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October 1, 2019

The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at 125

2019-20 Season

David Perlman, The Wholenote. Remarkably, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has had only eight conductors in the course of its 125-year history that will be celebrated in an anniversary gala concert at Koerner Hall this coming October 20. Even more remarkable, five of those – Augustus Stephen Vogt (1894-1917); Herbert A. Fricker 1917-1942; Sir Ernest MacMillan (1942-57); Elmer Iseler (1964-1998); and Noel Edison (1997 to 2018) – account for almost 120 years of the 125. This is not to say, however, that the length of an individual’s tenure is the sole indicator of its importance. There’s an old saying that if you want something done well, give it to a busy person. David Fallis, who took up the reins as the TMC’s interim artistic director in 2018 after the abrupt departure of Noel Edison, and will step down at the end of the coming season, is a case in point. By TMC standards it will have been a very brief tenure, but he will have made his mark at a pivotal moment for the choir. By the time this issue of the magazine has been published, he will have led the Choir’s September 28 Singsation workshop, and the TMC will be at work preparing for the October 20 anniversary concert, which Fallis will conduct, and beyond that, their annual Festival of Carols (December 3 and 4) at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, with the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra as their guests.

September 30, 2019

Thousands of scores share office space with TMC staff

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The TMC has been collecting music scores for most of its 125 year history and has one of the most extensive choral music collections in the country — more than 400 different works, totalling over 50,000 scores.

September 26, 2019

Singing painters

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In our search through our history we’ve discovered a couple of acclaimed Toronto artists who were also singers in the TMC – Owen Staples and Herbert S. Palmer – and someone just shared with us a painting by our founder Augustus Vogt.

September 18, 2019

Associate Conductors – Where are they now?

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We are proud to be part of the careers of some of the new generation of choral conductors. In 2011 the TMC created the position of Associate Conductor to provide talented and world-class-potential choral conductors at an early stage in their career with coaching, training and mentoring. We’ve had four Associate Conductors to date.

August 28, 2019

Lorne Greene, TMC & WWII

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Legendary Canadian actor and broadcaster Lorne Greene was narrator and MC for WWII fundraising and Remembrance Concerts in which the TMC performed.

August 16, 2019

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir announces 2019/20 season

2019-20 Season

The TMC’s  2019/20 concert season includes five great choral music programs under the direction of Interim Conductor David Fallis and three acclaimed guest conductors from Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

The season opens with a celebration of the Choir’s 125-year history and continues with concerts that meld classics with newer works, and feature the different sized groups within the choir – from the chamber-sized 20-member professional core, to the 70-member Mendelssohn Singers, and the rich sound of the 120+ full TMC.

August 13, 2019

a music typewriter

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This ad, from a 1939 concert program, is for a musician’s typewriter. Look at the price – $70 in 1939 would be $1222 in 2019 dollars!

August 8, 2019

John McCrae attended our first concert

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We were fascinated to learn that John McCrae attended our very first concert on January 15, 1895. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD is best know for writing the famous war memorial poem In Flanders Fields. 

August 6, 2019

TMC travels to Chicago in 1909 in style

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In 1909 the TMC travelled to Chicago to sing three concerts with the Theodore Thomas Orchestra. The 228 members of the choir were brought to Chicago on two special Pullman trains of seven cars each, leaving Toronto Tuesday evening, arriving in Chicago Wednesday morning.