Media

October 10, 2014

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir set to embark on new 2014/2015 season

2014-15 Season

Christina Strynatka, The Examiner: The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, celebrating 120 years, will be unveiling the start of their new 2014/2015 season on October 15 at Koerner Hall by performing Haydn’s “Lord Nelson Mass” and Mozart’s “Requiem”. They’ll also be livestreaming the concert for anyone who can’t make it out.

September 30, 2014

Noel Edison in conversation with The Wholenote’s David Perlman

2014-15 Season

David Perlman, The Wholenote: conversation with TMC Artistic Director Noel Edison. Enjoy the video of their conversation.

September 29, 2014

Concert Review: Happy Ending for TSO Ninth

2014-15 Season

Arthur Kaptainis, National Post: This was an energetic finale, vital in rhythm and full of spirit. The 130-plus singers of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir were scattered democratically in the choir loft rather than partitioned into sections. They made a joyous, united sound. Nor was there any price in clarity in the double fugue. Maybe this unusual configuration has a future.

September 2, 2014

Mozart and Haydn Program Notes

2014-15 Season

After almost thirty years as Kapellmeister to the court of Esterháza, Joseph Haydn was let go in 1790 becoming a very successful freelance composer. The Esterházys awarded him a pension, allowing for a comfortable retirement, and stipulated that Haydn’s one remaining task be to compose and direct a new mass once a year to honour the name-day of Princess Marie Esterházy. The last six masses by Haydn were all for this purpose, the most famous being the so-called “Lord Nelson” Mass.

May 23, 2014

Much to Enjoy with TSO’s Rendition of Lerner and Loewe Musical Theatre Classics

2013-14 Season

A night at Roy Thompson Hall to see the Toronto Symphony Orchestra may not sound like a theatre-goer’s ordinary evening plan, but the renowned orchestra’s renditions of classic musical theatre hits from Lerner and Loewe is just as magical as a night at the theatre. Legendary writing duo Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, a lyricist and composer respectively, have left an indelible mark on the musical theatre world with Broadway hits such as My Fair Lady and Brigadoon, as well as Oscar-winning film Gigi. All three of these works and more are on display at Roy Thompson Hall, with guest Canadian soloists and a one hundred-strong choir combining with the TSO for a stunning and altogether memorable concert.

April 22, 2014

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir announces its 2014-15 Season: Celebrating 120 years

2014-15 Season

Toronto, 1894: the last horse-drawn streetcar made its run in Toronto; Massey Hall was built; and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was founded, presenting its
first concert in 1895. Throughout its 120-year history, and under the leadership of seven renowned conductors, the Choir has been acclaimed for its stunning performances of major choral repertoire and for its important role in the life of choral music in Canada.

April 20, 2014

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir wows with Sacred Music for a Sacred Space

2013-14 Season

The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has done it again. Performed a concert splendidly, that is. Their performance on April 18, 2014 at St. Paul’s Basilica was nothing short of magnificent, due in equal parts to the choir’s ability, the music selection, and the combination of power and restraint shown by them. They were led by conductors Noel Edison and Caron Daley, with organist Michael Bloss providing the instrumentals.

April 18, 2014

Sacred Music for a Sacred Space 2014 Program Notes

2013-14 Season

Program notes for Toronto Mendelssohn Choir concert on April 18, 2014 – Sacred Music for a Sacred Space – at St. Paul’s Basilica. Notes by music reviewer and lecturer Rick Phillips.

March 29, 2014

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir delivers a mixed Bach B minor Mass

2013-14 Season

After hearing the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and Artistic Director Noel Edison last Wednesday night, it was a mixed success. It was a nuanced approach, with a special focus upon subtlety and the withholding certain melodic passages that Edison felt needed to whisper rather than call out. At other times, Edison didn’t hesitate to push the choir forth and allow it to chime like carillon bells over the streets of Bach’s mid-eighteenth-century Leipzig.

From the stabbing consonants of its Kyrie, through the stirring syncopation of its Credo, Edison did a fine job of maintaining a singular thread uniting the work.