On a fine Saturday morning, the beautiful sounds of choral music emanated from Toronto’s Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. One might assume from this high calibre singing that the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was rehearsing at its usual venue. However, the majority of the 100-some singers this day were amateurs from the public who were singing the pieces for the first time by pure sight-reading.
This was Singsation, one of TMC’s many outreach programs, now in its 20th year. In these choral workshops, guest conductors take participants through a selection of choral works, sharing their insights into the composers and the pieces. This Singsation, led by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, TMChoir’s very own Artistic Director, was a special event to celebrate 130 years of TMChoir and the launch of its new album on October 4.
Founded in 1894, TMChoir is Canada’s oldest choir. It performed its first concert at the inaugural season of Massey Hall in January, 1895. Vallée is TMChoir’s eighth Artistic Director, who took the helm in 2021 during a challenging time when the world was just emerging from the pandemic. Vallée has a very clear vision of this choir’s vital role in promoting inclusivity, artistic enrichment, and cultural exchange within the community, while fostering a deeper appreciation for choral music and its ability to connect people. During his short tenure to date, he has established new initiatives to nurture emerging artists like the Composers-in-Residence program and Conductors’ Symposium.
We asked him about the album.
TMC’s new album, Remember, is a time capsule that brings together over a century of choral music, preserving pivotal moments in the choir’s history and showcasing the breadth of Canadian choral tradition. It touches on themes of beauty, loss, joy, and resilience. Vallée has curated a selection of music ranging from historical compositions to new commissions, featuring works that highlight the diversity and multiculturalism of our country. To him, the album is less of a history lesson, and more about the present and looking towards the future.
“It is important for the choir to have something to say about the issues of present times, to be relevant,” says Vallée.
Several of the pieces in the album hold historic significance for the choir. Felix Mendelssohn’s op. 78, no. 2, “Richte mich, Gott,” a setting of Psalm 43, not only celebrates the choir’s namesake, it was also performed at TMChoir’s inaugural concert in 1895. “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” commemorates Augustus Stephen Vogt, who founded the choir and served as its conductor until 1917. Ernest MacMillan’s “Blanche comme la neige” was premiered by TMChoir. Famous Canadian choral composer Healey Willan’s “An Apostrophe to the Heavenly Hosts” was commissioned for TMChoir and premiered in 1923. The album also features pieces from well-known Canadian composers Srul Irving Glick, Imant Raminsh and Harry Somers.
True to Vallée’s deep commitment to champion new Canadian works, Remember places particular emphasis on recent Canadian choral music by contemporary — many still living — composers. The album’s namesake is composed by Stephen Chatman.
Peter-Anthony Togni’s 2003 setting of the traditional hymn “Of the Father’s Love Begotten” translates the 348CE text of ancient Roman poet Prudentius. Haitian-Canadian composer Christopher Ducasse also sets ancient Latin text in his 2018 piece “O nata lux.”
Jocelyne Morlock’s 2018 piece, “Io Io,” which celebrates the promise of eternal joy and beauty in heaven, is sung in remembrance of the composer who passed away in 2023. Stephanie Martin’s setting of Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” was written during the COVID lockdowns in 2021. TMChoir enjoys frequent collaborations with Cree composer Andrew Balfour, who has written several new commissions for the choir. In this album, Balfour’s “Music is Vibration” was commissioned in 2022 by Vallée for the National Youth Choir of Canada.
As Vallée mentions, two pieces stand out as being most emotional for him to record, owing to their powerful, timely messages about issues in today’s world. TMChoir’s first composer-in-residence Shireen Abu-Khader’s 2022 piece, “I Forgive,” was written in celebration and remembrance of all women who have had their voices silenced, especially honouring the life of Egyptian-Canadian 2SLQBTQIA+ activist Sarah Hejazi, who died by suicide in 2020. Stuart Beatch’s 2022 composition, “a boy and a boy,” inspired by Eric Whitacre’s setting of Octavio Paz’s poem “a boy and a girl,” celebrates queer love as something beautiful and joyous.
The entire album is performed a cappella, which Vallée says is a deliberate choice to allow listeners to focus on the unique sounds of the choir. This also made for an intense recording process, as maintaining accurate pitch through a long piece with a large ensemble of over 130 was extremely challenging. Half of the selections in the 15-track album are sung by the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, the choir’s 24-voice core of professional singers.
As Vallée puts it in the album notes, “This album is not just a collection of performances; it’s a living archive, a testament to the enduring role the choir has played in shaping Canada’s choral landscape. Over the past 130 years, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has been a beacon of musical excellence, touching the lives of countless audiences with performances that reflect both passion and precision. Beyond our concerts, the choir has built connections across communities, making it more than an ensemble — a vital part of the Canadian musical fabric.”
There is no better way to honour TMChoir’s rich legacy, both in the past and going forward.
- You can find and purchase Remember: 130 Years of Canadian Choral Music from ATMA Classique, with a release date of October 4, 2024 [HERE].
By: Denise Lai for Ludwig-Van.com
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