{"id":108035,"date":"2024-09-30T15:58:44","date_gmt":"2024-09-30T19:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=108035"},"modified":"2024-10-01T10:50:49","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T14:50:49","slug":"report-toronto-mendelssohn-choir-celebrates-130-years-new-album-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2024\/09\/30\/report-toronto-mendelssohn-choir-celebrates-130-years-new-album-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"REPORT | Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Celebrates 130 Years With New Album ‘Remember’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L-R: The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir at Massey Hall in 1911 (Photo courtesy of TMC); Conductor Jean-Sebastien Vall\u00e9e (Photo courtesy of TMC); The TMChoir & the TMSingers combine forces in 2019 (Photo: Brian Summers)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a fine Saturday morning, the beautiful sounds of choral music emanated from Toronto\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

This was Singsation, one of TMC\u2019s 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.\u00a0 This Singsation, led by Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vall\u00e9e, TMChoir\u2019s very own Artistic Director, was a special event to celebrate 130 years of TMChoir and the launch of its new album on October 4.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1894, TMChoir is Canada\u2019s oldest choir. It performed its first concert at the inaugural season of Massey Hall in January, 1895. Vall\u00e9e is TMChoir\u2019s eighth Artistic Director, who took the helm in 2021 during a challenging time when the world was just emerging from the pandemic. Vall\u00e9e has a very clear vision of this choir\u2019s 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\u2019 Symposium.<\/p>\n

We asked him about the album.<\/p>\n

TMC\u2019s 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. Vall\u00e9e 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important for the choir to have something to say about the issues of present times, to be relevant,\u201d says Vall\u00e9e.<\/p>\n

Several of the pieces in the album hold historic significance for the choir. Felix Mendelssohn\u2019s op. 78, no. 2, \u201cRichte mich, Gott,\u201d a setting of Psalm 43, not only celebrates the choir\u2019s namesake, it was also performed at TMChoir\u2019s inaugural concert in 1895. \u201cJesus, Lover of My Soul\u201d commemorates Augustus Stephen Vogt, who founded the choir and served as its conductor until 1917. Ernest MacMillan\u2019s \u201cBlanche comme la neige\u201d was premiered by TMChoir. Famous Canadian choral composer Healey Willan\u2019s \u201cAn Apostrophe to the Heavenly Hosts\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

True to Vall\u00e9e\u2019s deep commitment to champion new Canadian works, Remember places particular emphasis on recent Canadian choral music by contemporary \u2014 many still living \u2014 composers. The album\u2019s namesake is composed by Stephen Chatman.<\/p>\n

Peter-Anthony Togni\u2019s 2003 setting of the traditional hymn \u201cOf the Father\u2019s Love Begotten\u201d translates the 348CE text of ancient Roman poet Prudentius. Haitian-Canadian composer Christopher Ducasse also sets ancient Latin text in his 2018 piece \u201cO nata lux.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jocelyne Morlock\u2019s 2018 piece, \u201cIo Io,\u201d which celebrates the promise of eternal joy and beauty in heaven, is sung in remembrance of the composer who passed away in 2023<\/a>. Stephanie Martin\u2019s setting of Robert Frost\u2019s poem \u201cNothing Gold Can Stay\u201d 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\u2019s \u201cMusic is Vibration\u201d was commissioned in 2022 by Vall\u00e9e for the National Youth Choir of Canada.<\/p>\n

As Vall\u00e9e mentions, two pieces stand out as being most emotional for him to record, owing to their powerful, timely messages about issues in today\u2019s world. TMChoir\u2019s first composer-in-residence Shireen Abu-Khader\u2019s 2022 piece, \u201cI Forgive,\u201d 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\u2019s 2022 composition, \u201ca boy and a boy,\u201d inspired by Eric Whitacre\u2019s setting of Octavio Paz\u2019s poem \u201ca boy and a girl,\u201d celebrates queer love as something beautiful and joyous.<\/p>\n

The entire album is performed a cappella, which Vall\u00e9e 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\u2019s 24-voice core of professional singers.<\/p>\n

As Vall\u00e9e puts it in the album notes, \u201cThis album is not just a collection of performances; it\u2019s 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 \u2014 a vital part of the Canadian musical fabric.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is no better way to honour TMChoir\u2019s rich legacy, both in the past and going forward.<\/p>\n