UPDATE FROM THE TORONTO MENDELSSOHN CHOIR

The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has announced its 2023/2024 season under the artistic direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée. Highlights of the upcoming season include two major choral masterworks: Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which features the TMChoir with a full orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall, and Verdi’s haunting Requiem at both Koerner Hall and George Weston Recital Hall. In addition to these major performances, the TMChoir also returns with their annual holiday celebration, the Festival of Carols, at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.

This season will also feature two performances with the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, the TMChoir’s professional ensemble, whose debut season (22/23) garnered unanimous critical praise. The first of their programs is a breathtaking multidisciplinary dance production titled In Time, presented in collaboration with Compagnie de la Citadelle. The second, a fresh take on Schubert’s classic Winterreise, features a new adaptation for choir, baritone, and piano.

The TMChoir also announces their new composer-in-residence, Tracy Wong, whose commissions will be performed across several concerts throughout the season. In addition to their mainstage performances, 2023/24 will include a number of workshops and community performances that will provide audiences and communities with even more opportunities to engage with choral repertoire.

“Choral music is something that connects with the heart of our humanity, and I’m thrilled to present a bold and audacious 23/24 season that portrays the many facets of our human experience. From masterpieces that have captivated audiences for generations to newly commissioned works, from the grandeur of Roy Thomson Hall to the intimate setting of Jeanne Lamon Hall, I invite you to experience the passion of many voices!” – Jean-Sébastien Vallée

Tickets are available now via their website: www.tmchoir.org

2023/2024 Concert Season

In Time – September 22 and 23, 2023 – Jeanne Lamon Hall (Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre)

Performed by the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, under the direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée, in collaboration with Compagnie de la Citadelle.

Experience a fusion of music and dance in this mesmerizing evening of baroque masterworks. Presented in collaboration with Compagnie de la Citadelle, witness a breathtaking combination of grace and elegance as the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers perform Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Bach’s Christ Lag In

Todesbanden under the direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée. Let your soul soar with the exuberance of this unforgettable performance that unites choral grandeur and captivating choreography imagined by Laurence Lemieux in a tribute to the strength and resilience of women.

Carmina Burana – October 26th & 27th, 2023 – Roy Thomson Hall

The TMChoir conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, featuring the Toronto Children’s Chorus, baritone Geoffrey Sirett, soprano Lesley Emma Bouza, and countertenor Ryan McDonald, and a full symphony orchestra.

Join the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir on a journey of passion and desire as you experience Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, with its unmistakable opening: “O fortuna!” Under the direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is joined by the Toronto Children’s Chorus and a full orchestra to present this monumental score filled with hypnotic rhythms and dramatic storytelling. This performance will also feature one of Brahms’ finest choral works, Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), and a commissioned piece by TMChoir’s 23/24 composer-in-residence, Tracy Wong. This grand celebration of life, love, and renewal is bound to be an unforgettable evening at Roy Thomson Hall.

Festival of Carols – December 5th & 6th, 2023 – Yorkminster Park Baptist Church

The TMChoir and the TMSingers conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, featuring organist Jonathan Oldengarm.

Ring in the holiday season with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and its beloved annual celebration of music: the Festival of Carols. Under the direction of Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, this dazzling performance is bound to fill your heart and make your spirits soar as you sing along to classics like Silent Night, Angels We Have Heard on High, and O Come, All Ye Faithful. A heartwarming experience for all ages!

Winterreise – March 16th, 2024 – Jeanne Lamon Hall (Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre)

Performed by the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, under the direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée, featuring baritone Brett Polegato and pianist Philip Chiu.

Delve into the beauty and emotion of Franz Schubert’s Winterreise, performed by the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, renowned Canadian baritone Brett Polegato, and Juno Award-winning pianist Philip Chiu. Presented in a new adaptation for choir, baritone, and piano, this stunning vocal masterpiece recounts the story of a wanderer’s heartbreak and despair as they travel through a frozen world. The concert also features works by Fanny Hensel, one of the first published female composers, and Clara Schumann, widely regarded as one of the most significant composers and pianists of the Romantic era. Under the direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée, the TMSingers bring their signature artistry to some of the most beautiful pages of vocal repertoire.

Verdi’s Requiem – April 27, 2024 – George Weston Recital Hall & April 30, 2024 – Koerner Hall

The TMChoir conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, featuring Teiya Kasahara 笠原貞野 (soprano), Rose Naggar-Tremblay (mezzo-Soprano), Andrew Haji (tenor), Matthew Treviño (bass), and a full symphony orchestra.

Enthralling, dramatic, and yet eerily beautiful—nothing compares to Verdi’s Requiem. This spellbinding masterwork weaves together a thrilling symphonic score and breathtaking solos with one of the most harrowing sacred texts—a powerful cry for deliverance. Experience this monumental and haunting work with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, four stellar vocal soloists, and a full orchestra under the baton of Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée.

Community events:

Other upcoming events on the horizon include the TMChoir’s Exchange Community Singing Festival, their annual Take the Podium – Choral Conducting Symposium and concert, and an array of community engagement activities including two Singsations workshops.

Collaborations:

Continuing their long-standing relationship with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the TMChoir is proud to be collaborating in performances of Handel’s Messiah and Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. This season will also have new collaborations with Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the National Arts Centre Orchestra for Jacques Hétu’s Symphony No. 5 to be performed in Quebec City, Ottawa, and Toronto.