2017 | 2018 Concert Season
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FIRE ICE 2017 | 2018 &Concert Season WELCOME TO OUR 40TH SEASON! 1 Artistic Director’s Message 2 17/18 Concerts Celebrating 40 years as one of Canada’s finest treble choirs, we are delighted to present a season of performances reflective of this great country and the Toronto 4 17/18 Guest Artists Children’s Chorus’s place in its history. Mission 5 Canadians live in a land of extremes. East to west, we thrive in a vastly different 6 Season Concert Calendar environment - from flat, endless plains to mountains that reach beyond the clouds. 8 Special Appearances North to south, we survive the brittle cold and ice, and enjoy hot and bountiful 10 40th Anniversary Messages summers. This season we celebrate Canada’s diversity through the powerful 14 Organization extremes reflected in this year’s theme, Fire and Ice! 15 Season Supporters and Partners Our Ruby Season will be filled with celebrations large and small, friends old and CONTENTS new, and beautiful music that will inspire reflection on the 40 years we have spent together, and anticipation of the many years to come. During this special season, we will welcome many guests - including international opera stars and TCC alumni bass-baritone Giles Tomkins, mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó and her former TCC 'apprentice trainee', soprano Lesia Mackowycz. We are humbled to perform at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in September, and look forward to performing two concerts with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in November and March. In spring 2018, the Toronto Youth Choir, celebrating its 5th anniversary, will perform in New York City with The King's Singers at the legendary Carnegie Hall. Our Chamber Choir is honoured to sing once again at Choral Canada's biennial Podium Conference and Festival to be held next summer in St. John's, and will tour to a number of local communities in Newfoundland. We are thrilled to welcome you to our exciting 40th anniversary season, Fire and Ice! Sincerely, Elise Bradley, Artistic Director "[These were choristers] who sang well beyond their years, investing their parts with verve, understanding, subtlety and power. They were quite a revelation.” - Robert Harris, The Globe and Mail From a review of Opera Atelier's Dido and Aeneas with TCC's Choral Scholars as special guests [ ] 1 17/18 CONCERTS Single tickets available online: torontochildrenschorus.com/concerts or at the door, unless otherwise stated in concert description Autumn Radiance Saturday, October 21, 2017 | 3:00pm Fire, Choir and Desire St. Anne’s Anglican Church | 270 Gladstone Ave. Saturday, April 14, 2018 | 4:00pm The Toronto Children’s Chorus Training Choirs, Choral Scholars, staff and alumni Church of the Redeemer | 162 Bloor St. W. will welcome autumn with powerful repertoire at the historic St. Anne's Anglican Feel the sparks! Chorale and the award-winning Chamber Choir will welcome Church. Guest artists include alumnus Giles Tomkins (baritone), Stan Klebanoff spring with thrilling works by Raminsh, Dubra, Betinis, Brahms, Rheinberger. The (trumpet), Bradley Christensen (baritone) and Ryan Downey (tenor). Chorus has been invited to sing the world premiere of the winning piece in the biennial Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Competition, sponsored Light The Flame by Choirs Ontario. We welcome Michael Bloss (organ), Sarah Jeffrey (oboe) and Tuesday, November 21, 2017 | 7:00pm Mary Carol Nugent (viola) as guest artists. Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre | 427 Bloor St. W. As Canada prepares for another cold winter, the Main Choir, Toronto Youth Choir Fire and Ice and a lively trio by TCC accompanists, Lara Dodds-Eden, Matthew Otto and Saturday, May 5, 2018 | 3:00pm Helen Becqué, will counter the chill with electric repertoire. Proceeds from this Toronto Centre for the Arts | 5040 Yonge St. special concert will help support the Chamber Choir’s 2018 tour to Newfoundland, Join all TCC children's choirs as they continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary including its participation in Choral Canada's biennial Podium Conference and season through songs reflecting the diversity of Canada! Featured composers Festival. include Larysa Kuzmenko, Ruth Watson Henderson, Lydia Adams, Nancy Telfer, John Govedas and TCC alumna Cassandra Luftspring. The choirs also look O Nata Lux – Toronto Youth Choir Holiday Concert forward to welcoming alumni guest artists and friends from the Toronto with Incontra Vocal Ensemble Symphony Orchestra. Tickets available in the spring through the TCA box office. Tuesday, December 12, 2017 | 7:30pm Christ Church Deer Park | 1570 Yonge St. Tour Send-Off Concert: Ring of Fire Toronto Youth Choir will present a collection of beautiful seasonal music as it Sunday, June 17, 2018 | 4:00pm celebrates its fifth anniversary season. Joining the TYC is Conductor Matthew Calvin Presbyterian Church | 26 Delisle Ave. Otto's Incontra Vocal Ensemble, a project-based, professional-level group of Support the young choral ambassadors of Chamber Choir as they sing the vocal artists dedicated to promoting excellence in choral music through innovative repertoire that they will take to St. John's, Newfoundland, in late June to perform performances. Proceeds from this unique holiday concert will help support the at Choral Canada's national Podium Conference and Festival. While away, the Youth Choir's tour to New York City in the spring. choristers will have the honour of collaborating with other participating choirs and will present concerts in a number of regional communities. The Fire Within Saturday, December 16, 2017 | 2:00pm Roy Thomson Hall | 60 Simcoe St. Kindle the joys of the holiday season with the angelic voices of more than 300 choristers, plus the Toronto Youth Choir, TCC Alumni Choir and dancers from the Swan Studio in London, Ontario. The choirs will perform Vivaldi's Gloria and other seasonal favourites during this special 40th anniversary holiday concert. The Chorus is thrilled to welcome TCC alumnae Krisztina Szabó (mezzo-soprano) and Lesia Mackowycz (soprano), friends from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and TCC organist Michael Bloss. Alumni are invited to a reception in the lobby following the concert. Tickets available through Roy Thomson Hall box office. Rainbows and Icicles Sunday, February 25, 2018 | 4:00pm Venue TBA The Toronto Children’s Chorus will present an afternoon of vibrant music that will stir the child within everyone. Enjoy popular songs, including movie favourites from Mary Poppins, The Aristocats and The Muppets. The choristers look forward to singing with special guests from Claude Watson School for the Arts. 17/18 GUEST ARTISTS TORONTO CHILDREN’S CHORUS Giles Tomkins (TCC: 1989-1995) Performing Oct. 21 The Voice of Excellence for 40 Years Bass-baritone Giles Tomkins is widely praised for his vocal virtuosity and lyricism in an impressive range of repertoire. His rich, resonant The world-renowned Toronto Children's Chorus was founded in 1978 by Jean voice brings “authority and power” to the concert and operatic stage. Ashworth Bartle, C.M., O. Ont., and is now under the artistic direction of Elise Mr. Tomkins’ many operatic roles, performed with companies across Bradley in her 11th season. The Chorus offers unique learning, performance, and Canada and in Scotland, include Don Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), recording opportunities to children and youth through a variety of choral programs Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Pistola (Falstaff), and more. Mr. Tomkins' r ecent and ensembles. oratorio performances include Elijah with Vancouver Bach Choir, Messiah with More than just music To give back to the Toronto community, Chorus Elmer Iseler Singers, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Symphony New ensembles will be performing 40 good deeds to mark the 40th anniversary Brunswick, Dvorak’s Requiem with Chorus Niagara, St. John Passion with Thirteen season. Strings Chamber Orchestra , Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Symphony Nova Scotia , and Messiah with Regina Symphony . On the contemporary music scene, Audition If you have a child or are a young person with a passion for singing, Mr. Tomkins starred as Gandalf in Dean Burry’s The Hobbit with Canadian register to audition in May or September for one of our ensembles. Children’ s Opera Company and , for two seasons, he joined the cast of The Bells of Baddeck, Lorna MacDonald and Dean Burry’s music drama based on Alexander Attend a concert Each filled seat reinforces to our children that their voices Graham Bell 's life in Cape Breton. matter. Support Toronto’s future leaders and performers by joining the audience Lesia Mackowycz (TCC: 1983-1989) Performing Dec. 16 and prepare to be amazed by the sounds of one of the world’s finest treble choirs. Soprano Lesia Mackowycz is excited to return to Toronto from her Donate When you donate to the Toronto Children’s Chorus, you home in Germany to perform with the Toronto Children’s Chorus - are supporting music education in the community! Your donation creates and with her childhood friend and former TCC ‘Apprentice Trainer’ educational and performance opportunities to more than 300 children each Krisztina Szabó! Ms. Mackowycz performs in theatres throughout year. The Chorus continues to be a leader in providing the highest level of choral the world, including the Hamburg State Opera, Munich BIENNALE, education, artistry and life-enhancing experiences for young people in the GTA, Shanghai Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and Chorin and Eutin Opera thanks to people like you. Festivals, and has appeared in numerous world premieres. Her interpretation of the title role in Toshio Hosokawa's, Matsukaze, sparked much international acclaim. Also an enthusiastic recital singer, she has performed with symphonies in Europe, China, the United States, and Canada. Ms. Mackowycz studied at McGill University and at the Musikhochschule Lübeck in Germany. She is now an Adjunct The Continuo Circle Professor of Voice at the University of Osnabrück as well as a guest professor in Toronto Children’s Chorus the School of Arts at the South University of Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen.