Blue Pages 2020

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Under the leadership of artistic director Peter Mahon, The Tallis Choir is a mixed-voice chamber choir of 36 voices that has been performing together since 1977. The choir presents an annual subscription series of four concerts between October and May each year in the magnificent acoustic of St. Patrick’s Church in downtown Toronto. Known for innovative programming and polished performances of repertoire covering more than five centuries, the Tallis Choir is an extremely versatile ensemble. They specialize in performances of rarely-heard sacred masterpieces of the Italian, Spanish and English Renaissance that form the cornerstone of their concert series. While they frequently feature a capella polyphonic works, the Choir often works with guest artists performing on period string and wind instruments to add further authenticity to the experience. Additionally, the Choir can be heard in performances around the GTA and southern Ontario, having appeared in the Colours of Music Festival, Luminato Festival, and in multiple performances at the Sony Centre.

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St. Thomas’s Church, Toronto, is one of the oldest Anglo-Catholic congregations in Canada. Established in 1874, the parish has been, from its earliest days, at the forefront of the liturgical and musical life of the Anglican Church of Canada. Excellent choral and organ music are vital components of all Sunday services, Feast Days, and the liturgies of Advent and Holy Week. Starting in September, for as long as COVID-19 restrictions are in effect and choral gatherings are prohibited, we are pleased to offer weekly solo excerpts from Bach's Church Cantatas, and hope that these provide comfort and joy in such unusual and difficult times. All of our services are live-streamed online and can be found through the St. Thomas's website.

Looking ahead to when we can once again sing together, St. Thomas's will present three choral services each Sunday, sung by a dedicated group of volunteers supported by section leads: “Sung Eucharist (Contemporary Rite)” at 9:30am; “Solemn Eucharist (Traditional Rite)” at 11am; and “Solemn Evensong and Devotions” at 7pm. The repertoire is diverse, from plainsong and Renaissance masterpieces to gems of the British cathedral tradition, contemporary Canadian compositions, and other choral masterworks.

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Founded in 1982, Soundstreams is one of the world’s leading contemporary music companies, and the largest global presenter of new Canadian music. Artistic director Lawrence Cherney and executive director Menon Dwarka are committed to showcasing the work of living composers with a focus on innovative thematic and experiential programming, and creating a living and lasting legacy for Canadian music.

Soundstreams also serves a broad community of music lovers through free outreach and education programs including Encounters, the RBC Bridges workshop for early career composers, BMO SoundWave and SoundMakers. Encounters is a free discovery series featuring performances, discussions, and audience participation; the RBC Bridges workshop for early career composers helps talented contemporary composers from around the world launch their careers; BMO SoundWave provides accessible-priced tickets; and SoundMakers provides interactive learning experiences online and in the classroom.

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SINE NOMINE was formed in Toronto in 1991 to research and perform music from before 1500, and has given concerts in Canada, the United States, and the UK. The members have varied backgrounds in vocal and instrumental performance (wind instruments, fiddles, lutes, and percussion), musicology, medieval history, language, literature, liturgy, and manuscript studies. In preparing repertoire, we draw on all of these specialties, and experiment with improvisation and ornamentation, as well as medieval pronunciations and tuning systems, hoping to create performances which are intelligible and enjoyable to modern audiences - and which would not have been wholly foreign to medieval listeners! We blend vocal and instrumental music from medieval courts and churches with readings, and occasionally drama, liturgy, or dance, to provide insight into the fascinating artistic and intellectual culture of the Middle Ages.

Our 2020/21 Toronto season is on hold, pending public health developments, but our current project is a detailed exploration of a 14th-century Italian manuscript with an unusually rich combination of vocal music and instrumental dances.