On a recent Saturday morning, Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in midtown Toronto was alive with the sound of music.
It was not, however, the church choir or Toronto Mendelssohn Choir rehearsing at its usual venue. Almost 180 amateur singers from all walks of life had gathered for Singsation, one of the many community exchange programs TMC has been hosting since 1999.
In these choral workshops, guest conductors take participants through a selection of choral works, sharing their insights into the composers and the pieces. Opera, gospel, barbershop and pop are among different genres that have been featured, in addition to classical choral works.
Some participants are TMC alumni like myself, many sing in other community choirs, and all of us are simply there to share our love for singing.
A Passion For Singing In Community
TMC does not collect demographic information about the participants, but from scanning the room, I could see men and women of all ages, ranging from those in their 20s to octogenarians.
Every Singsation has a distinct theme. This one was on J.S. Bach’s Passions, comparing St. John, St. Matthew and St. Mark Passions, uncovering how Bach wove drama, devotion, and musical brilliance into each work.
This sold-out Singsation was led by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, TMC’s Artistic Director since 2021, and whose contract has been renewed for another five years.
After getting our music scores, we sat down in our respective voice sections. Vallée started by explaining that “passion” means “to suffer,” and that the passion chorale was a Lutheran church tradition dating back to the 17th century.
Over the next two-and-a-half hours, we were like bright-eyed students sitting in one of Vallée’s lectures at McGill University, fascinated by how he wove history, theology and musicology together to help us understand Bach’s masterworks.
We sang excerpts from each of the Passions with piano accompaniment. Although most of us were singing these for the first time by pure sight reading, we miraculously hit all the notes without missing a beat, and sounded like we had been rehearsing together for months.
The text was in German, and while I struggled to pronounce the words while sight reading the music, I was astounded that many people around me could easily manage both. Singing in such a high calibre pick-up choir was simply exhilarating, and there was very special feeling of community among us.
Naturally, we spent the most time on St. Matthew Passion, the piece TMC will be performing at Koerner Hall later this month. Vallée explained that Bach and his works faded into decades of obscurity after the composer’s death in 1750, and it was none other than Felix Mendelssohn who revived Bach’s legacy. In 1829, Mendelssohn conducted the first public performance of St. Matthew Passion, almost a century after it was premiered on Good Friday in 1727 at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.
Both Bach and the work became an overnight sensation and the rest, as they say, was history.
TMC Choristers
Even though TMC has been rehearsing this piece for months, about 15 current TMC choristers joined this Singsation. When I spoke with some about why they would sacrifice their Saturday morning sleep to sing the same piece again, they all told me they were interested in learning more about the background of the three Passions.
They were especially curious to experience St. Mark Passion, the music of which was lost and has now been reconstructed with the extant libretto. But most of all, they all sang high praises for and could not get enough of singing under Vallée, whom they unanimously described as dynamic, generous and engaging.
I could not agree more. Vallée’s infectious energy and enthusiasm for classical music shines through his magnetic personality. He engages with humour and genuine passion, and inspires the joy of singing in all of us.
Final Thoughts
I spoke to Vallée after the workshop for his perspective. He emphasized that his vision of classical music is that it must be relevant, which is how he approaches the Passion.
“We perform this not because we are recreating music in the museum. I want it to speak to us in this time.” He is amazed at how many people gather for Singsation. “Seeing that people are interested not just in singing, but in learning, is so inspiring and gives a lot of hope in the future of this art form.”
For me, there is no better way to spend a Saturday morning. I am looking forward to the next Singsation in April, the theme of which is Finding Resilience Through Song. Conductor and breast cancer survivor Elaine Choi will guide participants through a diverse repertoire that exemplifies and celebrates her journey of courage, resilience and hope.
- Toronto Mendelssohn Choir will perform Bach: St. Matthew Passion at Koerner Hall, March 24 and 25. Info here.
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