Living Arts Centre, and also in Holland and Ireland.

See the website for recorded virtual performances, and our history.

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Founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle, the Toronto Children’s Chorus (TCC) is a vibrant musical community that has been nurturing young voices for 46 seasons. Over the course of its history, the TCC has won numerous competitions and performed at such revered venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Sydney Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, and The Dom in Salzburg. In addition to their busy annual concert seasons, our young choral ambassadors have represented Canada on 31 international tours and seven national tours, most recently performing at Carnegie Hall in New York City in July 2023. After 15 years of artistic direction under Elise Bradley, MNZM, the organization welcomed Artistic Director Zimfira Poloz in the fall of 2022 to lead this world-renowned chorus comprised of over 300 young singers.

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The Elmer Iseler Singers, conducted by the acclaimed Lydia Adams since 1998, mark their 45th concert season in 2023/24. This esteemed 20-voice professional ensemble, founded by Dr. Elmer Iseler in 1979, boasts a rich legacy of captivating audiences locally, nationally and globally with their exquisite choral performances. With a focus on Canadian composers, the JUNO Award-winning group has earned acclaim for its diverse repertoire and collaborations with renowned musical partners. Committed to nurturing talent, they actively support emerging singers, conductors, and composers through workshops and scholarships, embodying their dedication to artistic excellence and community engagement. Weekly rehearsals are held on Mondays and Tuesdays. Annual auditions are in May and applications on our website.

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Etobicoke Centennial Choir (ECC) is an inclusive, SATB, auditioned choir dedicated to celebrating the art and joy of choral singing. We offer performances of diverse repertoire, ranging from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions and popular music.

ECC offers a challenging and supportive choral experience guided by professional artists. Rehearsals are held every Tuesday, September to June, from 7:30pm to 9:45pm at Humber Valley United Church in Etobicoke. Some choral experience and the ability to read music are required.

Our 2024/25 season will feature the unique Messe de minuit pour Noël by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Will Todd’s jazz Mass in Blue and a program of South Asian music accompanied by an orchestra of Indian instruments.

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Common Thread Community Chorus of Toronto is a non-audition chorus that promotes a sense of community by performing joyful and empowering music. All voices are welcome! We believe that everyone can sing and that together we can make beautiful music. We sing music that celebrates the dignity of all people and their struggles to create a better world. We sing for recreation, for reverence, for learning and laughter, for struggle, for hope and for understanding. One of our goals is to encourage people to sing in their everyday lives.

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Oriana is an auditioned ensemble of 24 amateur upper-voice singers who perform at a high artistic standard. The choir has a 50-year history, and this is our 14th season with artistic director Mitchell Pady at the helm. Oriana explores the possibilities in choral music for upper voices, collaborating with diverse artists to push the boundaries of typical musical expectations for upper-voice choirs. We foster the creation of Canadian choral music, regularly commissioning works from Canadian composers. In rehearsal we are focused but friendly, and maintain an inclusive, respectful and supportive environment. Oriana presents a three-concert series every year, and we welcome potential new singers to attend a rehearsal prior to scheduling an audition. Rehearsals are on Tuesdays, 7:30pm to 10pm in the Sheppard-Yonge corridor.

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The VOCA Chorus of Toronto, a dynamic, auditioned ensemble directed by Jenny Crober performs a wide range of repertoire (including Canadian premieres) in collaboration with superb guest artists. Our new collaborative pianist is Dakota Scott-Digout. VOCA's season consists of concerts, cabaret fundraisers, outreach events and workshops with clinicians who have included Ola Gjeilo, Ivars Taurins and Dylan Bell.

VOCA will present a wide variety of contemporary selections by Andrew Balfour, Sarah Quartel, Ola Gjeilo, Sherryl Sewepagaham, Scott Macmillan, Donna Rhodenizer and others at our May 11 "Earth, Sea & Sky III" concert, featuring Suhashini Arulanandam and Alex Cheung, violin/fiddle; Laurence Schaufele, viola and mandolin; Sybil Shanahan, cello and Jamie Drake, percussion. Rehearsals are on Mondays at Eastminster.

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The Edison Singers is a fully professional chamber choir led by internationally-acclaimed Artistic Director and Conductor, Dr. Noel Edison. Our vision is to reach out to communities large and small with the world’s finest choral music.

We produce annual concert series in four Ontario communities: Toronto Area, Niagara Area, Brantford and Wellington County. These centres are the hubs for our choral calendar, and our aim is to become an integral part of the musical life of each community. We also plan to create more musical hubs over the next number of years.

Ground-breaking, nostalgic, classical, spiritual and sentimental…

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All voice, no limits! SoundCrowd is an auditioned community a cappella ensemble led by Founder and Artistic Director Scott Pietrangelo, with a maximum of 80 members. Solo and small group opportunities are open to all members for consideration each year. The group rehearses on Tuesday nights, 7:30 to 9:30pm at Knox Presbyterian (630 Spadina Ave.) and occasional Sunday afternoons, performing two major concerts each year in January and May/June as well as other performance opportunities as they arise. Membership fees are $350 for the choir year (September to September).