{"id":122178,"date":"2026-03-02T11:58:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T16:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=122178"},"modified":"2026-03-02T13:00:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T18:00:01","slug":"scrutiny-chanticleer-demonstrate-beauty-shared-humanity-singing-koerner-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/03\/02\/scrutiny-chanticleer-demonstrate-beauty-shared-humanity-singing-koerner-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"SCRUTINY | Chanticleer Demonstrate The Beauty And Shared Humanity Of Singing At Koerner Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Vocal
Vocal ensemble Chanticleer (Photo: Stephen K. Mack)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Royal Conservatory of Music: Chanticleer. Trevor Watson\u2019s Happy Shore; African-American spirituals; Brend Michael Davids\u2019 The Un-Covered Wagon; Randall Thompson\u2019s Alleluia; Chen Yi\u2019s I Hear the Sirens Call,; Toby Twining\u2019s Hee-oo-oom-ha; Indian carnatic music. March 1, 2026, Koerner Hall.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Since 1978, the male vocal ensemble Chanticleer has been fostering new repertoire, appreciating the old classics, and celebrating the most intimate musical expressions available for us \u2014 of the voice and its embodiment.<\/p>\n

This sunny Sunday afternoon, Chanticleer returned to Koerner with a lovely mixed program of old classics, a bit of Americana, and everything in between, resonating in the hall and in the hearts of the audience with impeccably blended vocal splendour.<\/p>\n

First Half<\/h3>\n

The ten men walked on to the stage, with genial smiles, and the first half of the program began with an exploration of Latin-texted polyphony, moving onto traditional Americana choral works, including Trevor Watson\u2019s Happy Shore \u2014 a new 2025 commission for Chanticleer \u2014 two traditional African American Spiritual works, closing with Brend Michael Davids\u2019 The Un-Covered Wagon.<\/p>\n

Though most of us have voices to speak, we seldom sing. Somehow, we\u2019ve lost the joy of spontaneous singing in our daily lives. Rather than making music, we often consume music. Thanks to plentiful and wonderful recordings, many have stopped contemplating making music as the first step of musical enjoyment.<\/p>\n

As we become dependent on the mechanical reproduction of music through various streaming services and recorded media, sadly, many of us are losing the true sense of what it is to experience sound in real time, in real space, with others. The immediacy of sounds and accompanying body language is so expressive \u2014 within a few seconds, we are able to discern the tone and mood of a conversation; yet, with music becoming a non-real-time medium, these facets of humanity within music are minimized.<\/p>\n

So, to hear well-calibrated groups such as Chanticleer, without the extra costumes, accompaniments, or visual distractions, in real space \u2014 especially in the intimate, and acoustically excellent Koerner Hall \u2014 reminds us of the expansive and varied beauty of singing.<\/p>\n

Just the voice, and the body.<\/p>\n

As these bodies sync with others and pulse together to create music with great finesse in intonation, diction and musical expression, incredibly beautiful things happen. It is incredible to join in such riches \u2014 whether we also sing, or simply soak into the sonic world they create.<\/p>\n

Varying from great unison singing to beautiful harmonic progressions, Chanticleer demonstrated their love for the craft. Their intonation was precise, making beautiful dissonances and their resolutions so much richer to the ears, beyond just mere decibel readings. The endings of phrases were especially beautiful, sometimes dissolving into niente, well after the last note had ended as it travelled through the hall, and sometimes in a joyous snap \u2014 a firework explosion.<\/p>\n

The way that various members took the time to introduce the audience from one section to another was a lovely human touch. Their speeches felt genuine, and in each section, the doors were opened gently, with little clues given, to be on the lookout for the multitude of ways we can relate to the songs; as artistic songs, or shared parallels of personal journeys, or a particular stylistic highlight that differentiates one story from another.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s lovely to trust and be guided by gentle minds, regardless of one\u2019s own understanding; at this juncture, it\u2019s not just about the knowledge, but of the connection with others, to share \u2014 non-transactual, but of enthusiasm and care.<\/p>\n

\"Vocal
Vocal ensemble Chanticleer (Photo: Joel Simon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Second Half<\/h3>\n

The second half brought a wider variety, and particularly beautiful were: Randall Thompson\u2019s Alleluia, Chen Yi\u2019s I Hear the Sirens Call, and Toby Twining\u2019s Hee-oo-oom-ha, and a take on Indian carnatic music, brought into the group by a Chanticleer member, blossoming into a colourful full-length work.<\/p>\n

The ensemble\u2019s vocal flexibility in Yi, in layers of old, recalled worksong, was a brilliant contrast in colour and texture. Twining\u2019s work combines elements of rock, folk, and traditional choral music, with a cherry on the top \u2014 a yodelling tenor, demonstrating the group\u2019s sensibility and quicksilver changes, creating a whimsical, playful journey.<\/p>\n

The Carnatic music, though the exact title was not revealed to us, was full of genuine Indian melody, and the added body percussion and harmonization skills of the group, honed over years of multistylistic exploration, showing us what it is really about: we sing together, because we live together. We evolve together. We give one another the space to exist and prosper, and we enrich ourselves with such rich, vulnerable sharing.<\/p>\n

\"Vocal
Vocal ensemble Chanticleer (Photo: Stephen K. Mack)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Encore<\/h3>\n

When this afternoon came to an end with a beloved encore, Shenandoah, the audience \u2014 who\u2019d been busy cheering, clapping, and hooting after each number \u2014 synced with the Chanticleers\u2019 impeccably blended voices for the last time. Shenandoah is one of the most beloved American folksongs; its origins differ depending on who you ask, and there are many speculations about the heart of the song.<\/p>\n

However, when Chanticleer delivered that particular sentiment with sensitive phrasing and lovely vocal blending, each individual audience listened in rapture \u2014 regardless of age or personal background \u2014 as we experienced recalls and memories, projections of the future, and yet-to-be-explored nostalgia; in that sense, we were all together, in a common experience.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s rare to be intimate in public. It\u2019s even rarer to be intimate with the public. Chanticleer managed that magic this afternoon, delivering a kaleidoscope of emotions through the songs we all love and are familiar with, and with new works that we will carry within our hearts.<\/p>\n

Bravo.<\/p>\n

Are you looking to promote an event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? Have a\u00a0news tip<\/u><\/a>? Need to know the best\u00a0events<\/u><\/a>\u00a0happening this weekend? Send us a\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>note<\/u>.<\/em><\/strong>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n

Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! \u2014 local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox <\/em>HERE<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chanticleer returned to Koerner with a mixed program of old classics, a bit of Americana, and everything in between, resonating in the hall and in the hearts of the audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":122180,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[42533,11,76,19,49,52,63],"tags":[40824,1876],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Copy-of-REVIEW-2026-03-02T115616.743.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-vMC","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122178"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122178"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122186,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122178\/revisions\/122186"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122178"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=122178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}