The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is pleased to announce today its 2022/2023 season. After a tumultuous two years for the performing arts, the TMChoir boldly returns with exciting new works, inspiring new faces, and a fresh new look.
This season includes a TMChoir concert at the acclaimed Roy Thomson Hall, an inaugural composer-in-residence, and the introduction of our professional 24-voice ensemble—the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers—who will be featured in two concerts this season. With new collaborative partnerships and creative connections, TMChoir’s growth as a choral organisation is evident in every detail of our 22/23 programming.
The TMChoir is immensely proud that this season’s repertoire speaks to a wide audience and shares the perspectives of our local communities. Highlights include new commissions by composer-in-residence Dr. Shireen Abu-Khader, a partnership with Unity Kitchen, and works by Joby Talbot, J.S. Bach, David Lang, and, of course, Felix Mendelssohn. As one of Canada’s oldest and largest choral organisations, we are proud to represent our musical landscape and amplify the many voices of our nation. We invite everyone to join us for this season’s lineup of diverse programming and thrilling performances.
“We are elated to be back in full force and bigger than ever.” says Artistic Director Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée, “Between thrilling masterworks, an expansion of the choir, and venues like Roy Thomson Hall and Koerner Hall, it is a season of grandeur, creativity, and unprecedented growth.”
Tickets available now via our website: www.tmchoir.org
2022/2023 Concert Season
The Pilgrim’s Way – October 1st, 2022 – 7:30pm – Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church
Performed by our professional ensemble, the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, under the direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée, this concert features a work by our inaugural composer-in-residence Dr. Shireen Abu-Khader.
Centred on Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles, this concert explores the narrative of displacement, identity, and individual life journeys. Talbot’s masterwork for a cappella voices is a musical pilgrimage describing a journey on the Camino de Santiago. Through its four contrasting movements based on the main posts of the Camino (Roncesvalles, Burgos, León, and Santiago) the music leads the listener on a unique reflective experience. Complemented by the work I Forgive by composer-in-residence Shireen Abu Khader, which tells the powerful story of Egyptian writer and activist Sarah Hejazi, this concert is a powerful celebration of the multiple journeys and identities that make up our communities.
Mendelssohn’s Elijah – November 2nd, 2022 – 8:00pm – Roy Thomson Hall
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, featuring Russell Braun, baritone, the University of Toronto’s MacMillan Singers, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Witness the tour de force that is Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah, in the grandest of settings at Roy Thomson Hall. This latest collaboration between the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the University of Toronto’s MacMillan Singers, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra combines 160 of Canada’s foremost choral and orchestral talent. Led by Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, world-renowned bass-baritone Russell Braun delivers a moving performance of this extraordinary work!
Festival of Carols – December 6th, 2022 – 7:30pm – Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
The TMChoir and the TMSingers conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée, featuring organist Dr. Isabelle Demers and a new work by our inaugural composer-in-residence Dr. Shireen Abu-Khader.
Rejoice this holiday season with Toronto’s beloved tradition—Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s annual celebration of music: Festival of Carols. Under the direction of Maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée, this dazzling performance is bound to fill you with joy and nostalgia! In light of a more prosperous future, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir will be bringing back the much-anticipated sing-along portion of the concert with pieces such as Joy to the World, Silent Night, and O Come All Ye Faithful.
This program also features a brand new commission from composer-in-residence Dr. Shireen Abu-Khader, Carol of Toronto. “The Carol of Toronto hopes to capture the sound landscape of birth, love, and diversity found in our city.” says Abu-Khader. “By tracing an eastern melody that is reminiscent of the city of Bethlehem, the Carol of Toronto hopes to capture the spirit in which we as human beings celebrate our diversity, but also remind us that our roots are strongly grounded in a global shared connection.”
Little Match Girl Passion – March 18th, 2023 – 7:30pm – Church of the Holy Trinity
Performed by our professional ensemble, the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, under the direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir presents Little Match Girl Passion—a musical vigil drawing awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness in our city. This moment of reflection features diverse choral selections centred on excerpts of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning piece, The Little Match Girl Passion. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale about a poverty-stricken young woman sent out into the cold by her father to sell matches, this work leads us on a journey where hope and memories meet the harsh reality of the snowy streets.
Bach’s Mass in B minor – March 28th, 2022 – 7:30pm – Koerner Hall
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir conducted by Jean-Sébastien Vallée.
Behold Bach’s timeless masterpiece, Mass in B minor, sung by the exceptional Toronto Mendelssohn Choir under the direction of maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée. A jewel of the Baroque era, this epic piece features Bach’s full range of musical expression – from the poignant “Crucifixus” to the exuberant exultations of hope and joy of the final “Dona nobis pacem.”
Community events:
Other upcoming events on the horizon include our TMChoir Community Choir Festival (February 4th, 2023), our annual Choral Conductor’s Symposium and concert (May 2nd-6th, 2023), and a vast array of community engagement activities led by Dr. Jamie Hillman, our 22/23 Associate Conductor and Director of Community Engagement.
About Toronto Mendelssohn Choir:
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is proud to be one of Canada’s oldest, largest, and best-known choral organisations. Through its performances, educational programs, and community engagement, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir shares choral masterworks from the past and present with our audiences—making both renowned and lesser-known pieces available, accessible, and inspirational to all. The TMChoir includes a core of 24 professional singers (the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers) and 100+ auditioned and experienced volunteer choristers. Our mission is to share and expand the passion of many voices. Our vision is to lead the way in creating a fresh, greater awareness of how meaningful the choral experience can be in our modern, complicated times.