Month: January 2014

On Jan. 31, 2014, five conductors from all over North America wrapped a weeklong symposium at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, having intensely studied for five days under Noel Edison, conductor of the Elora Festival Singers and Toronto Mendelssohn choir.

When it came time to choosing the five conductors, Edison looked at their videos very closely and watched for signs of what he called "conducting DNA."

"I think the first thing is that all gesturing is very natural. It's not awkward, it's not looking like a robot, it's not school teacher-ish ( pantomimes conducting in 4/4 on every beat)—it's like a ballet dancer. And if the expression, the physical expression, and the whole inner musical thinking is connected with the body, then the physical arm and hand gesturing will be very natural.

"Choirs or orchestras sing or play what they see."

This week the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has quietly released the results of its latest annual general meeting. But the rest of what the city’s oldest choral society does is not so quiet.

The last few years have not been the easiest for the organization, founded in 1894. It shared space and many concerts for three-quarters of a century with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra — first at Massey Hall, then at Roy Thomson Hall.

The Mendelssohnians sang in Carnegie Hall in 1907 — well before there even was a permanent Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

For the past three years, one of Toronto's- nay, one of Canada's-largest choral organizations has put on a weeklong symposium to find and nurture the next generation of conductors because, in their own words, "At the head of every successful choral organization is a skilled conductor."

This year, in their fourth annual TMC Choral Conductors’ Symposium, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is set to embark on an intensive series of workshops and masterclasses from Jan. 28 to Feb. 1 where five conductors have been selected to study under the tutelage of Noel Edison.