Toronto Children's Chorus Programme

Roy Thomson Hall and Toronto Children’s Chorus present

TORONTO CHILDREN’S CHORUS

ZIMFIRA POLOZ, Artistic Director

GUEST ARTISTS: MEMBERS OF THE TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA & JAMIE DRAKE, percussion

ALUMNI CHOIR LOBBY CAROLS: ELISE BRADLEY, MNZM, Conductor HELEN BECQUÉ, Collaborative Pianist

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to acknowledge the land on which the Toronto Children’s Chorus operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River. Today, the meeting place of Toronto is still home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and the Toronto Children’s Chorus is grateful to have the opportunity to live, study, work, and make music on this land.

GREETINGS FROM ZIMFIRA

In this season of transition, we reflect on our shared story and the remarkable legacy of artistry and excellence that founder Jean Ashworth-Bartle envisioned and built, and that her successor, Elise Bradley, reimaged and sustained. As the Toronto Children’s Chorus new artistic director, I am honoured to continue this rich history and work with such a vibrant choral community of more than 300 choristers ranging from 3 to 30 years old!

This autumn, the TCC engaged in making music together through a wide range of languages, styles of music, and settings. We celebrated our learning in a number of significant performances. In October, all Training Choirs shared their love of music in a performance for their family and friends, and members of the Main Choir and the Toronto Youth Choir joined the Amadeus Choir for a sold-out performance of Carl Orff’s famous Carmina Burana. In November, we continued our 45-year relationship with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, joining their performance of “The Planets” under the baton of Peter Oundjian. Members of the Chamber Choir and TYC sang the ethereal off-stage chorus contributing to the resounding experience of “Neptune”. What a thrill to perform such a challenging and major work with orchestra!

Today, after a three-year hiatus, we gather together in Roy Thomson Hall for this Holiday concert, continuing our 30-year tradition. Thank you to everyone at RTH for making this performance possible and your continued support of Toronto Children’s Chorus. I am sure that we all have a greater appreciation for the power of live-music and the collective experience we will share in this concert hall today. I invite you to celebrate the wonderful accomplishments of our choristers, staff, volunteers, and community, and to express gratitude to the wonderful people who make this organization what it is.

May the wonder of today’s music fill you throughout the Holidays and into the new year.

Warmest wishes,

Zimfira Poloz Artistic Director

PROGRAMME

MAIN CHOIR & TORONTO YOUTH CHOIR

Welcome, Yule William Brown*

Allison Angelo, Christina Baksay, Kai Leung, Sofia Radenko & Frank Yu, soloists

Zimfira Poloz, conductor | Jamie Drake, percussion

MAIN CHOIR

Venit Lumen T

Damijan MočnikTreble Voice World Premiere

Allison Angelo, soloist

Zimfira Poloz, conductor | Dakota Scott-Digout, collaborative pianist Orchestra, Organ, Percussion

PASIO

Gloria in Excelsis Robert B. Anderson* Hot Cup of Cocoa Phyllis Aleta Wolfe

Judith Bean, conductor | Gergely Szokolay, collaborative pianists

SPIRITO & PASIO

A Ram Sam Sam Trad. Moroccan Three Ducks Trad. French, arr. Arthur Morrow

Judith Bean & Ariana Ribeiro, conductors | Gergely Szokolay & Lillian Lin, collaborative pianists

ALUMNI CHOIR, MAIN CHOIR & TORONTO YOUTH CHOIR

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing arr. David Willcocks

Meredith Wanstall, apprentice conductor | Orchestra, Organ & Percussion

ANIMA

Caresse sur l’océan T Bruno Coulais

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch arr. Jeff Funk

Nila Rajagopal, conductor | Nicholas Wanstall, collaborative pianist

CORO

Winter Dream James Desjardins Gloria Sophia Verhovsky, violin Oseh Shalom T Joan Beckow

Zimfira Poloz, conductor | Kai Leung, assistant conductor Nicholas Wanstall, collaborative pianist

ANIMA & CORO

Winter Sleigh Ride Cynthia Gray

Nila Rajagopal, conductor | Nicholas Wanstall, collaborative pianist

CANTAREALIS

Riu, Riu, Chiu T Trad. Spanish, arr. Linda Spevacek O Come, O Come Emmanuel arr. Robert I. Hugh Deck the Hall and All that Jazz! arr. Harold Barnett

Matthew Otto, conductor | Meredith Wanstall, apprentice conductor Terri Wu, collaborative pianist

TORONTO YOUTH CHOIR

Ilus Hääl T Margrit Kits, arr. Laura Jekabson Song for a Winter’s Night Gordon Lightfoot*, arr. Robin Salkeld*

Matthew Otto, conductor | Kai Leung, assistant conductor

TORONTO YOUTH CHOIR & CHAMBER CHOIR

Si Manu La’iti’iti T Trad. Samoan, arr. Steven Rapana Dominic Eboña, caller | Jamie Drake, percussion

CHAMBER CHOIR

Festive Alleluia

Lyn Williams Et Exultavit T J.S. Bach, arr. Jerry Weseley Harris

The Christmas Song Robert Wells & Mel Tormé, arr. Sheldon Rose* Ta Na Solbici T Samo Vovk

Zimfira Poloz, conductor | Dakota Scott-Digout, collaborative pianist Strings & Percussion

A MESSAGE FROM ZIMFIRA POLOZ AND THE HEAD CHORISTERS

ALUMNI CHOIR & TORONTO YOUTH CHOIR

Thou Shalt Know Him Mark Sirett*

Carol of the Bells Peter J. Wilhousky & Mykola Leontovich

ALUMNI CHOIR, MAIN CHOIR & TORONTO YOUTH CHOIR

Joy to the World arr. John Rutter Kai Leung, assistant conductor | Orchestra, Organ & Percussion

COMBINED CHOIRS

Star Carol John Rutter * denotes Canadian composers T Translation provided

TRANSLATIONS AND NOTES

Venit Lumen, Damijan Močnik

Dedicated to Zimfira Poloz, Treble Voice World Premiere

Your light has come, Jerusalem, and the glory of the Lord has risen over you. A wondrous mystery is declared today, an innovation is made upon nature; God is made man. He has been born for us, God from God.

Light from Light, who was in the beginning. He has been born for us, God from God.

Caresse sur l’océan, Bruno Coulais

Caress on the ocean, carries the bird so light, like a spirit from the land of snow, an ephemeral gust of winter, far does your echo take to a castle in Spain; Turning, whirling wind deploy your wings;

In the rising gray dawn finds a path to the rainbow and discovers the Springtime. Caress on the ocean, place the bird so light on the stone of a submerged isle;

Ephemeral gust of winter, finally your breath moves deep in the mountains; turning, whirling wind, deploy your wings;

In the rising, gray dawn finds a path to the rainbow and discovers the Springtime. Calm on the ocean.

Oseh Shalom, Joan Beckow

He who makes peace in His high places

He shall make peace upon us and upon all of Israel and say Amen

Riu, Riu, Chiu, Trad. Spanish, arr. Linda Spevacek

Riu, riu, chiu, the riverbank protector: God kept the wolf from our lamb.

The one who is born is the Great Monarch, Christ the Patriarch clothed in flesh; He has redeemed us by making himself small, though he was infinite he became finite.

Now we have what we desire, let us go together to present him gifts; Let us all give him our will, for he came as our equal.

I saw a thousand young boys who were singing, Flying around, chanting in a thousand voices; Saying to the shepherds, “Glory in Heaven, and peace on earth for Jesus is born!”

Ilus Hääl, Margrit Kits, arr. Laura Jekabson

Ring out, generous forests Shout back the huts

In return for my grateful voice In return for my wonderful song

Where my voice is heard

Where my song is sung

There all forests will fall even without striking iron.

Si Manu La’iti’iti, trad. Samoan song, arr. Steven Rapana

Little bird, atop the tree, Sing a song to me. Sing to the rose, atop the tree.

Et Exultavit, J.S. Bach, arr. Jerry Weseley Harris

And my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.

Ta Na Solbici, Samo Vovk

There was a wedding in village Solbica/Stolvizza feet were hitting floor so loudly that drown out the church bell it was echoing off the mountain Ćanïn.

SUPPORTERS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like acknowledge the staff of Roy Thomson Hall, Spragg Productions, Inc., Instrumentalists from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Jodie Sargent, Jackie Stothers, Stuart Lowe, the staff of Calvin Presbyterian Church & Christ Church Deer Park, the Jean Ashworth Bartle Bursary Fund donors, the Toronto Children’s Chorus Board of Directors, and our many individual donors for their generous support of the organization and of the choir’s 15th annual Sing Loo! Campaign.

Follow this link to see our list of Season & Sing Loo! Donors torontochildrenschorus.com/donors

VOLUNTEERS

(as of December 1st)

Jodie Sargent, Volunteer Coordinator

Jackie Stothers, Uniform Coordinator & TYC Volunteer

Peter Read, Riser Coordinator

Lisa Bordan & Jordan Shapiro, Stage Management

Spirito Volunteers

Jing Ai

Lindsey Hepburn

Alicia Kalman Daniel Moore Haruko Nishimura

Susie Stamatapoulos Sarah Wang Tao Wang Rebecca Weigand Nicole Di Wu Katie Wylde Joyce Xu Lanxin Xu

Pasio Volunteers

Nalini Chandra Sarah Cheng

Sarah Declerck

Yuliya Desyatova

Sally Hsu

Betty Hui

Eun Min Kim

Louise Li Matthew Lin

Dennis Liu Colleen Ray Patsy Wisniewski

Fiona Wong Tania Zhang

Helen Zhong Anima Volunteers

Megan Bobier Catherine Chen Andrew Collins Jenny Gao Sofia Harwell

Andrea Joyce Iryna Kalakaylo Eunice Lai

Jia Li Tina Li Lillian Lin Zhen Liu Cindy Ma Vita Ma Genny Na Eri Popovsky Florence Shao Edie Torbay Nancy Wang Sharon Wu Jinjin Zhang

Coro Volunteers

Carolina Alvarado

Crystal Chang

Jessie Enriquez Jessye Gong Gisele Gordon

Xin Guo Patricia Ho Wendy Huang Priya Iyer

Shirley Jin Angela LaFosse Marianne Lau Rebecca Li Caiyan li Shuang Liu

Paula Luo

Fabiana Moreno Michelle Murphy Tanya Radforth Jun Song Jennifer Svab Melissa Syme Alison Takacs Olena Totska Robert Waddell Wei Wang Andrew Wilkins Luping Xie Lulayna Zawdneh Kate Zeng Lisa Zhang Khristina Zhang Tony Zhou

Main Choir Volunteers

Rixi Abrahamsohn

Alexandra Bedoev Nadya Byelova

Linda Coelho

Robert Coelho Sandra Cubas

Tracy Cui

Ameen Damani

Liesha Earle Lillian Gao Sonia Grandi Alejandro Guerrero Anna Hagithomas

Lesley Hanham Mimoza Jakova Mala Joshi-Lomaga Olga Kalashnikova Sophie Laroche Fiona Lee Amy Lin

Faye Liu Sophie Naidoo Anna Rutledge Melody Tan Megan Tao Shen Wang Sue Xia

MEMBERS OF THE TORONTO CHILDREN’S CHORUS

SPIRITO TRAINING CHOIR

Ariana Ribeiro, conductor; Nicole Cheung, Yara Robb & Celeste Thordarson, conductor’s assistants; Lillian Yin, collaborative pianist Claire Chun Carina Ding Lillian Gao Eleanor (Ella) Hepburn Moore

Maya Jeyathas Nessa Kalman Raphaela Li Olina Liu Allyson Lo Yueran Luo

Gina Mei Isla Miller Sam Nathwani

Kyra Obaid Isabella Perdigao Nicolas Qian Zedong Eric Sun Elwin Sun Lucas Wan Joyce Wang Athena Weigand Gia Wong Catherine Wu Clara Xiao Candice Yang Reina Yao Jason Zhang

PASIO TRAINING CHOIR

Judith Bean, conductor; Asha Mayadunne, Ruth Wang & Amanda Won, conductor’s assistants; Gergely Szokolay, collaborative pianist

Priya Aggarwal Summer Cheng Jayne Cheung Karlie Cui Maleeha Damani Carly DeRosa Simone Ho-Declerck Yuhao Hugo Huang Bridget Jara Ashlynn Jue Ambrose Li Rui Miao Helen Lin Ashley Lin Ino Liu

Josephine Lo Quanwei (Julio) Ma Henry Menzel Robbie Murphy Cindy Ou Nadiya Sapeha Ella Scobie Gieselle Seto Jayden Song

Christine Sun

Rebekah Tsang

Stanley Wang

Ani Wang

Emily Wisniewski

Annabelle Xi Margaret Yan Hannah Yang Zoe Zhang Alice Zhang Anna Zhang

George Feng

Norah Foo

Astrid Frejd Christina Gan Vincent Gu Neve Harvey Alexandra He Sophie Ho

Elizabeth Hu Dylan Jiang Olive Kang

ANIMA TRAINING CHOIR

Nila Rajagopal, conductor; Lauren Levorson-Wong, Priscilla Menezes, Alexandra Skira, conductor’s assistants; Mirabella Kolodkin, volunteer conductor’s assistant; Nicholas Wanstall, collaborative pianist

Naomi Angelo

Taejun Bhak

Yan Kiu Jocelyn Chan

Ella Rose Chang Marcus Chang

Elle Chang Rachel Chen

Jasmin Chen Helena Collins Eliana Cranker Ziya Cui

Patrick Keyes-Ho Amelija Kin Thibodeau

Matteus Kolodkin Iris Kou Leah Kwak Oscar Li Lily Louie Felicity Mei Maria Cristina Valerie Monkhouse

Emilia Morales Eva Popovsky Ethan Ru Vera Fuer Shou Jasmine Yixin Sun

Oliver Torbay

Melania Tverdostup

Stephanie Wang Justin Wu

John (Yuxing) Yan Terence Yang Kenny Yao Youchu Yu Sophia Zhang Yifan Zhang

Elise Zhu CORO TRAINING CHOIR

Zimifira Poloz & Nila Rajagopal, conductors; Kai Leung, assistant conductor; Ariel Brookes, Paula Castillejo, conductors’ assistants; Katherine Lau, volunteers conductor’s assistant; Nicholas Wanstall, collaborative pianist

Suzanne Antabli Hayleigh BethuneWaddell Amelia Chau Tommy Cheng Sarah Chun Graydon Church Constance Connesson

Felicia De Simone Santos Austin Du Aaron Guo Leon Guo William Guo Joanna He Sherlyn Jin Milena Kahsay

Olivia Laurie Leguia Emmanuelle Leung Alice Li Sophia Liu Owen Liu

Yuming Lu

Jessica Mei

William Murphy

Lexi Orellana

Andrea Palmieri

Miyoteh Pechawis Evan Radforth Kruck

Martina Rojas-Alvarado Martina Ruggier Ishana Shetty

Teddy Singer Sofia Skondric Akela Stone

Michelle Svab Kathryn Syme Benjamin Tu Joseph Turov Elona Wilkins Charlotte Woo Chelsea Wu Elsie Yin Lois Yu Lily Zhang Lillian Zhang Yifan Zhou

Andre Canto CubasCh

Sophie (Hanfei) Bao Daniel Bedoev Jeannie Chan

Maddy Wharton

MAIN CHOIR - CANTARE & CHOREALIS

Matthew Otto, conductor; Elizabeth Frynta & Emma Moss, conductor’s assistants; Terri Wu, collaborative pianist

Aaron Alvarado

Nathan ChauCh Manuela Chavez Scarlett CoelhoCh Ruhee Damani Brynnie Ddungu Lillian Rose Frynta Elizabeth FullertonCh Julia Grandi FerreiraCh Natasha Harvey Elizabeth He Neeya IshaqCh Helen JiangCh Ivy JiangCh Jolene Jiang Christina Kolomiyets Evelyn Lockhart Josephine LazarusCh Lauren LeeCh Jaya LomagaCh Hermione Luk Norah MacLarkey Luca Mangrau Alycia Mark

Mary McRaeCh Surina Naidoo

Emma Radforth KruckCh

Emma RutledgeCh

Jonas Schneider Siena SmallwoodCh

Anna Tong Rachel WangCh

Olivia Xiong Zephyr Yong Michelle Zhou Ch Chorealis Chorister

MAIN CHOIRCHAMBER

Zimfira Poloz, conductor; Annick Read, conductor’s assistant;

Dakota Scott-Digout, collaborative pianist

Sarah Abai Christina Baksay* Lincoln Bradley Sarah Carnat*♪ Irene Chatzimichail*♪ Alina Du Zoe Earle* Ashlynn Emmanuel Laura Fullerton*E Maya Girma Ziyue (Claire) Hao Danica Henry Silver Hewitt David Jakov Kyra Jiang Paul Karras* Sadie Kennedy Evan Klein Mirabella Kolodkin* Jacob Kooiman*

Eva Kulic

Ana-Sofia LarocheGuerrero

Katherine Lau*

Anzu Lin*

Cecilia Liu

Olivia Lyu

Teagan MacFarlane*E

Hannah Marshman*♪

Jason Moon

Sofia Radenko*♪

Isla Shapiro*

Alexandra Skira*♪

Victoria Smith

Liepa Spakauskas*

Melanie Tao Jarvis Tomassini*

Hannah Tram

Angelina Tropper

Caitlynn Woo

Sophia Woo

Eileen Xiong*♪ Annie Yan* Tracy Yim

Lucas Yin

Cynthia Zhao

Julia Zhuang

* Choral Scholar

♪ Head Chorister

E Head Chorister Emerita

MEMBERS OF THE TORONTO YOUTH CHOIR

Matthew Otto, conductor; Kai Leung, assistant conductor; Nicholas Wanstall, collaborative pianist

Alice Atell

Nicholas Bridi

Ariel Brookes

Alessandro Canto Cubas

Paula Castillejo

Nicole Cheung

Eugenio Ciarlandini

Liam Clapp

Sambea Cochrane

Desiree Dashtban

Matthew Dennis

Dominic Eboña

Cole Fleming

Elizabeth Frynta

Joshua Gibson

Stefan Hansen

Wesley Hui

Victoria Ioanidis

Jerry Jia

Charlotte Johnston

Soroosh Kahnemuyipour

Riki Kajiwara

Siobhan Knowles

James Leung

Christine Li

Gloriann Lobo

Ellie MacKinnon

William Marcotte

Miranda Martinez

Jeremy Ngai

Vyllana Nguyen

Tal Ohana

Julia Raffaghello

Annick Read

Kirsten Read

Zoe Renglich

Peter Rutledge

Katerina Savin

Katrina Skuterud

Amelia Soon

Nadia Stanichevsky

Eyal Stopnicki

Danielle Toccalino

Téah U-Ming

Qian (Lily) Wang

Amanda Won

Isaiah Yankech

Frank (Enquan) Yu Miranda Zhao

MEMBERS OF THE ALUMNI CHOIR

(as of December 1st)

Susan Astington

Alice Atell

Natalie Au

Kerstin Baker-Ash

Matt Bobkin

Dawn Britton

Ariel Brookes

Alessandro Canto-Cubas

Paula Castillejo

Nicole Cheung

Liam Clapp

Sambea Cochrane

Asha Collins

Aramea Copeman

Brian De Wolfe Matthew Dennis Dennis Dobrovolsky

Matthew Dolgin

Claire Durette

Dominic Eboña

David Federman

Julia Flagal

Courtney Flanagan

Cole Fleming

Clare Frejd

Elizabeth Frynta

Catherine Fullerton Kirstin Grant

Nyree Grimes

Elizabeth Harvey Sarah Hicks

Brooklyn Hull Alexandra Jedemann

Jerry Jia Charlotte Johnston

Taira Kajiwara

Cassandra King Jennifer Kirner Siobhan Knowles

Gloriann Lobo Andrew Lowe Ellie MacKinnon Anne Maenhaut

Asha Mayadunne Keera McNalty Julianne Morin

Alison Morin

Wilhelmina NelmesVogtle

Jeremy Ngai Jessica Nigli

Tal Ohana

Nikhil Pisharoty

Pamela Psarianos

Alice Quan

Julia Raffaghello Annick Read Kirsten Read Evan Reid

Zoe Renglich

Jamie Rokin

Katrina Skuterud

Zachary Teper Danielle Toccalino Amanda Won Leah Wright Miranda Zhao

THE TORONTO CHILDREN’S CHORUS ORGANIZATION

26 Delisle Avenue, Toronto, ON M4V 1S5

T: 416-932-8666 | torontochildrenschorus.com

ARTISTIC STAFF

Zimfira Poloz, Artistic Director

Matthew Otto, Director of Education & Associate Artistic Director

Joanne Chow, Movement & Staging Consultant

Dr. Darryl Edwards, Vocal Coach & Consultant

Jodie Sargent, Main Choir Theory Coordinator

CONDUCTORS

Judith Bean, Pasio

Nila Rajagopal, Anima & Coro

Ariana Ribeiro, Spirito

Kai Leung, Assistant Conductor, Coro & TYC

COLLABORATIVE PIANISTS

Dakota Scott-Digout

Gergely Szokolay

Nicholas Wanstall

Terri Wu

Lillian Yin

CHORAL

MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Michael Denomme, Apprentice Conductor

Meredith Wanstall, Apprentice Conductor

Allison Angelo, recipient of the Vernon Douglas McCaw Memorial Fellowship

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Charlotte Burrage, Executive Director

Dominic Eboña, Director of Operations

Sasha Anderson, Program Manager

Paige Mpeletzikas, Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Anica Chodri, Finance Officer

Amal Ahmed, Finance Assistant

Annick Read, Operations Assistant

Paula Castillejo, Operations Assistant

DISTINGUISHED HONOURARY PATRON

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, O.C., O.Ont.

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

HONOURARY PATRONS

Bob Chilcott

Sir Andrew Davis

Elfrieda Heinrichs

Vern Heinrichs

Ben Heppner

Catherine Robbin

Krisztina Szabó

FOUNDER/CONDUCTOR LAUREATE

Jean Ashworth Bartle, C.M., O.Ont.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Susan Astington, Board Chair

Alexandra Koch, Director

Louise Li, Director

Shelly Lowe, Director

Maria McDonald, Secretary

Diana Racanelli, Treasurer

Jordan Shapiro, Director

Leslie Stewart Rose, Director

We would like to acknowledge and thank Kirstin Grant & Nancy Sullivan, who recently finished their tenures as board members.