Volume 24 Issue 8 - May 2019

CANARY PAGES
theWholeNote 2019/20 CANARY PAGES DIRECTORY
●●Metropolitan United Church Choirs
The auditioned 32-member Metropolitan United
Church Choir has eight lead singers, rehearses
Thursday evenings and sings on Sunday mornings
and special occasions, September through June.
Repertoire is Medieval through 21st-century. Singers
must have sight-singing ability. A waiting list exists;
contact our director in late spring or early fall to join.
The Festival Choir adds 10 to 15 singers to the core
choir and rehearses Sunday afternoons for six weeks
prior to Good Friday. Past concerts have featured
Bach, Mozart, Fauré, Duruflé, Gilles and others.
The Metropolitan Sparklers (ages 4 to 6), Choristers
(7 to 11), Great Heart Ensemble (vocal and instrumental,
ages 12 and up) and Metropolitan Handbells
are groups open to all.
DR. PATRICIA WRIGHT
416-363-0331 x26
patriciaw@metunited.org
www.metunited.org
●●Milton Choristers
This dynamic four-part community choir has
entertained audiences in Halton Region and beyond.
The 50-member choir performs two major concerts
annually, often including premier guest soloists and
musicians. We also enjoy performing at numerous
local events. Our director, Rachel Cleland, is
expanding our already varied repertoire. From classical
to contemporary, sacred to secular, we sing it all.
Rehearsals are Tuesday nights from 7:30 to 9:30pm,
from September to June. A love of singing, some sight
reading and a sense of humour are all you need to
become a Milton Chorister.
BILL MCLEAN
905-875-1730
info@miltonchoristers.com
www.miltonchoristers.com
●●Mississauga Festival
Chamber Choir
Mississauga Festival Chamber Choir (MFCC)
was formed in 2008 as a smaller branch of the
large ensemble, Mississauga Festival Choir (MFC).
This 26-voice, auditioned choir delights audiences
with intimate and challenging works of music,
their most recent being The Wound in the Water by
Kim Andre Arnesen with string orchestra. MFCC
performs an annual concert, as well as various
performances throughout the season, serving as
an ambassador for MFC. They reach out to the
community in a variety of venues from the Port Credit
Library to Hammerson Hall. All experienced choral
singers are now welcome to audition, as it is no longer
a requirement to sing with MFC to be part of Mississauga
Festival Chamber Choir.
JENNY JOHNSTON
416-986-5537
choiradmin@mfchoir.com
www.mfchoir.com
●●Mississauga Festival Choir
With over 150 singers, Mississauga Festival Choir
is the largest and most spirited community choir in
our city. Our Mission is to enrich lives through music
by way of performance, education and outreach,
while valuing excellence in choral music. Under the
leadership of David Ambrose, MFC also host three
subsidiary choirs: Mississauga Festival Chamber
Choir, an auditioned group which explores intimate
and challenging works; Resonance, a non-auditioned
choir for youth and young adults aged 15-28
directed by Bob Anderson (resonance.mfchoir.com),
and Raising Voices - an intergenerational choir of
music lovers to provide the therapeutic value of
music to people with Alzheimer’s and dementia and
their caregivers.
JENNY JOHNSTON
416-986-5537
info@mississaugafestivalchoir.com
www.mfchoir.com
●●MNjcc Adult Daytime Choir
Love to sing? Prefer rehearsing during the day?
Join us and fill your life with the joy of singing in
harmony! A fun-filled, relaxed environment. No
experience or sight-reading necessary. Meets Tuesday
afternoons, 1:00-2:30 pm. Learn vocal technique,
sing a wide variety of musical styles, stretch yourself.
Includes a spring concert. Conductor: Asher Farber.
Accompanist: Clive Walton. Conveniently located
near Spadina TTC station.
DEANNA DI LELLO
416-924-6211 x250
music@mnjcc.org
www.mnjcc.org
●●MNjcc Community Choir
Tackle world, jazz, classical, Jewish, folk, Canadian,
gospel and pop music. Our 75-member auditioned
SATB choir meets Wednesday evenings, Sept - June.
Rehearsals are well-structured and singers learn skills
in different musical genres, expression, blend, vocal
production, and reading. A wonderful community
of dedicated singers. Annual Spring Concerts in the
Al Green Theatre. Ensemble and Cabaret opportunities.
Good supportive learning materials. Conductor:
Mark Ramsay. Assistant Conductor: Briony Glassco.
Accompanist: Asher Farber. Conveniently located
near Spadina TTC station.
DEANNA DI LELLO
416-924-6211 x250
deannad@mnjcc.org
www.mnjcc.org
●●MNjcc Specialty Choirs
8 weeks devoted to different genres: Broadway
(fall), pop (winter), and folk (spring). Enjoy diverse
repertoire, vocal technique, and train your ear to
harmony. Leave each rehearsal with a song in your
heart. No experience or audition required. Join
any or all. Meets Thursday evenings, 7:00-8:30pm.
Conductor: Alex Fiddes. Conveniently located near
Spadina TTC station.
DEANNA DI LELLO
416-924-6211 x250
deannad@mnjcc.org
www.mnjcc.org
●The ● Nathaniel Dett Chorale
The Nathaniel Dett Chorale is a 21-voice SATB
professional choir based in Toronto, dedicated to
performing Afrocentric music of all genres, including
classical, spiritual, gospel, jazz, folk and blues.
Founded by artistic director D. Brainerd Blyden-
Taylor in 1998, the NDC is Canada’s premier
performer of Afrocentric composers and a touchstone
for the education of audiences and communities
regarding the full spectrum of Afrocentric choral
music. The mission of the NDC is to build bridges
of understanding, appreciation and acceptance
between communities of people through the medium
of music. The Chorale has a three-concert season
in Toronto, tours extensively each season and has
released several CDs and DVDs. The Nathaniel Dett
Chorale is artist-in-residence at the Harriet Tubman
Institute for Research.
D. BRAINERD BLYDEN-TAYLOR
416-712-7740
info@nathanieldettchorale.org
www.nathanieldettchorale.org
●●Oakham House Choir Society
Founded in 1984, the 80-member Oakham House
Choir specializes in the large-scale masterpieces of
the choral repertoire. This is one of the few Toronto
choirs where amateur singers perform regularly with a
professional orchestra (the Toronto Sinfonietta). The
choir has a diverse membership of Ryerson University
students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as singers
from outside the university; it is led by its founding
music director, Matthew Jaskiewicz. Rehearsals
begin in early September and take place on Monday
evenings on the Ryerson campus. We give our main
concerts at the end of November and April, often at
Calvin Presbyterian Church. For more details, please
visit our website. Experienced choristers are invited to
contact us by email for information about openings.
MATTHEW JASKIEWICZ
416-578-2546
oakhamhousechoir1@gmail.com
www.oakhamchoir.ca
●●Oakville Choir for Children & Youth
For 25 years, Oakville Choir has provided exceptional
music education and leadership training to
young people. We believe that providing a fun, safe
and educational space for youth to express themselves
encourages them to find their voice and use it
as a force for good in this world. Currently, we offer a
collaborative and comprehensive choral music education
program to nearly 300 young people, exploring
a wide range of repertoire, diverse musical programming,
and high standards of performance. We are
proud of the choral collaborations that we have
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