Messiah, Part One: Comfort ye my people (tenor)Sir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Samuel Ramey, Florence Quivar, Elmer Iseler Singers, Kathleen Battle & John Aler
Requiem, Op. 5: II. Dies IraeMichael Schade, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir, Elora Festival Orchestra & Noel Edison
Messiah, Part One: For unto us a child is bornSir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Samuel Ramey, Florence Quivar, Elmer Iseler Singers, Kathleen Battle & John Aler
Messiah, Part Two: HallelujahSir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Samuel Ramey, Florence Quivar, Elmer Iseler Singers, Kathleen Battle & John Aler
Messiah, Part One: Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)Sir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Samuel Ramey, Florence Quivar, Elmer Iseler Singers, Kathleen Battle & John Aler
Albums by Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
ALBUMBerlioz: Symphonie Fantastique & Fantaisie sur la Tempête de ShakespeareSir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra & Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
ALBUMHandel: MessiahSir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Erin Wall, Elizabeth DeShong, Andrew Staples, John Relyea & Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
ALBUMAnton Kuerti Plays Beethoven, Vol. 1Anton Kuerti, Sir Andrew Davis, Toronto Symphony Orchestra & Toronto Mendelssohn Choir
ALBUMHighlights of the Millenium Opera GalaTracy Dahl, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Mario Bernardi, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Catherine Robbin, Michael Schade, Russell Braun, Richard Bradshaw, Brett Polegato, Jean Stilwell, Robert Pomakov, Gino Quilico, Richard Margison, Adrianne Pieczonka, Measha Brueggergosman, James Westman, Frances Ginzer & Ben Heppner
ALBUMA Festival of CarolsToronto Mendelssohn Choir
ALBUMHandel: Messiah (Highlights)Kathleen Battle, Sir Andrew Davis, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir & Toronto Symphony Orchestra
ALBUMMagic of Christmas (The)Edward Moroney, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, John Rutter, Hannaford Street Silver Band, Judy Loman, Marion Samuel Stevens, Russell Braun, Stuart Laughton & James Gardiner
ALBUMHandel: MessiahSir Andrew Davis, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir & Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Artist Biography
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