Media

February 11, 2015

Unexpected Harmonies: A New Ears Review of the Choral Conductors’ Symposium Community Concert

2014-15 Season

This programme is a showcase of five emerging conductors who will conduct a variety of short pieces by different composers. Edison tells us that conducting is a lonely profession – it’s just you and the music, and you have to have the musical vision, the discipline and the people skills to bring the sheet music to life. This program has been sculpted around musical challenges for these conductors.

January 15, 2015

Passio Program Notes

2014-15 Season

The shining beacon of Pärt’s tintinnabuli technique, and one of his most important works is “Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Secundum Joannem” or The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John – his St. John Passion or known more simply as Passio. It was finished in 1982, shortly after Pärt and his family were allowed out of Soviet-controlled Estonia and emigrated to the West. Passio is a setting of the story of the crucifixion of Christ from chapters 18 and 19 of the biblical gospel of St. John.

January 6, 2015

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir announces five conductors selected to participate in the 2015 Choral Conductors’ Symposium

2014-15 Season

Five conductors from across North America have been selected to participate in the TMC’s fifth annual Choral Conductors’ Symposium (Jan 27-31, 2015), led by conductor and artistic director Noel Edison. Conductors will work with Noel and with the Elora Festival Singers and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir on a variety of choral music for chamber and large-scale ensembles, including works by composers from Gabrieli, Bach, and Mozart to Rutter, Chilcott and Whitacre.

The Symposium concludes with a free community concert at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church on Saturday, January 31, at 3 pm (doors open at 2:15 pm). The concert will also be webcast live.

January 6, 2015

The New Ears Project

2014-15 Season

To learn how “new ears” experience the TMC’s concerts, we launched The New Ears Review Project in November 2014. At each TMC concert, a brand new audience member will review the concert and tell us about their experience. We will post the reviews here, link via social media, and share them with our community.

January 5, 2015

The New Ears Project: New Ears Listen to the Festival of Carols

2014-15 Season

New Ears Review of Festival of Carols 2014: There were three firsts for us: this was our first visit to Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, the first time we heard the Salvation Army’s Canadian Staff Band, and the first time we were privileged to hear the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. All three were well worth the drive or subway trip, half way across the city, on one of Toronto’s colder nights.

We launched our New Ears reviews in November 2014, with the Mighty Rhino’s review of Mozart and Haydn. In December, Naomi Craig, a Toronto-based author and researcher gave us her impressions of this year’s Festival of Carols.

December 19, 2014

Two takes on the enduring Messiah

2014-15 Season

Robert Harris of the Globe and Mail reviews the two Messiahs presented in Toronto this year: the Toronto Symphony with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and Tafelmusik orchestra and chorus.

December 18, 2014

Messiah vs Messiah: TSO Beats Tafelmusik this Year

2014-15 Season

Michael Vincent for the Toronto Star. Led by Welsh conductor Grant Llewellyn, the TSO presented an impressive and balanced performance, backed by an on-point orchestra and a full-throated Toronto Mendelssohn…

November 11, 2014

Festival of Carols 2014 Program Notes

2014-15 Season

One of the joys of Christmas is its predictability. Every year, we associate the Christmas season with familiar images, tastes, activities, objects and sounds. Santa Claus and Ebenezer Scrooge, Handel’s Messiah and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, roast turkey and cranberry sauce, mistletoe and eggnog…….. brass instruments and choral voices. They all provide a joyous, festive and warm mood to which we enjoy returning year after year.

October 23, 2014

The TMC celebrates 120 years

2014-15 Season

Michael Johnson, Concertonet.com: The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir proudly turns 120 this year, making it the oldest continuing musical organization in Toronto if not the country. Its Artistic Director since 1997, the 7th in its history, is Noel Edison.