Spotlight on North America
Saturday, January 26 at 3 pm EST

Interim Conductor David Fallis has put together a program featuring works by Canadian and American choral composers for the TMC’s 2019 free community concert.  David notes

“We want to shine our spotlight on three key areas: the exciting new generation of Indigenous artists across Canada who are leading contributors to so many aspects of our cultural life, choral music included; local Toronto composers from Healey Willan to Stephanie Martin; and the fact that some of our most alluring melodies are folksongs whose origins are obscure but which live on in lively arrangements by important composers.”

This concert is a wonderful opportunity for people to hear the Grammy-nominated 120-voice Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and discover some stunning contemporary choral music, including two works by Andrew Balfour, the prominent Winnipeg composer of Cree descent.

Spotlight on North America takes place at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church (1585 Yonge Street, just north of St. Clair) on Saturday, January 26 at 3 pm.  Admission is free and doors will open at 2:15 pm. Yorkminster Park Baptist Church is accessible to people who use wheelchairs and the Church also has CNIB Beacons in place to assist people who have impaired sight.

Making performances of great choral music accessible is part of the TMC’s outreach and education mandate. This concert will be webcast live on Livestream and also archived for later viewing.  Those who can’t attend the concert in person can enjoy the live webcast at https://livestream.com/TMChoir/NorthAmerica.

The TMC will be joined by collaborative pianist Gergely Szokolay and conducted by David Fallis and by TMC Associate Conductor Ezra Burke.

Concert repertoire:

Ambe  (Andrew Balfour)
Trapped in Stone (Balfour)
Gloria Deo Per Immensa Saecula (Healey Willan)
Rise up, my love (Stephanie Martin)
Sleep (Eric Whitacre)
Three preludes for piano (George Gershwin)
Alleluia (Randall Thompson)
At the river (arr. Aaron Copland)
Feller From Fortune­ (arr. Harry Somers)
Blanche comme la neige (arr. Sir Ernest MacMillan)
J’entends le moulin (arr. Donald Patriquin)

For more information visit the Spotlight on North America concert webpage: https://www.tmchoir.org/201819-season/free-concert-2/