Toronto Children's Chorus
Encyclopedia
Founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle
,C.M. , O.Ont., the Toronto Children's Chorus has existed for thirty years and is established as one of the world's premiere choral ensembles for children, whose artistry has inspired audiences, critics and children's choirs everywhere. Over 300 Toronto-area voices (ages 6–17) learn to sing each year with heart and mind. Offering its children unique musical and educational experiences through the musical repertoire - especially Canadian works and world premiere commissions - the Toronto Children's Chorus stands as an international role model in the children's choir movement. It has a long history of touring, recording and live performances. Pianist and composer Ruth Watson Henderson
served as the ensemble's accompanist from its inception until 2007.
The choir first walked onto the international stage in 1982, winning first prize at the International Eisteddfod in Wales. Other awards followed, including first place in the prestigious Let the Peoples Sing Competition in 1993 and numerous 1st places in the CBC
choral competition.
Over the course of its history, the Toronto Children's Chorus has performed throughout the world, including debuts at Carnegie Hall
(1994), the Kennedy Center (1995), the Kimmel Center (2002), Royal Albert Hall
(2002), Sydney Opera House
(1999), Salzburg Cathedral (2006) and the Stephansdom
(2006). The Chorus was also honoured to serve as Artist-in-Residence for international children's choir festivals in Tuscany, Italy (1995) and Sydney, Australia (1999).
In July 2003, the TCC participated with choirs from Romania and Estonia at Newfoundland's Festival 500. In 2004, the TCC choirs were joined by a large alumni choir, guest conductors Sir Andrew Davis, Sir David Willcocks, and numerous special guest artists, including Stuart Laughton, trumpet, Russel Hartenberger, percussion, Ben Hepner, tenor, Catherine Robbin, mezzo-soprano and members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a Great Gala, 25th Anniversary Concert held in Roy Thomson Hall
. Another highlight in spring 2004 was the invitation for the TCC to go to Birmingham at the request of Sir Simon Rattle, to perform in a recorded performance of the Mahler 8th Symphony
.
The choir's vast repertoire embraces diverse cultures and traditions and covers an extensive range of musical genres. This includes sacred Renaissance works to challenging contemporary pieces. In fulfilling its mandate to celebrate the composers of its own country, Canada
, the TCC has commissioned many new Canadian works that have greatly influenced the treble voice
repertoire.
The choir has also performed with many internationally known conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit
, Michael Lankester, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling
, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
, Bramwell Tovey
, and Sir David Willcocks
, who is featured as guest conductor on one of the choir's CDs, A Song for All Seasons recently released by Marquis Classics. The choir can also be heard on a dozen compact discs and performs frequently on radio and television.
In August 2007, Elise Bradley, a New Zealand conductor and teacher previously based in Auckland, became the new Artistic Director of the organization. Bradley is a former director of the Westlake Girls High School choir "Key Cygnetures" and the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir
.
Jean Ashworth Bartle
Jean Ashworth Bartle, CM, O.Ont Choral conductor, Teacher and Founder/Conductor Laureate of the Toronto Children's Chorus....
,C.M. , O.Ont., the Toronto Children's Chorus has existed for thirty years and is established as one of the world's premiere choral ensembles for children, whose artistry has inspired audiences, critics and children's choirs everywhere. Over 300 Toronto-area voices (ages 6–17) learn to sing each year with heart and mind. Offering its children unique musical and educational experiences through the musical repertoire - especially Canadian works and world premiere commissions - the Toronto Children's Chorus stands as an international role model in the children's choir movement. It has a long history of touring, recording and live performances. Pianist and composer Ruth Watson Henderson
Ruth Watson Henderson
Ruth Louise Watson Henderson is a Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. She has been the accompanist for the Toronto Children's Chorus since its inception in 1978 and is currently on the faculty of The Royal Conservatory of Music where she has taught for many years...
served as the ensemble's accompanist from its inception until 2007.
The choir first walked onto the international stage in 1982, winning first prize at the International Eisteddfod in Wales. Other awards followed, including first place in the prestigious Let the Peoples Sing Competition in 1993 and numerous 1st places in the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
choral competition.
Over the course of its history, the Toronto Children's Chorus has performed throughout the world, including debuts at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
(1994), the Kennedy Center (1995), the Kimmel Center (2002), Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
(2002), Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
(1999), Salzburg Cathedral (2006) and the Stephansdom
Stephansdom
St. Stephen's Cathedral is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP...
(2006). The Chorus was also honoured to serve as Artist-in-Residence for international children's choir festivals in Tuscany, Italy (1995) and Sydney, Australia (1999).
In July 2003, the TCC participated with choirs from Romania and Estonia at Newfoundland's Festival 500. In 2004, the TCC choirs were joined by a large alumni choir, guest conductors Sir Andrew Davis, Sir David Willcocks, and numerous special guest artists, including Stuart Laughton, trumpet, Russel Hartenberger, percussion, Ben Hepner, tenor, Catherine Robbin, mezzo-soprano and members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a Great Gala, 25th Anniversary Concert held in Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall located at 60 Simcoe Street in Toronto, Ontario. It is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Opened in 1982, its circular architectural design exhibits a sloping and curvilinear glass exterior. It was designed by Canadian...
. Another highlight in spring 2004 was the invitation for the TCC to go to Birmingham at the request of Sir Simon Rattle, to perform in a recorded performance of the Mahler 8th Symphony
Symphony No. 8 (Mahler)
The Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major by Gustav Mahler is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire. Because it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces it is frequently called the "Symphony of a Thousand", although the work is often performed with fewer than a...
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the TCC has commissioned many new Canadian works that have greatly influenced the treble voice
Boy soprano
A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily...
repertoire.
The choir has also performed with many internationally known conductors such as Sir Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit
Charles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, Michael Lankester, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling is an internationally known German choral conductor, founder of the Gächinger Kantorei , the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , the Oregon Bach Festival , the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and other Bach Academies worldwide, and the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart"...
, Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Jukka-Pekka Saraste
Jukka-Pekka Saraste is a Finnish conductor and violinist.Saraste was trained as a violinist. He later studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Jorma Panula, in the same class as Esa-Pekka Salonen and Osmo Vänskä...
, Bramwell Tovey
Bramwell Tovey
Bramwell Tovey, OM is an English-born Grammy Award winning conductor and composer. His musical roots are in The Salvation Army. He was educated at Ilford County High School, the Royal Academy of Music and the University of London. His formal music education was as a pianist and composer...
, and Sir David Willcocks
Sir David Willcocks
Sir David Valentine Willcocks CBE MC is a British choral conductor, organist, and composer. His son, Jonathan Willcocks, is also a composer.- Biography :...
, who is featured as guest conductor on one of the choir's CDs, A Song for All Seasons recently released by Marquis Classics. The choir can also be heard on a dozen compact discs and performs frequently on radio and television.
In August 2007, Elise Bradley, a New Zealand conductor and teacher previously based in Auckland, became the new Artistic Director of the organization. Bradley is a former director of the Westlake Girls High School choir "Key Cygnetures" and the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir
New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir
The New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir is one of the three national choirs of New Zealand. It consists of full-time secondary school students; the only exception being students who join the choir in their final year of secondary school as they have usually finished secondary school by the...
.
Levels
The TCC consists of 6 main groups: Preparatory Choir, Training Choir I, II and III, the West End Choir, and the Toronto Children's Chorus (main choir). Children as young as 5 or 6 can audition for the youngest choir, then begin moving up in the training choir levels until they reach the main choir. In the main choir, there are also several subgroups, including the Cantare and Chorale ensembles. Within Cantare is Apprentice, Senior Apprentice, and main Cantare. Within the Chorale choir are main Chorale, Chamber (the touring choir), and the Choral Scholars.Head Choristers
- 2011 - 2012: Madeline Atell, Antonietta Emmanuel, Courtney Flanagan, Isabelle Savoie
- 2010 - 2011: Lauren Toccalino, Lian Francis, Michael Johnston, Emily D'Angelo
- 2009 - 2010: Elizabeth Ferguson, Laura Jamieson, Elizabeth Laushway (Deputies: Mackenzie Clark, Lian Francis, Ellen Hayes)
- 2008 - 2009: Grace Athanasiadis, Lizzie Hetherington, Hannah Tarder-Stoll, Danielle Toccalino
- 2007 - 2008: Jonah Schermbrucker, Charlotte Hodgkins (to January 2008), Matthew Bobkin (to October 2007), Joe Osborne
- 2006 - 2007: Joe Osborne, Julia Raffaghello, Claire Renouf, Lauren Saunders
- 2005 - 2006: Mabel Fulford (to March 2006), Kyrie Vala-Webb, Alexandra Rolland
- 2004 - 2005: Shannon Chun, Cassandra Luftspring, Alexandra Rolland
- 2003 - 2004: Rena Ashton, Alexandra Mealia, Hannah Renglich, Kate Van Buskirk, Laura Cameron, Michael Saunders
- 2002 - 2003: Laura Cameron, Michael Saunders
- 2001 - 2002: Aleha Aziz, Katie Mann, Emily Shepard, Heather Hurst
- 2000 - 2001: Heather Hurst, Gabi Epstein (to January 2001), Jenny Morgan (from January 2001), Clare Frazer
- 1999 - 2000: Laura Kishimoto
- 1998 - 1999: Lauren Simmons, Vanessa Wiley-Anderson, Christina Chabot, Naomi Shin
- 1997 - 1998: Valerie Kostyniuk, Katie Wylde, Naomi Shin
- 1996 - 1997: Naomi Shin, Alessandra Nosko
- 1995 - 1996: David Stewart, Alessandra Nosko
- 1994 - 1995: Fiona Shand, Giles Tomkins
- 1993 - 1994:
- 1992 - 1993: Nick Wilkinson
- 1991 - 1992: Hilary Cameron
- 1990 - 1991: Gillian Howard
- 1989 - 1990: Sharon Berger
- 1988 - 1989: Jennifer McLean
- 1987 - 1988: Susan Astington
- 1986 - 1987:
- 1985 - 1986: Loriann Simpson
- 1984 - 1985: Darleen Hubley
- 1983 - 1984: Maureen Price
Recordings
- How Sweet the Sound
- Mahler, Symphony No. 8
- A Boy was Born
- A Ceremony of Carols
- A Song for All Seasons
- Adeste Fideles
- Along the Road To Bethlehem
- Come, Ye Makers of Song
- Dancing Day
- My Heart Soars
- Songs of the Lights
Tours
- 1982 England & Wales
- 1984 Germany, Italy, Yugoslavia & Switzerland
- 1985 Chicago, Illinois
- 1986 Western Canada
- 1987 San Antonio, Texas
- 1988 Australia, New Zealand, California & Hawaii
- 1990 Finland & USSR
- 1991 Phoenix, Arizona
- 1992 England & France
- 1993 Florida
- 1995 Washington DC
- 1995 Italy
- 1996 New York City
- 1997 Belgium & The Netherlands
- 1999 Australia & New Zealand
- 2000 Western Canada
- 2002 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- 2002 England
- 2003 Newfoundland
- 2004 England
- 2004 South Africa
- 2006 Austria, Hungary & Slovakia
- 2006 New York State
- 2007 Miami, Florida
- 2009 Austria, Germany & the Czech Republic
- 2011 Argentina & Brazil