Perhaps it is the beautiful weather outside, but I cannot get my head around a way to thematically link this month’s concerts together in my usual artful, elegant, insightful manner. Forget it, I give up. Here instead are some column topics at various levels of quarrel-picking provocativeness. I invite you to use them as your own argument-starters with family, friends and colleagues. (No amount of bribes or flattery will induce me to reveal which, if any, of the following statements I actually agree with, though readers are certainly welcome to try.)
– Very few choirs should ever attempt to sing Bach.
– Choirs should rarely — actually, never — use a piano in rehearsal when singing a cappella music. Even when pianos are in tune, they’re not in tune. Pianos are to choirs as that big wooden horse was to Troy.
– Music died with Brahms. Pretty much everything composed in the 20th century should be avoided.
– On the other hand, most choral music written before 1700 is completely boring. Program it and watch attendance drop at both concerts and religious services.
– Why bother programming Canadian music? There’s tons of superior American and British stuff out there.
– Choral diction is a contradiction in terms. In this region you may as well stick with German/French/Italian repertoire, because no one understands what you’re singing anyhow. Seriously, what’s the point of drilling consonants on something like “She’s like the swallow that flies so high” when all the audience is going to hear is “cheese bites, marshmallow and Lysol pie”?
– The discrepancy between the quality of the awesome films produced in Quebec and those from the rest of Canada is so vast that it should make all non-Quebecois hang our heads with shame. (I know that this has nothing to do with choral music, but it needs to be pointed out wherever possible.)
– No choir should sing gospel music unless they can memorize their scores, clap on the off-beat and sway in rhythm. Kids, please remember — friends don’t let friends clap on one and three.
– The reason that none of the really good English music composed after Purcell and before Britten ever gets performed is because there isn’t any.
– Choral arrangements of music theatre songs are partially responsible for global warming.
– Choral arrangements of rock songs have been proven to cause cancer in rats.
– Choral arrangements of jazz standards are like bumper cars — a gag version of the real thing.
– The previous three statements are clearly written by a madman. In the 21st century, the benchmark for a good choir will be how well it can execute an accurate version of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder will be a distant memory. Actually, it sort of is that already.
– Choral singing in the Ontario region is not even close to reaching its full potential. The performance of one composition, and one composition alone, can achieve this. Tune in to next month’s column for what this piece is, and how performing it will achieve this goal.
Are you sufficiently provoked or outraged? Excellent. Just keep passing that good vibe on to all you meet, and my work here is done. The WholeNote takes no responsibility for the opinions expressed above, so don’t blame them.
Now, on to the concerts. There are a number of groups listed below that have either flown under my radar, are relatively new, or simply have not previously given their information to The WholeNote listings that are the source for choral news. In any case, my apologies for any former neglect on my part, and welcome to the column.
A number of these ensembles are based outside of Toronto, so if your choral experience is a Toronto-centric one — mine certainly is - time to get out of the city and get to know some of the groups outside your urban comfort zone. Incidentally, some of these choirs have the most awesome names I’ve ever seen.
I was intrigued and mystified by a group called That Choir. Googling that one was an interesting experience. It turns out that That Choir is an a cappella group based in Toronto, founded in 2008 and comprised primarily of actor/singers. Their June 4 concert launches their first CD, and features music by Rachmaninoff, Whitacre and Lauridsen. Information about them can be found at www.thatchoir.com.
Another prize in the naming department goes to the Sound Investment Choir, which sounds like a group of very cool singing accountants. Based out of Collingwood, their mandate is to foster choral music-making in the Georgian Triangle, the group of communities surrounding the south end of Georgian Bay. On June 1 and 2 in Collingwood, the Sound Investment Choir performs “Bernstein & Broadway,” a concert that includes Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms.
Owen Sound’s Shoreline Chorus is another group from the Georgian. They perform hymns and gospel songs for their two “The Gospel Truth” concerts on June 9.
Ancaster’s Harlequin Singers specialize in musical theatre and other popular music. Their “45 Years of Broadway” on June 1 will be presented, cabaret-style, with the ability to buy a drink and listen. This is entirely civilized, and is something other choirs might consider taking up regularly.
Another similar ensemble is Barrie’s Bravado Show Choir, a group that is strongly theatrical in nature. As well as performing two shows per year, they also do community outreach work, and have a youth education component. They perform “Bravado Rocks!” on June 1.
The Ispiravoce Vocal Ensemble is a chamber group of 10 to 12 female voices based out of Mississauga. In the show-choir style that is increasing in popularity, they use movement and costumes to augment their music-making. On June 2, they perform “Voyage!,” music apparently inspired by the tango, flamenco, sacred spaces, secular vices and Lord of the Rings. I confess myself intrigued by the “secular vices” aspect of this program. Further information can be found at www.ispiravoce.ca.
On June 2 another west end youth group, the Mississauga Children’s Choir, perform “City Scapes,” a concert that addresses the experience of the modern city. The concert features a new work by the excellent Toronto choral composer Michael Coghlan.
This month it was a pleasure to discover a previously unknown local youth choir, the children’s ensemble from the Oratory of St. Philip Neri. The oratory is located in the west end of Toronto, and has a lively music program. The Oratory Children’s Choir performs music by Legrenzi, Charpentier, Schein, Schutz, Bach and others at a free concert on June 23.
At the other end of the city, the Cantemus Singers are based in Toronto’s east end Beaches region. This choir steps outside its usual focus on early music for “My Spirit Sang All Day!,” a concert of Victorian and Edwardian songs and anthems, including works by Elgar, Willan and Finzi. I confess myself a complete fan of parlour songs from this era — My Old Shako — is a personal mantra — and urge other concert-goers to sample the delights of this beguiling and sometimes quirky repertoire. The group performs on June 16 and 17.
Ben Stein is a Toronto tenor and theorbist. He can be contacted at choralscene@thewholenote.com. Visit his website at benjaminstein.ca.
