The Elora Singers have announced the details of their 2025/26 concert season, which incorporates music from the Renaissance to the 21st century. The focus is on masterworks brought together in thoughtful curation.
The Elora Singers are led by Artistic Director Mark Vuorinen, and their concerts are presented in a variety of intimate venues in Elora, Guelph, Kitchener, and London. Under Vuorinen, the Singers have been recognized as one of the country’s leading professional chamber choirs, and have garnered a JUNO Award nomination.
Here’s a look at the coming season.
2025-2026 Season Concerts
Maurice Duruflé: Requiem & John Sheppard: Media Vita (November 1 — London; November 2 — Guelph)
Three monumental works span five centuries of choral music in the season opener. Organist Jonathan Oldengarm joins the Elora Singers and Mark Vuorinen for the varied program. It begins with English composer John Sheppard’s Media Vita, written in 1550 during a time of plague, and considered a masterpiece of the ear. It’s juxtaposed with Take him, earth, for cherishing, a piece by British composer, Herbert Howells commemorating the death of JF Kennedy. Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, a 20th century piece infused with the beauty of Gregorian chant and the Latin Mass, completes the program.
Handel: Messiah (December 7, 2025 — Fergus)
The Elora Singers have made Handel’s iconic work one of their signature pieces. This special performance incorporates soloists from within the ensemble for a personal reading of the score. It’s a performance for both newcomers and connoisseurs alike.
Festival of Carols (December 16 & 17, 2025 — Elora)
The Festival of Carols has become a beloved tradition in Elora, and the Singers return to St. John’s Anglican Church. They are joined by organist Jonathan Oldengarm for an inspiring and joyful celebration of the season.
Soup and Song: Motets Through the Centuries (February 7, 2026 — Elora)
The choral motet is explored through five centuries of sacred music from Palestrina and Tallis in the Renaissance to J.S. Bach’s Komm, Jesu, komm, and the work of modern composers William Harris, James MacMillan, Arvo Pärt, and Imant Raminsh. A soup lunch is also on the menu.
Sarah Kirkland Snider: Mass for the Endangered (March 29, 2026 — Kitchener)
Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered reimagines the Latin Mass as both a prayer for the planet and its inhabitants and an elegy for what has already been lost. Traditional texts and poetry by Nathaniel Bellows reflect on the state of us all as endangered species in a fragile world. The program also includes pieces by Andrew Balfour, Albert Grau, and others that revolve around themes of loss and belonging. Overall, the concert gives voice to serious issues while finding elements of light.
The Passing of the Year (April 26, 2026 — Guelph)
The Elora Singers’ 2025–26 season closes with Jonathan Dove’s The Passing of the Year. The work evokes the changes that come with the passing of the seasons, their natural beauty, and the reflections they engender. The Elora Singers are joined by the participants of The Elora Singers Studio for Ensemble Singing as the culmination of their week-long intensive in learning and collaboration.
- Find more details about The Elora Singers 2025/26 season [HERE].
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.