The purpose of the NewWorks competition is to foster new and engaging choral works by Canadian composers. We are continually looking for new pieces to perform which will challenge us and our audiences – both musically and emotionally. This November, we released our newest CD – 9 of 10 tracks on this recording come out of this NewWorks competition!
In its programming and performance, DaCapo aims to contribute to the work of building empathy, of fostering understanding, and of strengthening bonds between the entitled and the impoverished, focusing particularly on the refugee road in its present programming. With this in mind, for this year’s NewWorks competition, we are asking for compositions that are related in some way to the theme of renewal: of hope, courage, and new purpose.
The winning entry of the 2019 competition will receive a $1,500 cash award plus travel expenses to Kitchener to attend the premiere of his/her composition by the DaCapo Chamber Choir, under director Leonard Enns, in the choir’s 2017/2018 season. We are also inviting young composers (aged 25 and younger) to submit compositions for consideration in our Young Composers Reading Sessions.
Entry deadline is Monday March 18, 2019.
Full information is available on our web site: www.dacapochamberchoir,ca/newworks .
Edmonton singer and composer Russell Wilkinson wins the TMC’s 2018 Debbie Fleming Prize for Choral Composition
The fourth annual TMC Choral Composition Competition received 19 entries from across Canada. The winner of this competition receives the $1000 Debbie Fleming Prize for Choral Composition and their work is performed by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in concert.
The 2018 competition asked emerging composers to submit a sacred or secular work for the Christmas season. Submissions were reviewed by the jury of TMC Interim Conductor David Fallis, Festival of Carols guest conductor Howard Dyck, and TMC Associate Conductor Ezra Burke.
The winner was There is No Rose by Russell Wilkinson. Russ is a retired lawyer living in Edmonton. Over the last 40 years he has sung with Greystone Singers (U. of S.), Edmonton Opera Chorus, Pro Coro Canada, I Coristi Chamber Choir and Da Camera Singers. Choral composition is a relatively recent endeavour which he hopes to continue in his retirement.
There is No Rose will be premiered at Festival of Carols on December 4 and 5th at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. More concert details here: https://www.tmchoir.org/201819-season/festival-of-carols/ . The December 5th concert will also be webcast live across Canada and beyond on Livestream: https://livestream.com/TMChoir/FOC2018 .
The TMC Choral Composition competition (www.tmchoir.org/choral-composition-competition/) was launched in June 2015 with the awarding of the annual Debbie Fleming Prize for Choral Composition. Debbie Fleming is a TMC alumna who sang in the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir for 40 years and who retired in June 2015. The TMC is grateful for Debbie’s commitment to the enrichment of the TMC’s education program and to the growth of Canadian choral music.
Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and Linda Beaupré receive 2018 President’s Leadership Award
Established in 2001 to commemorate Choirs Ontario’s 30th anniversary, the President’s Leadership Award recognizes individuals who, through their support or engagement in choral music-making, have made an exceptional contribution to the promotion and advancement of choral music in their communities. Choirs Ontario is proud to present this year’s award to Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and Linda Beaupré in recognition of their remarkable contribution to the promotion and advancement of choral music in the province. The jury panel commended recipients’ outstanding impact on choral education and larger arts community in this province.
Linda Beaupré, through her amazing career, has changed the lives of thousands of young singers through her two exceptional organizations, The Bach Children’s Chorus/Bach Chamber Youth Choir and the Guelph Youth Singers. With her joyous approach to music making, and her unstinting dedication to excellence, Linda Beaupré is truly one of the foremost conductors in this country.
Ms. Beaupré is a musical force of nature who exemplifies the very best of humanity. Through her inspired leadership in her exemplary career, and with her excellence, inspiration, vision and artistry, her dedication and integrity, she has made a truly positive difference in Ontario and the world to thousands of children, creating and nourishing, over 30 years, organizations that count themselves among the very best internationally. Linda’s outstanding career as a conductor, educator, adjudicator, arranger, author and editor has positively inspired thousands of children and children’s choir conductors in Ontario and internationally.
Dr. Apfelstadt has been a model leader and educator. In her role as the Director of Choral Activities and Professor of Conducting, she fostered a collegial and collaborative community across all the Faculty of Music choral ensembles. During her tenure as the Elmer Iseler Chair of Conducting and Director of Choral Activities at the University of Toronto, Dr. Apfelstadt created one of the most diverse programs for choral conducting in the country. Her conducting, mentorship, and high standard of excellence and artistry fostered a love of choral music in all her students who continuously showcase her lasting positive impact in their ongoing work as some of the province’s leading conductors, music educators, and singers. An advocate for choral music across the broader community, she built and strengthened connections between the University of Toronto and various schools, youth groups, and community choruses such as the Orpheus Choir, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Young Voices of Toronto Choirs, and Cawthra Park High School Choirs. Dr. Apfelstadt has a sincere passion for promoting Canadian music locally and internationally.
Choirs Ontario applauds Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt’s and Linda Beaupré’s work and is pleased to be honouring them with this award.
The 2018 Presidents’ Leadership Awards presentation times and locations:
December 2, 2018 @ 2:30 PM
Choirs in Concert: For the Joy of the Singing – A Tribute to Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt
Elaine Choi, Trevor Dearham, Lori-Anne Dolloff, Mark Ramsay, conductors
Join the choirs of the Faculty of Music as they pay tribute to Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, recently retired Director of Choral Activities, with a concert featuring the music of Orban, Balfour, and Pinkham.
MacMillan Theatre, 80 Queen’s Park
$30, $20 senior, $10 student | BUY TICKETS ONLINE or call 416-408-0208
December 8, 2018 @ 7:30 PM
Mystical Light – A 2018 Holiday Concert by Bach Children’s Choir and Bach Chamber Youth Choir
A Tribute to Linda Beaupre
Presenting a glowing holiday concert including “Chasing the Northern Lights” to and “I Want To Stare At My Phone With You”. Our award-winning choirs will feature music from Raffi, Gordon Lightfoot, as well as many festive choral favourites!
Toronto Centre for Performing Arts, 5040 Yonge Street
$35/$40 | BUY TICKETS ONLINE
Amadeus Choral Composers Workshop
Amadeus Choral Composers Workshop
Saturday, January 19, 2019
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Eglinton St. George’s United Church, Toronto
35 Lytton Blvd, Toronto
Guidelines for Participation
The Amadeus Choir’s Conductor and Artistic Director Lydia Adams is pleased to announce the inaugural Amadeus Choral Composers Workshop.
The workshop is open to both emerging and established composers of sacred and secular choral music. Three participants will be selected through an application process to work with Lydia Adams, our special guest clinician, composer Eleanor Daley and the Amadeus Choir.
Thanks to the support of our sponsors, the workshop is being offered to participants at no charge. Auditors are also invited to attend free of charge and are asked to register in advance.
Workshop format: This is an interactive workshop for choral composers who wish to try out new compositions or techniques with a live choir and conductor. They may bring a segment of a work in progress, or a recently completed work. Each session will be 45 minutes and will allow the composer to work freely with Lydia Adams, Eleanor Daley and the choir.
Composers will submit the following by the deadline date:
- Registration form – name, address, contact info
- Letter of intent
- Resumé of music education and experience
- List of compositions (published and unpublished)
Application Deadline: December 1, 2018. Composers will be notified of acceptance by December 20, 2018.
Workshop Clinician Biographies
Lydia Adams
Lydia Adams, one of Canada’s most distinguished conductors, has been conductor and artistic director of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto since 1984 and of the Elmer Iseler Singers since 1998. Under her direction, both choirs have become leading choral forces in Canada, commissioning, premiering, performing and recording Canadian choral works. Lydia is also an arranger of choral music and has composed choral works which are performed worldwide.
Lydia Adams has conducted for and recorded a number of award-winning compact discs with her Toronto choirs and has toured extensively throughout Canada and the United States. Hailed by the Canadian Music Centre as “the new leading exponent of the Canadian choral composer,” Lydia was named one of the CMC’s 50 ambassadors in 2009, honored for her outstanding contributions to Canadian music. Lydia’s received the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2013 and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Cape Breton University in 2018.
Eleanor Daley
Eleanor Daley has been the Director of Music at Fairlawn Avenue United Church in Toronto, Ontario since 1982. She holds degrees and diplomas from Queen’s University, Trinity College, England, and the Royal Conservatory of Music. One of Canada’s most recognized composers of choral music, her works have been widely performed, recorded and aired throughout North America, Great Britain, Europe, South Africa and the Far East. Her compositions are distinguished by a rich imagination and lyricism – enduring qualities that are immediately appealing to singers and listeners alike. Her compositions have been widely performed, recorded, and aired throughout North America, Great Britain, Europe, South Africa, and the Far East.
As well as being a highly respected choral clinician in Canada and the US, Eleanor has had the privilege of accompanying choirs under the baton of Lydia Adams, Jean Ashworth Bartle, Linda Beaupré, the late Dr. Elmer Iseler and the late Sir David Willcocks. She has been the accompanist for the Bach Children’s Chorus since 1995 and was the accompanist for the Amadeus Choir from 1991-2006.
Shawn Grenke
Conductor, pianist and organist Shawn Grenke is Director of Music at Eglinton St. George’s United Church in Toronto, Associate Conductor and Accompanist for the Amadeus Choir of Toronto, and Accompanist to the Elmer Iseler Singers of Toronto. Shawn is also the Interim Director of the 80-voice Achill Choral Society in Orangeville, Ontario.
Shawn has made international appearances as conductor, pianist and organist in Poland, at the ‘Let the Future Sing’ Choral Festival in Sweden, the ‘Le Mondial Choral Loto-Québec World Choral Competition’ in Laval, Québec, ‘Xinghai Choral Competition’ China, Seoul Korea, Roy Thomson Hall, CBC Radio, and other various festivals, concert series and recitals throughout Canada, the United States and Europe.
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Peter Partridge of St. Catharines
Mr. Partridge served as a Board President (1974-75), member of the Advisory Council and a tireless supporter of Choirs Ontario and our choral community. During this time, our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
There will be a Memorial Service on Saturday, October 27th at 11am in Partridge Hall at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, 250 St. Paul St., St. Catharines.
https://dartefuneralhome.com/tribute/details/6578/Peter-Partridge/obituary.html#content-start
National Conductors’ Symposium: an intensive workshop with Jon Washburn
Feb 11-16, 2019, Vancouver, BC
Entry deadline: November 19, 2018
The Vancouver Chamber Choir’s 39th Annual National Conductors’ Symposium is an opportunity to take part in master-classes as a conductor or observer. Learn choral techniques, conducting gesture, score interpretation and more. Each conductor will conduct before an audience, as part of the Choir’s regular concert season.
For more information, please email info@vancouverchamberchoir.com or visit www.vancouverchamberchoir.com
Top Singers Form Ontario’s 2018 Provincial Youth Choir
“The Spirit of Singing” Conducted by Jon Washburn
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 26, 2018 (Toronto, ON)
Forty of Ontario’s finest young choral singers have been chosen to form the prestigious 2018 Ontario Youth Choir (OYC), a program of Choirs Ontario. Every year, singers between the ages of 16 and 23 are auditioned across the province to form this exceptional group and create a wonderful experience for the singers, audiences and communities they perform in. Established in 1971, the program serves as a unique opportunity for young singers to develop their choral skills under the direction of some of Canada’s outstanding choral leaders. OYC offers a rare bridge from school choirs to professional choirs and serves to inspire young choristers to continue to pursue the choral arts.
2018 edition – The choir meets on August 10th at the University of Toronto for a week of challenging rehearsals and choral training, followed by a tour of three concerts. The 2018 choir is led by guest conductor Jon Washburn. Mr. Washburn is the longtime Conductor and Artistic Director of the Vancouver Chamber Choir. He is well known internationally for his mastery of choral technique and interpretation and travels widely as guest conductor, lecturer and clinician. The recipient of many awards, Jon Washburn is recognized for innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in the development of a professional choral art.
Concert program – The choir will perform “The Spirit of Singing!” a concert program including an eclectic range of repertoire, from musical giants like Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Britten, Fauré and Bernstein to young Canadian composers of today and tomorrow. The spirit of singing and the spirit of youth are very similar – both, in fact, are irrepressible. This is sure to make for some excellent and exciting music-making.
Training tomorrow’s leaders – Singers are provided with the rare opportunity to receive training from Canada’s best in the choral industry. Young choristers are inspired to pursue artistic excellence, and take these skills back to their own towns, sharing their passion for choral singing and providing better leadership within their communities. Indirectly, other youth are inspired to join choirs and experience the life-long involvement that choral singing provides.
The Ontario Youth Choir is a signature program of Choirs Ontario, provincial service organization for the choral community. For more information, please visit www.choirsontario.org.
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For interviews, please contact Elena Koneva, Managing Director through our website or 416-923-1144.
Lydia Adams’ receives Choral Canada Distinguished Service Award
The Choral Canada Distinguished Service Award is given in recognition of long-term service to choral music in Canada. Awards are based on the significance and extent of transformative service in building, nurturing or promoting the Canadian choral community through a primary career in Canada. The individual’s contributions may have been made through teaching, conducting, or leadership.
The Elmer Iseler Singers’ Board of Directors and Administration are proud and pleased to announce that Lydia Adams of Caledon, ON, Conductor and Artistic Director, is a recipient of the DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD from Choral Canada, July 2018, presented at the Bi-Annual Podium National Conference in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
According to Choral Canada’s website “the Choral Canada Distinguished Service Award” is given in recognition of long-term service to choral music in Canada. Awards are based on the significance and extent of transformative service in building, nurturing or promoting the Canadian choral community through a primary career in Canada. The individual’s contributions may have been made through teaching, conducting, or leadership.”
First Lirit Composition Award goes to P.E.I. resident Jane Naylor
New award honours work created for women’s voices
The Lirit Women’s Chamber Choir is very pleased to announce the result of the first Lirit New Composition Award. This award will be given annually to a Canadian composer for an unpublished work for women’s voices.
Lirit received 10 submissions from Canadian composers across the country and abroad. We extend warm congratulations to Prince Edward Island resident F. Jane Naylor for her winning composition, “After Mountains”. This is a dramatic choral setting of a poem by the late Joseph H. Sherman of Sydney, Nova Scotia. It is notable for its feminine sensibility that evokes the strength of the Biblical matriarchs, its contrasting vocal sections, and its rich harmonic language. The composer will receive $1,500 and the piece will be premiered by the Lirit Women’s Chamber Choir in the spring of 2019.
Naylor is an Associate Composer with the Canadian Music Centre. Her works have been commissioned by eklektikos with funding from SOCAN, and commissioned and broadcast by the CBC. She has also received grants from the PEI Council of the Arts.
This composition is especially relevant to 2018, the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel: the ‘wanderer’ in the poem is the Jewish people, and the ‘woman’ is the land of Israel. Lirit Women’s Chamber Choir is a Toronto-based group of experienced choral singers. They are committed to exploring the joy and vast range of Jewish music, whether through Jewish texts, themes or composers. Lirit wishes to thank the Judy Dan Fund for Arts and Education for generously supporting this award.
Further information about Lirit and the award is available at www.lirit.ca
Further information about F. Jane Naylor