Blue Pages | 19th Annual Directory of Music Makers - October 2018

music director Denis Mastromonaco and stage
director Penny Cookson. Opera York’s second
half of the season is led by music director Geoffrey
Butler, in the full production of Mozart’s classic
Don Giovanni. Opera York continues to provide
affordable and accessible lectures, operatic concerts
for seniors and educational programming.
November 2 and 4, 2018: Puccini’s La Boheme,
Richmond Hill Centre for the Arts. March 1 and 3,
2019: Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Richmond Hill Centre
for the Arts.
Tickets 905-787-8811. www.rhcentre.ca
Philip Trow
905-763-7853
info@operayork.com
www.operayork.com
●●Oriana Women’s Choir
Oriana Women’s Choir is an auditioned ensemble
of 30 amateur female singers with a long history
of performance at a high artistic standard.
Led by artistic director Mitchell Pady since 2011,
Oriana explores the possibilities in choral music
for the female voice, collaborating with a diverse
range of artists to push the boundaries of typical
expectations for women’s choir performances.
We foster the creation of Canadian choral music,
regularly commissioning works from Canadian
composers for women’s voices. Oriana presents
a three-concert series in November, February
and May, at Grace Church on-the-Hill. 2018/19
repertoire includes Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols
paired with Susa’s Carols and Lullabies, the
Canadian premiere of David Lang’s Love Fail, and
an exploration of the compositional inspiration
to create music for women’s voices. We look forward
to welcoming you to the concerts in our
47th season!
Choir manager
info@orianachoir.com
www.orianachoir.com
●●Orpheus Choir of Toronto
Orpheus’ vision is to celebrate the transformational
power of choral music as an agent of
social change and a passionate medium of artistic
expression. The 65-voice choir, under artistic
director Robert Cooper, champions the new and
unusual in choral performance, commissioning
and introducing new works and performing overlooked
masterpieces. Regularly working directly
with living composers and singing a wide range of
repertoire styles in concerts with high production
value, Orpheus has introduced audiences to many
fascinating and accessible works from the current
generation of leading composers. Orpheus
supports young emerging vocal talent through its
highly respected Sidgwick Scholars Program and
our newer Vocal Apprentice Program for high
school singers. Winners of the 2018 Choral Canada
Award for Outstanding Innovation, Orpheus
continues to move audiences with an “expect
something different” experience! In 18/19, the
OPERA ATELIER
Choir presents an “Orpheus Cinema” production,
providing a choral soundtrack to the 1924
silent film classic, Peter Pan; performs A Child’s
Christmas in Wales with Stratford star Geraint
Wyn Davies; celebrates women in the choral art
in “Raising Her Voice,” and leaves programming
to the audience in “Orpheus By Request.”
Lisa Griffiths
416-530-4428
lisa.griffiths@orpheuschoirtoronto.com
www.orpheuschoirtoronto.com
●●Pax Christi Chorale
Hailed by critics and audiences alike as one of
Canada’s finest oratorio choirs, Pax Christi Chorale
delivers stirring performances with great
polish and total conviction. Under the artistic direction
of David Bowser, the award-winning choir
aspires to build on its strengths and accomplishments
to achieve new levels of performance and
audience engagement. Collaborations with outstanding
guest artists and partners give audiences
and performers a deep appreciation for
choral masterworks and new Canadian music.
The organization includes the 100-voice chorale,
chamber choir, and a choral scholarship
program. Rehearsals are on Monday nights in
North York. Auditions are held in May and August.
Pax Christi Chorale champions great
choral music among a diverse community.
We have an inclusive philosophy and welcome
audience members, choristers, and
volunteers from all backgrounds and walks of life.
2018-19 Season Highlights:
“Slavic Devotion” on Saturday, October 27, 2018,
7:30pm. and Sunday, October 28, 2018, 3:00pm
at Grace Church on-the-Hill
“England’s Golden Age” on Sunday, December 16,
2018, 3:00pm at Grace Church on-the-Hill
Miziwe... (Everywhere...) on Sunday, March 31,
2019 at Koerner Hall
Helen Nestor
647-345-7743
boxoffice@paxchristichorale.org
www.paxchristichorale.org
●●Penthelia Singers
Founded in 1997, Penthelia Singers has earned
a reputation for presenting high quality, innovative
concerts of choral repertoire in a multitude
of styles and languages. A vibrant ensemble of
women, we are committed to excellence in performing
culturally diverse and musically sophisticated
repertoire spanning the renaissance to
the 21st century. The choir seeks opportunities
to collaborate with special guest artists such as
Suba Sankaran (world music), Raigelee Alorut
(Inuit throat singing) and Steve Mancuso (Brazilian
capoeira) to workshop different styles of
music, as well as work with many talented instrumentalists
who support our performances. Penthelia
Singers is a welcoming group of women
committed to high standards of music-making,
diversity, community outreach and enjoyment
through the learning process.
Alice Malach
416-579-7464
alice_malach@hotmail.com
www.penthelia.com
●The ● Peterborough Singers
The Peterborough Singers is an auditioned 100-
voice community choir of adults and youth which
attracts both members and audience from Peterborough,
the Kawarthas, Northumberland and
locations along the lakeshore. Last season we
celebrated our 25th anniversary under the energetic
and creative leadership of founder and
music director Sydney Birrell. Concerts this season
are “Yuletide Cheer,” Handel’s Messiah, Walton’s
Belshazzar’s Feast with Fauré’s Requiem,
and the February concert “Soul II.” Our February
concert is always devoted to popular music,
something outside the box of regular classical
theWholeNote 2018/19 PRESENTER PROFILES | B17