Toronto Mendelssohn Choir

Festival of Carols
2022-12-06 19:30 - 2022-12-07 19:30 (America/Toronto) | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
In This Performance
Traditional Christmas Carols and works by Felix Mendelssohn, Jonathan Dove, Morten Lauridsen and many more!
Heartbeat by Shireen Abu-Khader – a TMC commission
On the music
Celebrate this holiday season with Toronto’s beloved tradition — Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s annual celebration of music: Festival of Carols. This year, the TMChoir is bringing back the much-anticipated sing-along portion of the concert with pieces such as Joy to the World, Silent Night, and O Come All Ye Faithful. Under the direction of Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, both the TMChoir and TMSingers bring this program to life, and are joined by guest artist Isabelle Demers on the organ.
This year’s program also features a brand-new commission from composer-in-residence Dr. Shireen Abu-Khader: Heartbeat. She writes, “The starting point for composing this carol stemmed from asking the question, “Why do all beautiful Christmas carols, that the world knows, not match the soundscape of the actual birth of Christ – Bethlehem?” The piece itself uses Byzantine chant and Greek melodies familiar to the composer, along with newly composed melodies focussing on the welcoming of children and the emotions of motherhood.

Singsation with Jamie Hillman
2022-11-12 10:30 - 12:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
Unfortunately, the Singsation planned for November 12, 2022 has been cancelled due to a positive case of COVID.
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TMChoir is pleased to welcome you to the first Singsation of the 22.23 Season.
It’s a community singing workshop, and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning – with people who love to sing!
The Theme:
“We Are Toronto” – a reading of SATB choral pieces by composers who call (or have called) Toronto home.
Your Conductor:
This workshop is conducted by Jamie Hillman, TMChoir’s Associate Conductor & Director of Community Engagement.
Jamie is a Canadian and American musician, active as a conductor, singer, pianist, music educator, and composer. He holds the endowed Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting at the University of Toronto where he is also Director of Choral Studies and an Associate Professor. He conducts the MacMillan Singers and leads the master’s and doctoral programs in Choral Conducting.
Please pre-register for this event. Participants will be required to provide proof of vaccination and wear a mask at all times.

Mendelssohn's Elijah
2022-11-02 20:00 - 22:30 | Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe St, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2H5, Canada
In This Performance
Elijah, Op. 70 by Felix Mendelssohn
On the music
Witness the tour de force that is Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, in the grandest of settings at Roy Thomson Hall. This latest collaboration between the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the University of Toronto’s MacMillan Singers, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra combines 200 of Canada’s foremost choral and orchestral talent. Led by Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, world-renowned bass-baritone Russell Braun alongside soloists from the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers delivers a moving performance of this extraordinary work!

The Pilgrim’s Way
2022-10-01 19:30 - 21:00 | Jeanne Lamon Hall (Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre), 427 Bloor St W, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1X7
In This Performance
Steal Away arr. by Diedre Robinson
I Forgive by Shireen Abu-Khader
Lux Aeterna by Edward Elgar arr. by John Cameron
Path of Miracles by Joby Talbot
On the music
Centred on Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, this concert explores the narrative of displacement, identity, and individual life’s journeys. Talbot’s masterwork for a cappella voices is a musical pilgrimage describing a journey on the Camino de Santiago. Through its four contrasting movements based on the main posts of the Camino (Roncesvalles, Burgos, León, and Santiago) the music leads the listener on a unique reflective experience. Complemented by the work I Forgive by composer-in-residence Shireen Abu Khader, which tells the powerful story of Egyptian writer and activist Sarah Hejazi, this concert is a powerful celebration of the multiple journeys and identities that make up our communities.

Choral Conducting Symposium Concert 2022
2022-06-28 19:30 - 21:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church – In Person & Streamed on Vimeo, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
Meet Me Here: Songs of Sanctuary
A free TMC concert to conclude the 2022 Choral Conducting Symposium
In June, Artistic Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée welcomes five emerging conductors from Canada and the U.S. for a week of intensive workshops and rehearsals with the full Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the 20-voice professional ensemble of the TMC.
The Symposium concludes with a concert where all five participating conductors will conduct the two choirs.
The theme for the repertoire of this year’s Symposium is Songs of Sanctuary: a musical reflection on the meaning of exile and sanctuary through the works of Caroline Shaw, Paul Hindemith, Roderick Williams, Benjamin Britten, and many others.
Enjoy this free concert of great choral music – and see some future conducting leaders in action. Patrons will be able to attend in person and also online through the concert livestream. Details on how to get tickets will be released in the spring.
TMC patrons must wear a mask at all times during the concert, read our full safety practices here.

Sing with Kathleen Allan
2022-05-07 10:30 - 12:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
We are thrilled to welcome conductor Kathleen Allan to lead Singsation. She will take us through excerpts from Bach B Minor Mass.

Kathleen is the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto and the Artistic Director of Canzona, Winnipeg’s professional Baroque choir. Originally from St. John’s, NL, Kathleen is in high demand as a conductor, composer and clinician and is equally comfortable working in early, contemporary, and symphonic repertoire. Recent guest conducting engagements include the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and Early Music Vancouver.

You must pre-register for this event. Participants will be required to provide proof of vaccination, including a booster, and to wear a mask at all times.

The event will take place in Cameron Hall at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.

Register to attend in-person. Please register by Monday, May 2.

Register to attend online via Zoom.

Read about TMC’s Covid Safety Practices.

Sacred Music for a Sacred Space
2022-04-15 19:30 - 21:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church – In Person & Streamed on Vimeo, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
TMC and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale share music that draws on different influences and traditions – Eastern Orthodox and Afrocentric – while sharing a common thread: humanity’s belief that amidst the most adverse circumstances imaginable, a higher, transcending world is enveloping us, and that a strong voice is necessary to evoke it.
Steal Away, arr. by Diedre Robinson
Crucifixion by Adolphus Hailstork
Mary Was the Queen of Galilee, arr. by Wendell Whalum
Don’t You Weep No More, Mary by R. Nathaniel Dett
Go Not Far From Me, O God by R. Nathaniel Dett
Prayer for Ukraine by Oleksandr Konysky & Mykola Lysenko
All-Night Vigil by Sergei Rachmaninoff
(Sung in Church Slavonic)
Enjoy the concert in person (limited tickets will be sold and strict Covid-19 health and safety protocols will be in place: patrons must show proof of vaccination and wear a mask at all times) or enjoy it livestreamed from home. Read about TMC’s current Covid-19 safety practices.

Sing with Jamie Hillman
2022-03-26 10:30 - 12:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
Join conductor, singer and UofT Chair of Choral Studies, Jamie Hillman, for Sing when the spirit says sing: Spirituals and Gospel. We’ll provide the music, you provide your voice.

We are thrilled to have Jamie as our first conductor as we return to Singsations after a two-year gap. Jamie is active as a conductor, singer, pianist, music educator, and composer. He conducts the U of T MacMillan Singers and leads the master’s and doctoral degree programs in Choral Conducting. Prior to his appointment to UofT, Jamie served on the faculties of Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Kodály Music Institute, and Longy School of Music of Bard College. As a Boston University Prison Arts Scholar and faculty member of BU’s Prison Education Program, Hillman co-initiated an innovative vocal music program in the Massachusetts prison system.

Singsation participants will need to pre-register for the event which will be limited to 50 singers. At the event you will need to provide proof of a full series of Covid-19 vaccinations, including booster, and wear a mask at all times. The event takes place in Cameron Hall at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.

THANKS to everyone who attended in person and online.

Read about TMC’s Covid Safety Practices.

Festival of Carols
2021-12-01 19:30 - 21:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church – In Person & Streamed on Vimeo, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
TMC’s annual welcome to the holiday season. This year the Choir will be joined by the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Lauda per la Nativitá del Signore – a Christmas Cantata by Ottorino Respighi
Popular carols
Music selections by Andrew Balfour, Sally Beamish, Paul Halley, Rosephanye Powell, Hyo-Won Woo and others.
Tickets
Tickets are still available to enjoy the Concert Livestream. You can watch it live and then again as many times as you want until December 26th. Livestream tickets are $20 for an individual and $40 for a household. If you plan to have more than one person watch the livestream, please purchase a household ticket. Once you have made your purchase, if you have any trouble receiving your livestream link or accessing the link, please call RCM Tickets at 416-408-0208.

If you purchased tickets to attend the concert at the venue, please note that patrons must show proof of vaccination at the door and be masked at all times. Limited tickets will be sold; you will purchase tickets in a section and you will then be assigned specific seats by the Box Office staff following capacity and distancing protocols. You will receive your print-at-home tickets by email prior to the concert.

Coming to Carry Me Home
2021-11-02 19:30 - 21:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church – In Person & Streamed on Vimeo, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
TMC launches a season of hope with a concert that speaks to our search to find our place, a sense of home and belonging.
The 100+ choristers of the TMC come together with a chamber orchestra from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and soloists Jonelle Sills, soprano, and Brett Polegato, baritone, to bring you two glorious choral works.
The Chariot Jubilee by Nathaniel Dett
Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms
Tickets
Two ways to enjoy the concert – in person at Yorkminster Park (approximately 30% capacity) or online from home.
If you are purchasing tickets to attend the concert at the venue, please note that patrons must show proof of vaccination at the door and be masked at all times. Limited tickets will be sold – to approximately 30% capacity; you will purchase tickets in a section and you will then be assigned specific seats by the Box Office staff following capacity and distancing protocols. You will receive your print-at-home tickets by email prior to the concert.
You can also purchase tickets to enjoy the Concert Livestream – live and then available to view again until November 7!

Behind the Screen: Exploring TMC’s online season
2021-06-09 19:30 - 20:30 | Zoom
Enjoy this program on YouTube

Producing choral pandemic TV isn’t like producing live concerts!
Join Rick Phillips, classical music writer, reviewer and concert host, as he discovers the creative and technical challenges to be overcome in creating an online season of choral music concerts. Rick will chat with members of the TMC’s team and share clips that will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the artistic planning, collaborations, music rehearsing and recording, and technical production work needed to bring all the elements together for TMC’s 20/21 series of concerts streamed to your home.

TMC with the TSO
2021-05-17 | Ontario

Sing with Sandra Horst
2021-05-01 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
Join Sandra Horst for a lively hour of music (repertoire to be announced later). We welcome back Sandra who led a popular opera choruses Singsation in 2015. She will share audio and video of selected works along with scores so you can enjoy singing along (muted) at home.
Sandra Horst is Chorus Master of the Canadian Opera Company, Director of Musical Studies for the Opera Division of the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, and Audition Consultant for Opera Theatre of St Louis. Recognized by Wilfrid Laurier University as “100 Alumni of Achievement”, she also serves as a judge for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
10:30 am to 11:30 am ONLINE.

Sacred Music for a Sacred Space
2021-04-02 20:00 - 21:00 | Livestream
Enjoy this webcast on-demand

Join us online for the music of Bach, Schubert, and Brahms
TMC’s annual Good Friday concert has become a cherished moment of calm and reflection for many. And this year, that is needed by so many. We hope you enjoy the experience of stunning choral music. Simon Rivard has chosen music from Holy Week in the Christian tradition while we explore some broader themes of grief and sacred space. The music will be accompanied by images, dance, and a stroll through a forest.
Concert repertoire
Franz Schubert: Stabat Mater in G minor
Johann Sebastian Bach: Christ lag in Todesbanden, Cantata #4
Johannes Brahms: How lovely is Thy Dwelling Place, from A German Requiem

Sing with Nathaniel Dett Chorale conductor and founder Brainerd Blyden-Taylor
2021-02-20 10:30 - 11:30 | Zoom
Brainerd will lead participants through a reading session, with contextualization, of choral works drawn from The Nathaniel Dett Chorale’s repertoire. He will share audio and video of selected pieces along with scores so you can enjoy singing along (muted) at home.
Brainerd Blyden-Taylor is the Founder, Artistic Director and conductor of The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Canada’s first professional chamber choir dedicated to the creation and performance of Afrocentric music of all styles. He has conducted and guest conducted for a number of choirs across the country and taught at the University of Toronto and the Queen’s University faculties of Music. He has served as a Master Teacher with the Toronto Board of Education, coaching teachers and students in conducting and choral technique, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from York University for his contribution to education.

Festival of Carols
2020-12-16 20:00 - 21:00 | Livestream
Enjoy this webcast on-demand

Enjoy TMC’s annual joyous celebration of music for the season.
During this season where we are looking to find joy during a difficult time with the pandemic, the TMC is putting together a program that brings together virtual performances of new works, sing-along favourites from last year, and some Christmas stories and memories.
New works you’ll discover in this concert include Hannah Kendall’s Nativity, and the TMC Choral Composition Competition winner, A Hymn on the Nativity by Alastair Boyd.
Plan to add your voice to the sing-along of popular carols from last year’s Festival of Carols with the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, – with on-screen lyrics to make it easy for all to join in.
Program
Nativity, by Hannah Kendall
Coventry Carol, arranged by Richard Allain
A Hymn on the Nativity, by Alastair Boyd (winner of the 2020 TMC Choral Composition Competition)
Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah, by George Frideric Handel
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, by Felix Mendelssohn
Away in a Manger, arranged by Reginald Jacques and David Willcocks
The First Nowell, arranged by David Willcocks
O Come, All Ye Faithful, arranged by David Willcocks

Notinikew (Going to War) - A Program of Remembrance
2020-11-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Livestream
Enjoy this webcast on-demand

A Choral Perspective of Canada’s Indigenous Veterans

TMC welcomes guest curator Andrew Balfour for this program. Andrew, TMC conductor Simon Rivard, and Elder Dr. Duke Redbird will present a program that reflects on Indigenous experience through music and poetry.
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.
Andrew says of this choral drama:
Notinikew is an anti-war piece, an indigenous identity piece – a tragedy that speaks not just about World War I, but all wars and all indigenous soldiers. Why did these Indigenous warriors leave our forests and plains to enter a totally foreign military world and end up fighting in the midst of a true hell on earth?
The concert will open with the TMC performance of Andrew Balfour’s Ambe (Come in). Listen in the video section below.
Of Cree descent, Winnipeg-based composer Andrew Balfour is an innovative composer, conductor, singer, and sound designer with a large body of choral, instrumental, and orchestral works, including Mamachimowin, commissioned by the TMC for its 125th anniversary gala.
Dr. Duke Redbird is an elder, poet, activist, educator, and artist. With a legacy stretching back to the 1960s, he is a pillar of First Nations literature in Canada, and has practiced a number of art disciplines including poetry, painting, theatre, and film.
PROGRAM
A Dish with One Spoon, Duke Redbird
Ambe (Come In), Andrew Balfour
Notinikew (Going to War), Andrew Balfour
– Calling All Okicitawak (Warriors)
– Anthem for a Doomed Youth
– I Went to War
– Kookum (Grandmother) – Help me
Stolen Child, Duke Redbird
How they so softly rest, Healey Willan
In paradisum from Requiem, Gabriel Fauré

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Kannamma - A concert of Thanksgiving
2020-10-10 20:00 - 21:00 | Livestream
Enjoy this webcast on-demand

From Bach to the Beatles, from visual arts to dance to drumming to singing
TMC’s concert of thanksgiving brings together an amazing group of artists in a program of choral music and more that evocatively expresses gratitude. Enjoy songs of thanks, gratitude, and love, spanning several centuries, multiple genres, and disciplines that cross cultures. This hopeful feast for the senses ranges from European classical to jazz to pop to South Indian Carnatic music, to refreshing original compositions, complemented by visual arts and dance performance. This concert was generously supported by Marilyn Isaac Stewart.
Repertoire
Cantata BWV 29, VIII. “Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren”, by Johann Sebastian Bach
What Does Gratitude Inspire? to the tune of J.S. Bach’s “Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” (arr. Suba Sankaran)
Kyrie based on the Adagio of the “Moonlight Sonata”, by Ludwig van Beethoven (arr. G. B. Bierey)
Because, by John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Gracias a la vida, by Violeta Parra
Purvi Tillana, by T. S. Bhagavatar
Kannamma, by Suba Sankaran
Dona nobis pacem, by Dylan Bell
Cantata BWV 29, II. “Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir”, by Johann Sebastian Bach
“This fully virtual concert has a beautiful arc that takes us on a journey that reminds us that – first and foremost – though we are apart, we find our voices and our identities through the coming together of community and the nexus of artistic minds and creativity. With all of this in mind, we give thanks by way of our Thanksgiving concert.”
