St. James Town Children’s Choir, The
The St. James Town Children’s Choir, founded in 2007, welcomes children from grades 3 to 8 living in St. James Town, a multicultural community in the heart of Toronto with children from many backgrounds. The choir’s conductors over the years have had many years of working with children’s choirs, many of them music specialists from the Toronto District School Board. Over the years, the choir has sung with professional choirs, at hockey games, in long-term care facilities and in schools, and collaborated with professional musicians (e.g. Ensemble Vivant, Suba Sankaran, Pax Christi Chorale); one year the choir performed a musical play under the direction of then-conductor Deborah Griffin.
New members are welcomed for September 2018. Information is available on our website and specific questions may be directed to info@reachingoutthroughmusic.org.
John Loosemore
416-605-4562
johnloosemore47@gmail.com
www.reachingoutthroughmusic.org
Founded in 1937 by Monsignor John Edward Ronan, St. Michael’s Choir School has served the Archdiocese of Toronto by educating and training musicians who sing at St. Michael’s Cathedral. The school is unique – offering an enriched academic program for boys from grades 3 to 12, with extended French instruction as well as a lively ministry of sacred music. Choirs from SMCS perform annually on tour and at many local concerts and events. From September to June, the choirs sing weekly Masses at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Auditions are held annually between January and March.
The Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, specializing in Baroque and Classical performance practice, was formed in 1981 to complement the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Under the direction of Ivars Taurins, the Chamber Choir has become one of the most fêted in North America, awarded the Healey-Willan Prize in 1991, and described as “the best period-performance choir anywhere in the world” (
Tempus Choral Society is a 100-voice SATB community choir based in Oakville, led by director Brian Turnbull. Its repertoire encompasses contemporary, Broadway, Great American Songbook, gospel, classical and jazz. In 2015, a Tempus4Us children’s choir and a Tempus Jazz Choir were formed as part of a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. In December 2014, the group sang the 
Celebrating its 11th season in 2018/19, That Choir is one of Toronto’s most exciting a cappella ensembles, combining high-calibre performance with storytelling through choral music. Conducted by Craig Pike, the ensemble now draws together 30 auditioned singers with diverse backgrounds in work and study. Each season, That Choir presents a four-concert series of contemporary choral works and an exciting cabaret series, undertakes a range of professional development projects, and appears at many local and provincial music festivals and arts events. That Choir’s repertoire ranges from Eric Whitacre, Ola Gjeilo, Pentatonix and Rajaton, to works by Canadian composers Matthew Emery and Kathleen Allan. Visit our website for more details!
Toronto Beach Chorale (with artistic director Mervin W. Fick) is an auditioned SATB choir of up to 65 voices with a passion for presenting excellent choral music. TBC invites professional musicians, soloists, actors and other arts organizations to join in classical choral repertoire in 3-4 concerts per season. TBC organizes and participates in “Messiah for the City” and in many local community events. TBC’s “Choral Scholars” Program offers subsidy and training to singers aged 19 to 24. Rehearsals are Wednesdays, 7pm to 9:30pm, September to May, usually at Kingston Road United Church (975 Kingston Rd.). Auditions in September and January; the ability to read music and choral experience are assets.
Proudly marking its 50th anniversary, the Toronto Chamber Choir of around 40 skilled singers has held a prominent place in Canada’s early music scene since 1968. It specializes in Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, collaborating regularly with Toronto’s rich pool of period instrumentalists, but also with forays into other periods. Four concerts per season – two Saturday evening concerts and two Sunday afternoon “Kaffeemusik” presentations – explore the cultural context of our repertoire through narration, often with a special guest expert. Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall with occasional Saturday “retreats.” Auditions for new volunteer members are held anytime by arrangement with the director, while auditions for our Toronto Chamber Consort section lead program are held in May or June.