Past Events › Vocal

A ground-breaking celebration of Canadian artistry, featuring an array of choral works by female composers, and the premiere of four commissioned Canadian works. Orpheus partners with Diaspora Dialogues in a unique mentoring of acclaimed female composers and poets with emerging female artists to highlight the very best of established and undiscovered Canadian talent. This evening honours the woman’s expressive and singular perspective in song! Orpheus Choir Orpheus Chamber Ensemble Friday March 8, 2019 @ 7:30 p.m. Grace Church on-the-Hill, 300…

Howells Requiem: Ralph Vaughan Williams, Silence and Music Gabriel Jackson, Ite Missa Est Charles Villiers Stanford, The Blue Bird and more… Aspirare; a Toronto-based vocal collective focused on the exceptional performance of choral chamber music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Details, here.

Artists of the COC Ensemble StudioMARCH 14, 2019 AT 12:00 PM VOCAL SERIES Artists of the COC Ensemble Studio playfully explore opera in a lively interactive March Break presentation. Audience members of all ages can listen to, learn about, and try their hand at the fascinating art of opera. Fun for the whole family!

Free Concert Series: The Next WaveMusique 3 FemmesMARCH 19, 2019 AT 12:00 PM VOCAL SERIES Musique 3 Femmes seeks to identify and support future female leaders of classical music. In this performance, they highlight winners from the inaugural Mécénat Musica Prix 3 Femmes, a new initiative to develop operatic creations by teams of emerging female composers and librettists in Canada.

Winners' Recital featuring baritone Korin Thomas-Smith and pianist Joy Lee

Krisztina Szabó, mezzo-soprano Justin Welsh, baritone Rod Nettagog, singer, dancer Barbara Croall, voice, cedar flute Toronto Mozart Players David Bowser, conductor Tickets, here.

A Vienna Boys Choir performance is an enchanting event. The “breathtaking” choir is “totally disciplined voices tempered by a singular sense of ease and consistency” (Washington Post). Boys have been singing at the court of the Holy Roman Emperor since the early 15th century. In 1498, more than half a millennium ago, Emperor Maximilian I moved his court and his court musicians to Vienna, and gave instructions that there were to be six singing boys among his musicians. Historians have…

Join us in a new venue – the beautiful St. Anne’s Anglican Church – for a concert of contemplative music. This annual TMC Good Friday concert has become a cherished moment of calm and reflection for many. Come and discover the visual and acoustic splendour of St. Anne’s — the “Group of Seven” church. Enjoy a program that brings together two rich choral traditions: the French subtlety of Messiaen, Poulenc and Martin; and the mystical traditions of Eastern Europe and Russia, with music by Kodaly, Rachmaninoff, Penderecki and Schnittke. The…

Free Concert Series:CollaborationsArtists of the COC Ensemble Studio and Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal VOCAL SERIES Singers from the young artist programs of the Canadian Opera Company and l’Opéra de Montréal join forces in a program of arias and ensembles.

Danika Lorèn, soprano Sandra Horst, pianoAPRIL 23, 2019 AT 12:00 PM VOCAL SERIES Soprano Danika Lorèn (Musetta in the COC’s La Bohème) has been hailed as “bright-voiced and exquisite” (Opera Canada). Together with COC Price Family Chorus Master Sandra Horst, she explores the multifaceted elements of her favourite opera characters, revealing a different side of each of them through a pair of contrasting arias. Free!

A light, shining in the darkness. It is a common metaphor, often used to represent goodness and truth, and has been an inspiration to composers throughout history. In our final subscription concert of the season, Tallis Choir examines the use of this metaphor in music over the last 10 centuries, from Gregorian and Byzantine chant to contemporary settings, including works by Victoria, Elgar, Harris and Whitacre. Tickets: $30, $25 and $10* Tickets, here.

A Whirlwind to Heaven. Drought, rain, fire, storm and earthquake — it’s not easy being a prophet. Join Toronto Classical Singers, along with the Talisker Players Orchestra and soloists Lesley Bouza, Danielle MacMillan, Zachary Rioux, Matthew Zadow, and Sarah Schmidt-McQuillan, on Sunday, May 5 as we present Mendelssohn's Elijah. Tickets, here.

The Upper Canada Choristers and conductor Laurie Evan Fraser hope you can join us to celebrate 25 years of community service at a concert titled How Can I keep From Singing, Friday, May 10, 7:30 p.m. at Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St E (just east of Yonge Street beside St Mike’s hospital). Tickets are $25, children and teens free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be reserved by calling 416-256-0510 or emailing info@uppercanadachoristers.org. More info will be posted at http://uppercanadachoristers.org. Patrons are invited to bring a…

J.S. Bach Mass in B Minor Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 7:30 pm Lydia Adams, Conductor The Elmer Iseler Singers, in collaboration with the Amadeus Choir, present J.S. Bach’s B Minor Mass in celebration of Artistic Director and Conductor Lydia Adams’ 35 years of stellar musical leadership with the Amadeus Choir. This timeless masterpiece is truly one of the great musical compositions of all time, a profound and exhilarating experience for all.

Orpheus gives Artistic Director Robert Cooper a well-deserved break after 15 years with the Choir by offering YOU the opportunity to choose the program for our season closer. This unprecedented concert will feature works selected by YOU through online voting, and the most popular selections will be revealed in a live countdown at the concert. Don’t miss this evening of fun and surprises hosted by choral celebrity Howard Dyck. Orpheus Choir Howard Dyck, host Orpheus Chamber Ensemble

The two Requiems by Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Duruflé on this program represent two masterpieces of French music and they have a great deal in common. Both composers were excellent organists as well as meticulous and self-critical composers: Fauré took 20 years to complete his Requiem while Duruflé took six to finish his. Both scored their works for choir, 2 soloists, organ and orchestra and instead of emphasizing the dramatic emotion of the Day of Judgement preferred by other composers…

The Ukrainian Art Song Project is the brainchild of the British-Ukrainian bass-baritone Pavlo Hunka, who is no stranger to Toronto audiences, having sung with distinction for the COC, as well as his many recitals and masterclasses in connection with the Ukrainian Art Song Project. In advance of the 2019 Summer Institute (Aug. 12-18) is this Spring Salon, featuring soprano Olesia Verzole, mezzo Andrea Ludwig, and tenor Taras Chmil, with Robert Kortgaard at the piano.

Simona Rose Genga, Mezzo-Soprano Fresh from a debut with the Canadian Opera Company, and as a Gerdine Young Artist with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Simona is joined by collaborative pianist Stéphane Mayer. Both bring a wealth of talent that you will not want to miss. The Place: The Atrium, 21 Shaftesbury Avenue, Toronto ON M4T 3B4 Tickets: $30 include performance and post-concert reception Tickets, here. All concerts take place on the Atrium level at 21 Shaftesbury Ave. Toronto. The…

Crossover British tenor and star of Britain’s Got Talent, Jonathan Antoine transforms the Winter Garden Theatre into a musical fantasy world featuring iconic music ranging from Disney anthems to popular songs and the world’s greatest arias (including his debut performance of “Nessun Dorma”), all performed by the young, 24 year-old vocal sensation. This magical concert, which will be filmed for television, also features the internationally acclaimed, Grammy-nominated virtuoso electric cellist, Tina Guo and Disney’s own a cappella vocal sensation DCappella. Along with an orchestra, these artists will bring their audience into…

Talent, energy, dedication – for 47 years the Ontario Youth Choir has been pushing the boundaries of choral excellence and amazing crowds with the quality of their performances. Chosen by rigorous audition, the university and secondary school age singers from all over the province gather once a year to rehearse and perform. This year's concert includes a diverse range of repertoire from the Renaissance to the 21st century.

In the first Toronto series concert, we will present the program set out at the opening concert of 40th anniversary of Parry Sound’s Festival of the Sound (which also coincided with our 40th anniversary year). The program will include the Toronto Premiere of “The Sound – A Musical Evocation of Georgian Bay” by Eric Robertson, text by Gary Michael Dault. There will be a Prelude concert followed by refreshments at 2:00pm.

VOCAL SERIES Colombian-American soprano Vanessa Vasquez (Liù in the COC’s Turandot) is a winner of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has been praised by Opera News Magazine as an “unmistakable audience favorite whose exquisitely floated conclusion to Liù's ‘Signore ascolta!’ all but brought the house down.” She is joined by pianist Miloš Repický for a recital which ranges from the music of Richard Strauss to Enrique Granados.

Kathleen Allan's debut concert as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Amadeus Choir features works for choir and strings and begins with a world premiere by celebrated Canadian composer Rita Ueda. Centering around themes of reflection and remembrance, the program includes works by Beethoven, Britten, Mendelssohn, and Rheinberger, and culminates in Tarik O'Regan's explosive three-movement work, Triptych. With its "relentless urban rhythms" and texts from vastly diverse sources, the piece deals with the pain of war and looks forward with…

Kathleen Allan's debut concert as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Amadeus Choir features works for choir and strings and begins with a world premiere by celebrated Canadian composer Rita Ueda. Centering around themes of reflection and remembrance, the program includes works by Beethoven, Britten, Mendelssohn, and Rheinberger, and culminates in Tarik O'Regan's explosive three-movement work, Triptych. With its "relentless urban rhythms" and texts from vastly diverse sources, the piece deals with the pain of war and looks forward with…

The concert will musically span the TMC’s 125-year history, moving from the founding year of 1894 into the future with an anniversary composition by acclaimed Cree composer Andrew Balfour. The concert will open with two glorious acappella works by Mendelssohn (of whom we are the namesake), followed by a stellar choral-orchestral work from each century during which the Choir has sung. Felix Mendelssohn: Denn er hat seinen Engeln befohlen über dir (1844) Felix Mendelssohn: Psalm 43: Richte mich, Gott (1844) Igor Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms (1930)…

One of the world’s reigning sopranos in Baroque and Classical repertoire, Karina Gauvin, and Vancouver’s exciting and innovative specialists in performing “early music for modern ears,” bring you a concert entitled “Russian White Nights: Opera arias from 18th century St. Petersburg.” At the turn of the 18th century, Peter the Great began to drag Russia, often kicking and screaming, toward the rest of Europe. His new capital, St. Petersburg, was to be a window to the West, and to that…

The Sun, the Wind, and the Man with the Cloak, cantata by Stephanie Martin (Conductor Emeritus b. 1962), words by Paul Ciufo (b. 1970). This performance will be the world premiere of this new work, which was commissioned by Pax Christi Chorale. Serenade to Music, music by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), words by William Shakespeare (1564-1616). As Torrents in Summer, My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land, music by Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934), words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) and…

Koerner Hall Recital Debut Abkhazian soprano Hibla Gerzmava stunned Toronto critics and the audience when, in 2017, she made her first Canadian appearance with the Moscow Virtuosi and Maestro Vladimir Spivakov. Highly acclaimed for such leading roles as Leonora in La forza del destino, Desdemona in Otello, Liù in Turandot, and the title roles of Anna Bolena and Aida, she regularly appears at La Scala, Covent Garden, the Mariinsky Theatre, Opéra national de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, and opera houses in Vienna, Rome and Madrid, among others. Hibla Gerzmava appears as part…

Hear Toronto Children's Chorus' senior choir (ages 11-16) and Toronto Youth Choir (ages 16-30) perform in their season debut. About this Event Join the Toronto Children’s Chorus for the season debut of TCC’s senior Chorale ensemble (ages 11-16), and Toronto Youth Choir (ages 16-30) as they perform an exciting program featuring old and new choral favourites , including works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Francis Poulenc, Claude Debussy, Felix Mendelssohn, Eleanor Daley and Katerina Gimon.

“One small step for man” – these powerful words launched a new era in humanity’s fascination with Earth’s original satellite. Embark with Orpheus on a choral journey marking this historic 50th anniversary, from the astonishing discoveries revealed by Galileo’s telescope to dramatic Mission Control accounts of the lunar landing. Explore time and space through the premiere of Canadian composer Tawnie Olson’s ‘That’s One Small Step…’ along with works by Leonard Enns, Ola Gjeilo, Voces8, and more! GUEST ARTISTS Vaso String…

Internationally celebrated Canadian soprano and newly-appointed Vocal Chair and Head of the Vocal Department of The Glenn Gould School, Adrianne Pieczonka, and pianist Rachel Andrist, present Wagner’s rare song cycle, Wesendonck-Lieder, Korngold’s Four Shakespeare Songs, and works by Schubert and Strauss.

Irish-Canadian mezzo, Wallis Giunta, has been named “Young Singer of the Year” in the 2018 International Opera Awards, “Young Artist of the Year” by The Arts Desk and “Breakthrough Artist in UK Opera.” She is a rising star, in demand internationally for her exquisite sound, effortless skill, and intelligent musicality. Her versatility extends from operatic Mozart to Kurt Weill cabaret, music theatre to the Metropolitan Opera. Her 2018/19 season included UK debuts with the BBC Proms and the Grange Festival as Mozart’s Cherubino, with the…

Director Peter Phillips has worked with The Tallis Scholars, leading exponent of Renaissance sacred music throughout the world, to create, through good tuning and blend, the purity and clarity of sound that serves the Renaissance repertoire, allowing every detail of the musical lines to be heard. It is the resulting beauty of sound for which the group has become so widely renowned. “As near extraterrestrial as you can get sitting in a concert hall.” (The Observer) Based in a fascination with…