Classical
Canada
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
Top Songs By Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
Upcoming Concerts for Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir currently has 1 upcoming concerts; the next one is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at Meridian Arts Centre in North York, ON, Canada.
More albums from Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
About Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
Hometown
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Born
1894
Genre
Classical
The roots of the large Toronto Mendelssohn Choir date back to the late 19th century, making the group one of Canada's best-established and most characteristic musical ensembles. The choir has had a long association with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was formed in 1894 at St. Jarvis Baptist Church in Toronto, where its first director, Augustus S. Vogt, was choir director. The group made its debut on January 15, 1895, at Toronto's Massey Hall as part of that venue's grand opening celebration. In 1902, the choir performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and it has since had a long record of collaborating with American orchestras as well as the Toronto Symphony. After Vogt, the choir's conductors have included Herbert Fricker (1917-1942), Sir Ernest MacMillan (1942-1957), Frederick Silvester (1957-1960), Walter Susskind, later conductor of the St. Louis Symphony (1960-1964), Elmer Iseler (1964-1997), Noel Edison (1997-2018), and David Fallis (2018-). The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has made multiple tours of Europe, beginning in 1972. It performed at the Summer Olympics in Montreal in 1972 and the Cultural Olympiad associated with the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir made its first recording in 1926. In 1952, it made a noted recording of Handel's Messiah, a work with which it has often been associated. Another early work in the choir's repertory was O Canada, which it frequently performed even before the piece became Canada's national anthem. Among the ensemble's many notable recordings was that of the score to the film Schindler's List (1993), conducted by John Williams. In 2019, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was heard with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis in a recording of Berlioz's Fantasie sur la Tempète de Shakespeare.
The choir has about 150 members, also maintaining a 70-member Toronto Mendelssohn Singers and, since 1977, a Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir. The group performs at Toronto's Koerner Hall at Telus Center and at a variety of Toronto churches. ~ James Manheim
Similar to: Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
Discover more music and artists similar to Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, like Edward Moroney, John Relyea, Russell Braun
