Toronto, October 17, 2022 – On November 2nd, witness the tour de force that is Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, performed by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir in the grandest of settings, Roy Thomson Hall. This performance, in partnership with the University of Toronto’s MacMillan Singers and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, combines 200 of Canada’s foremost musical talents, lead by maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée!

Jean-Sébastien Vallée marks his second season with the TMChoir with exciting programming and a fresh look to reflect the TMChoir’s new chapter. A champion for the future of choral music, Vallée’s bold vision reaffirms the TMChoir’s position as a celebrated leader in Canada’s choral landscape. An internationally recognized conductor, scholar, and pedagogue, Maestro Vallée has conducted ensembles throughout North America, Europe, and Asia and has prepared choruses for leading orchestras. Vallée rounds out his 22/23 season with engagements with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestre Symphonique de Québec.

World-renowned baritone Russell Braun joins the TMChoir to deliver a moving performance of this extraordinary work. Familiar to Toronto audiences, Braun has most recently been seen on the stages of Deutsche Oper Berlin, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Opéra national de Paris, and the Canadian Opera Company. Soloists from the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, the TMChoir’s professional ensemble, round out the featured soloists for the evening.

Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah is a beloved staple of English-language choral repertoire, and this performance features Joachim Linckelmann’s new, innovative orchestration (2020). As mentioned by Musicologist in Residence, Rena Roussin, the work, in its choruses and words, professes timeless spiritual values, stressing the worth of endurance and perseverance, the importance of hope amid despair. “In these challenging times,” she adds, “it is a profoundly necessary story.”

This masterwork clearly articulates the TMChoir’s bold plans for this season and beyond, highlighting a mission to create new choral experiences, engage audiences in new venues, and establish new musical partnerships. It is a performance that is not to be missed!