The start of a New Year can represent a turn of the page, a change in direction, and the anticipation of new challenges. There’s a fresh resolve to hit the ground running, sometimes with an eagerness to leave the past year behind entirely. However, one must keep the value of reflection in mind – looking back and learning from doing so.

The International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT) is a grand event that occurs every four years, much like the Olympics. This past summer it was Toronto’s turn, with “Voices Uplifted” as the 2025 congress theme. Co-hosted by the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), The Royal Conservatory, and the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, voice professionals from around the globe gathered here to share knowledge that would advance the field of voice performance and education.

Exemplary Art

Because Art makes a profound impact, artists have an equivalent responsibility in all the various roles they play during their careers: as performers, producers, creators, leaders, educators, and public figures. A strong work ethic, a commitment to the art form in all its intricate details, a deep sense of empathy, and the desire to communicate and sincerely connect with others – all these are characteristics of exemplary art. And the two artists featured here, conductor David Fallis and mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó, are among the most highly respected practitioners of classical music in Canada.

Violinist Susanna McCleary shimmers in a silver top as she strides over the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre stage, one hand balanced lightly on the back of her mother, Dorothy de Val. McCleary leads the pair in a rousing rendition of the klezmer piece Hora Marasinei, her brow furrowed in concentration as her bow darts and dances over her violin. De Val replicates her rhythms on the piano, and mother and daughter sway in synchrony.

After their opening act, pianist Michael Arnowitt grabs his white cane and heads into the spotlight. As his nimble fingers plunge into a series of Bach selections, Arnowitt is mesmerized by the music, punctuating the accents with sharp tosses of his head. The final, plaintive note quivers for an eternity in the hush of the room.

This performance on October 15 last year, “An Evening in the Key of B: A Benefit Concert,” was a fundraiser for the non-profit organization BALANCE for Blind Adults (balancefba.org), which helps visually impaired clients regain their independence.