Exchange: A Day of Choral Community Workshops
2026-02-07 10:00 - 17:00 (America/Toronto) | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
Spend your day with TMChoir!
Join TMChoir for a day of interactive workshops, masterclasses and lectures on a variety of topics centred around choral music, vocal music and musical community building. Facilitators come from across our choir communities and musical community.
This one day event will include events for every choral music enthusiast, from the armchair music fan to active choral singers of every level. All are welcome!
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Singsation with Jean-Sébastien Vallée
2026-03-07 10:30 - 13:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
Join Artistic Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée for a Singsation workshop.
It’s a community singing workshop, and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning – with people who love to sing!
The Theme: Bach’s Passions: Drama, Devotion, and Music

Experience an inspiring Singsation with our own Artistic Director, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, as we explore Bach’s extraordinary settings of the Passion story — from St. John and St. Matthew Passions to the intriguing reconstructions of the lost St. Mark Passion. Together, we’ll compare these masterpieces, uncovering how Bach wove drama, devotion, and musical brilliance into each work. Experience the emotional depth, rich choral textures, and timeless beauty that have captivated audiences for centuries — and enjoy the thrill of singing this unforgettable music in community. Discover the enduring power of Bach’s Passions and leave with a deeper connection to some of the most moving works ever written.
Your Conductor:
Internationally recognized conductor, scholar, and pedagogue Jean-Sébastien Vallée was named as the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s 8th Artistic Director in June 2021. In addition to his work as Artistic Director of the TMChoir, Jean-Sébastien is Full Professor of Music, Director of Choral Studies, and Coordinator of the Ensembles & Conducting Area at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. Jean-Sébastien has conducted ensembles throughout North America, Europe and Asia and has prepared choruses for leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa. In addition to his interest in choral, operatic, and orchestral music, Jean-Sébastien is an advocate for contemporary music, making one of his priorities to premiere and commission works by young composers and program rarely performed repertoire. He has recorded extensively under the label ATMA Classique. Learn more about Jean-Sébastien.
The workshop will take place in Cameron Hall at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT.
Walk-ins:
We may be able to accommodate a small number of walk-ins at the door; however, availability will depend on how many registered participants arrive. Ticket holders’ spots will be held until 10:25 a.m., and as the event is sold out, we may not be able to guarantee entry for walk-ins.
Admission: $20 at the door
Singsation is made possible through the support of our donors

Bach: St. Matthew Passion
2026-03-24 19:00 - 2026-03-25 19:00 | Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre For Performance And Learning, 273 Bloor St W, , ON, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1V6, Canada
In this performance
St. Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach

Runtime: 3 hr 10 min, including one 20-minute intermission. Read the house program here.
On the music
Bach’s St. Matthew Passion is a monumental work of drama, devotion, and unparalleled musical genius. With its soul-stirring arias, intricately woven chorales, and emotionally charged narrative, this spiritual masterpiece remains one of the greatest choral works ever written. Under the baton of Jean-Sébastien Vallée, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, along with exceptional soloists and instrumentalists, brings Bach’s timeless music to life in a profoundly iconic performance.
Buy Tickets – Mar 24
Buy Tickets – Mar 25
About the Artwork
The Embrace by Fabrizio Sclocco. Fabrizio Sclocco’s work interrogates the fluidity of identity and the complexities of selfhood. His paintings depict figures that resist conventional categorization, occupying a space between vulnerability and strength.

Singsation with Elaine Choi
2026-04-11 10:30 - 13:00 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
Join Elaine Choi for a Singsation workshop.
It’s a community singing workshop, and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning – with people who love to sing!
The Theme: Finding Resilience Through Song

In October of 2024, conductor, educator, and friend of TMChoir, Elaine Choi was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her public display of resilience as she embarked on her cancer journey has inspired musicians across the country. Together, we will journey with Elaine through the music that showed her adversity in the darkness, enabled her to find courage within, and most importantly, build an unwavering community of support and love. Experience how repertoire creates connection and highlights our shared resilience in this Singsation. Immerse yourself in the art of togetherness, and celebrate the strength found in hope and human connection – through song!
Your Conductor:
Elaine Choi (D.M.A.) immerses herself in Canada’s vibrant choral community as a conductor, educator, adjudicator, chorister, and collaborative pianist. She currently serves as Director of Music at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, Artistic Director of Pax Christi Chorale, and Founder & Artistic Director of Babεl, an ensemble dedicated to highlighting choral music of the Asian diaspora. Active nationally and internationally, she has led performances at the PODIUM National Choral Conference (2024), Ontario Youth Choir (2024), Luminato Festival (2025), AMIS Festival (2025/2026), and the Bangkok International Choral Festival (2022), among others. Elaine earned her Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from the University of Toronto under the mentorship of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and was awarded the Ontario Arts Council’s 2023 Leslie Bell Prize.
Learn more about Elaine Choi.
The workshop will take place in Cameron Hall at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.
Ticket: $15 (+ fees) online or $20 at the door
Register for the Workshop
Singsation is made possible through the support of our donors

The Sacred Veil
2026-04-25 19:30 | Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St E, Toronto, ON, M5C 2Z3, Canada
In this performance
The Innocence by Craig Hella Johnson
Mystical Hope by Stephanie Martin (TMChoir Commission & World Premiere)
O Ignee Spiritus by Hildegard von Bingen
Semangat Membara by Tracy Wong
The Sacred Veil by Eric Whitacre
May You Heal by Mark Sirrett
Light of a Clear Blue Morning by Dolly Parton; arr. Craig Hella Johnson

Runtime: 90-minutes, no intermission
On the music
Grammy Award-winning composer Eric Whitacre’s The Sacred Veil is a deeply personal meditation on love, loss, and healing. Written with poet Charles Anthony Silvestri, it tells the true story of Silvestri’s wife, Julie, who passed away from ovarian cancer at 36. Through its luminous harmonies and intimate text, the piece explores the profound connection between love and grief. “Heartbreaking but also bracing” (LA Times), this poignant work is presented in partnership with Metropolitan United Church as a vigil for Cancer Awareness Month.
Buy Tickets – April 25
About the Artwork
Lionhearted by Michelle Marin. Michelle Marin creates intimate paintings, drawing on her technical knowledge as a craftsperson and artist, as well as her experiences and observations as a healthcare worker, to explore what it means to be human.

MOZART: Mass in C Minor & Requiem
2026-09-30 19:30 - 2026-10-01 19:30 | Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre For Performance And Learning, 273 Bloor St W, , ON, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1V6, Canada
In this performance
Great Mass in C Minor, K. 427 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
New commission by TMChoir’s 26/27 Composer-in-Residence
On the music
Two of Mozart’s most powerful and mysterious masterpieces take centre stage in an extraordinary evening of sacred music. The Great Mass in C Minor and the Requiem stand among the most monumental works in the choral repertoire—both unfinished, yet enduring in their emotional depth and brilliance. Under the baton of Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and TMOrchestra present these iconic works through a fresh artistic lens, including multiple modern reconstructions of the Requiem.
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Subscriptions are now on sale! Single tickets will be available in Summer 2026.

Festival of Carols
2026-12-01 19:30 - 2026-12-03 19:30 | Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario, M4T 1Z9, Canada
In this performance
Traditional carols and festive works
A new commission by TMChoir’s 26/27 Composer-in-Residence
On the music
Experience the season’s magic with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s beloved holiday tradition. Under the direction of Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, this heartwarming concert invites you to sing along to cherished carols and revel in the joy of communal music-making. This year’s Festival of Carols features a delightful blend of timeless classics and contemporary works. Set against the stunning backdrop of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, the evening promises a festive atmosphere filled with music that uplifts and inspires.
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Subscriptions are now on sale! Single tickets will be available in Summer 2026.

The Dream of Gerontius
2027-04-01 19:30 - 2027-04-02 19:30 | Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre For Performance And Learning, 273 Bloor St W, , ON, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1V6, Canada
In this performance
The Dream of Gerontius Op. 38 by Edward Elgar

On the music
Experience the profound depths of Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius as the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir brings this rarely performed masterpiece to life. Under the imaginative direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée, this monumental work delves into the spiritual journey of a soul’s passage from death to the afterlife, offering a timeless exploration of faith, doubt, and redemption.
Rich with emotional intensity and intricate choral writing, Elgar’s visionary score has recently drawn renewed attention through the acclaimed film The Choral, which portrays a wartime choir’s transformative encounter with the work. This powerful performance reveals the grandeur and spiritual depth of one of the choral repertoire’s most compelling masterpieces.
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Subscriptions are now on sale! Single tickets will be available in Summer 2026.

Considering Matthew Shepard
2027-05-01 19:30 | Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St E, Toronto, ON, M5C 2Z3, Canada
In this performance
Considering Matthew Shepard by Craig Hella Johnson
On the music
As global challenges to LGBTQ+ rights intensify, Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard stands as a profoundly relevant and moving work. Performed by the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, this 21st-century secular passion reflects on love, loss, and the enduring human capacity for compassion.
The oratorio reflects on the life and tragic death of Matthew Shepard, whose 1998 murder became a catalyst for LGBTQ+ advocacy. Blending classical, jazz, and folk influences with texts drawn from poets, mystics, historical sources, and writings connected to Shepard’s life—including a brief excerpt from his own correspondence—the work creates a powerful space for reflection and remembrance. Presented in a semi-staged performance, it offers a poignant call for empathy, compassion, and understanding.
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Subscriptions are now on sale! Single tickets will be available in Summer 2026.
