Program notes written by musicologist and PhD student Rena Roussin. Nathaniel Dett’s The Chariot Jubilee (1919) and Johannes Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem (1868) were written just over fifty years apart and yet one could be forgiven for initially thinking, as I did, that the two pieces have little in common. While both pieces were written...
Conductor Jean-Sébastien Vallée will lead the 2022 Choral Canada National Youth Choir. This May 2022 project is a one-of-a-kind professional development opportunity for some of Canada’s best emerging choral singers aged 19-26. Deadline to audition is October 15, 2021. Details about the project and how to audition can be found on the National Youth Choir...
Michael Vincent, Ludwig van Toronto September 16, 2021 In 2018, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was hit with the abrupt resignation of their renowned conductor, mired in controversy. Two years later, they, along with the entire world, indefinitely shut down amid a pandemic that made singing a health hazard. In what would have shaken the best of...
All concerts streamed across Canada (and internationally) plus limited in-person tickets available Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s 2021/22 season, under the leadership of its new Artistic Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée, is one of connection – reconnecting singers in music-making, bringing singers and patrons together again in a shared love of choral music, and bringing the works of different...
Following a competitive audition process, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has named pianist Dr. Irene Gregorio as its new collaborative pianist. In this critical role, Irene will work with Artistic Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée and Associate Conductor Simon Rivard in the preparation of the Choir for concerts – playing for TMC rehearsals and auditions. She will also...
On June 29th Choral Canada presented an in-depth webinar for the Canadian choral community on the return to singing together. Four experts presented updates on the latest research for safe group singing, the use of ventilation in rehearsal spaces, the current legalities around vaccinations for choirs and singing groups, and recommendations on how to manage...
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is auditioning for new members to join our choral community for the exciting 2021/22 season under our new Artistic Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée. Auditions will take place the week of August 16. Auditions will be held in person while adhering to appropriate Covid-19 safety protocals. We are looking for: Amateur singers to join...
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s next online concert, to stream on Remembrance Day, will reflect on and honour the experience of Indigenous Veterans. The TMC, under conductor Simon Rivard, is joined by composer and guest curator Andrew Balfour, and Elder Dr. Duke Redbird for a program that brings together choral music, poetry and dance. The centre piece of the program is Andrew Balfour’s Notinikew. Movements of the work will be sung by Andrew’s Winnipeg-based Camerata Nova and by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s next online concert, to stream on Remembrance Day, will reflect on and honour the experience of Indigenous Veterans. The TMC, under conductor Simon Rivard, is joined by composer and guest curator Andrew Balfour, and Elder Dr. Duke Redbird for a program that brings together choral music, poetry and dance. The centre piece of the program is Andrew Balfour’s Notinikew. Movements of the work will be sung by Andrew’s Winnipeg-based Camerata Nova and by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.