Click on the Festival Program cover image above to access the program book online
(online magazine style, for web and mobile)

The program is also available as a .pdf download (24 MB)

Festival Concert #1

​Thursday May 19, 2022

Time: 8:00 - 9:30 pm
Venue: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
1585 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4T 1Z9
National Youth Choir of Canada
​Conductor: Dr. Jean-Sébastien Vallée
Apprentice Conductor: Thomas Burton
Collaborative Pianist: Dr. Irene Gregorio
​www.nycc.ca
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The National Youth Choir of Canada (NYCC) is a project of Choral Canada and is one of Canada’s finest youth choirs.  It is a one-of-a-kind professional development opportunity for some of Canada’s best emerging choral singers. Truly national in scope, the prestigious choir is made up of singers between the ages of 19 and 26 who are auditioned from across the country every two years. ​

Make Me A World is a concert addressing important social issues through a diverse array of musical selections. The human voice is the simplest and yet one of the most complex musical instruments. A choir is a micro representation of an ideal society, that is, many individuals with different and unique voices working together diligently to create harmony and unison of intent. Being both vulnerable and powerful, the human voice, especially in choral music, speaks directly to the soul and this is why choral singing is so important. This program is both a reflection on our society and a tribute to our world – a world where music allows us to find common ground and look towards a better and more inclusive future.

Make Me a World will include 2 world premiere commissions - I Forgive by Shireen Abu-Khader and Music is Vibration by Andrew Balfour - as well as the winning piece from Choral Canada's 2022 Competition for Choral Writing.

Festival Concert #2

Friday May 20, 2022

Time: 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Venue: Metropolitan United Church
56 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M5C 2Z3
Prairie Voices Inc.
Artistic Director: Philip Lapatha
www.prairievoices.ca
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Founded in 2000 by Dr. Elroy Friesen, ​Prairie Voices is an award-winning choir of 18-25 year old singers. Currently led by Philip Lapatha, Prairie Voices performs in their own concert series, tours, is a regular guest of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and has recorded 6 CDs (including one as guest choir with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra). Prairie Voices has performed around the world, bringing their unique touch to a diverse repertoire. While placing an emphasis on performing the music of Canadian and Manitoban composers, Prairie Voices also loves to perform innovative contemporary choral music from all over the world. The choir uses energy, expressiveness and movement to connect avant-garde composition with a popular audience. Prairie Voices is known for their passionate style of performance, which combines exceptional vocals with engaging presentation to provide the ultimate choral experience.
Singing Out
​Conductor: Jody Malone
​Accompanist: Beth Hanson
www.singingout.com
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We have been singing for our lives since 1992! Back then, some members of  our queer community got together to start Toronto’s first 2SLGBTQQIA+ chorus. Today, we are Toronto’s largest 2SLGBTQQIA+ community choir. We are a mixed-voice, non-auditioned, choir – a relative rarity in our communities across North America. But Singing Out is much more than just a choir. Above all, Singing Out is a community with a mission of pride, music, and belonging. With weekly rehearsals, and social events throughout the year, Singing Out is a community where its members can be themselves freely with no judgement. We create a warm welcoming space where everyone who enjoys singing and learning can find a place to belong and have fun. We welcome different levels of experience, as well as diverse backgrounds and identities.
Song Sharing
New for 2022!

A new initiative for PODIUM 2022, Song Sharing is a participatory musical series led by Indigenous knowledge keepers and artists. During these song sharing sessions, the audience will learn about and honour Indigenous cultures and experiences in a participatory and relational way.

Shannon Thunderbird is an elder and artist from Coast Tsimshian First Nations.
Shannon, alongside singer Sandy Horne, will share Indigenous knowledge and history through interactive song and rhythm.

Festival Concert #3

Friday May 20, 2022

Time: 8:00 - 9:30 pm
​Venue: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
​1585 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4T 1Z9
Toronto Mass Choir
Conductor: Karen Burke
Accompanied by: Toronto Mass Choir Band
​www.tmc.ca
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Toronto Mass Choir continues to be on the cutting edge of Canadian gospel music, bringing its distinctive sound to the world stage. Their music incorporates contemporary gospel, traditional gospel, and Caribbean music influences. Karen Burke, a Professor of Music at York University, is the director of the diversified group of singers and musicians, and her husband, Oswald Burke, is their Executive Producer. Now 45-strong plus a five-piece band, the not-for-profit choir consists of adult members from all across the GTA. TMC’s travels abroad have taken them to several countries, including England, Poland, Romania, Italy, Barbados, Dominion Republic, and the United States. The choir has performed at countless churches, festivals, award shows, and venues such as The Ottawa Bluesfest, the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Canadian National Exhibition, Roy Thompson Hall with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

Festival Concert #4

Saturday May 21, 2022

Time: 5:00 - 6:30 pm
​Venue: Yorkminster Park Baptist Church
1585 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4T 1Z9
Jason Max Ferdinand Singers
Artistic Director: Jason Max Ferdinand
Pianist & Orchestrator: John Stoddart
​www.jasonmaxferdinandsingers.com
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The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers is a project that I have thought about since 2001. I had the sound of the ensemble in my head, and had plans to make a debut the summer of 2020, but COVID-19 forced a hiatus. In January of 2021, a creative opportunity was asked of me, and after some hesitation and contemplation, I decided to take a dive into the deep, feeling I would be a dupe not to heed the signs!

The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers has been birthed and the ensemble will now begin its unifying journey. It is with gratitude and humility that I bring to you these talented singers who breathe life into the works of outstanding composers, as we all move forward in our lives and times.  - Jason Max Ferdinand, Founder and Artistic Director

Festival Concert #5

Saturday May 21, 2022

Time: 8:00 - 9:30 pm
​Venue: Trinity St. Paul's United Church and Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts
​​427 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7
Dead of Winter
Artistic Director and Composer: ​Andrew Balfour
​www.deadofwinter.ca
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Dead of Winter - formerly known as Camerata Nova – is a vocal ensemble located in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since 1996, we have been engaging and transforming music lovers with an annual concert series alongside a host of other innovative projects. We emerged from the isolation of our pandemic cocoon with a new name and a bold new identity. Dead of Winter is about powerful voices that tell stories, weaving together the talents of emerging and established artists. We support and collaborate with creatives from all backgrounds. We reimagine choir and performance, live and online. We are a platform for original work to be discovered and for early music to be rediscovered. For us, winter is a season for creativity and rebirth. Who knows what treasures await beneath the frozen landscape at the centre of Canada?
Captive is the third in a series of Truth and Reconciliation concerts created by Andrew Balfour to acknowledge and honour the pain, sorrow, and beauty of the experience of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. The title of the show is its theme. 
In February 2020, Dead of Winter hosted a composer gathering in Neubergthal, Manitoba at which Indigenous composers Andrew Balfour, Eliot Britton and Cris Dirksen came together to workshop their ideas. Then COVID-19 hit. This has only strengthened their writing. Andrew and Cris have each created works in several movements into which Eliot has woven his electro-acoustic magic.​

Festival Concert #6

Sunday May 22, 2022

Time: 4:00 - 5:30 pm
Venue: Metropolitan United Church
​56 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M5C 2Z3
Shallaway Youth Choir
with guests NL Deaf Choir and Deantha Edmunds
Conductor: Kellie Walsh
Pianiste-collaboratrice: Leslee Heys
www.shallaway.ca​
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Shallaway Youth Choir is an internationally recognized and celebrated organisation that is dedicated to exploring, developing, and celebrating cultural expression through choral music. Through our commitment to artistic exploration and the preservation of our rich cultures, our choristers learn the value of independence, discipline, and confidence, while also gaining a sense of pride and identity – as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians – and as global citizens. Founded in 1992, amid the devastating economic recession that resulted from the collapse of the cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador, Shallaway Youth Choir will proudly celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2022-23. Once a beacon of hope during a challenging time, Shallaway has now become an example of vision and perseverance. Ultimately, in a wider aim to contribute to a vibrant inclusive society, we aspire to empower our young people to be proactive contributors and critical agents of change. Shallaway believes that the very nature and setting of choral music offers the powerful possibility for transformative community building.

The NL Deaf Choir began their journey in 2019 with a one-time performance in a Deaf Awareness video. Following the explosive success of this campaign, they have since collaborated with various groups locally, nationally, and internationally, through performances, workshops, and presentations.  At a time when the world is shining a light on marginalised groups, the choir illuminates the voices of the Deaf community.
Winnipeg Boys' Choir
​​Senior Chorus
​Conductors: Carolyn Boyes &
​Spencer Duncanson
Accompanist: Lisa Rumpel
​www.winnipegboyschoir.ca​
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Now in its 97th season, the Winnipeg Boys’ Choir (WBC) is an auditioned ensemble dedicated to high-quality music making and vocal training in a convivial atmosphere. Probably Canada’s oldest independent boys’ choir, it was founded as a treble choir in 1925 by the Men’s Musical Club, an organization instrumental in the inception of local institutions such as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic Choir, and Music Festival. Led by Artistic Director and Treble Chorus conductor Carolyn Boyes, the choir presents two concerts each season. The Treble Chorus, co-conducted by Albert Bergen, the Senior Chorus, under Spencer Duncanson, and the full choir regularly perform with our city’s finest arts organizations and support our community through fundraising and outreach performances. For a decade, the Senior Chorus has nurtured maturing singers through the voice change as they develop vocal confidence and musical sophistication. Our Senior Chorus is representing the WBC at Podium 2022.
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​This concert will include ASL (English) interpretation.
Song Sharing
New for 2022!

A new initiative for PODIUM 2022, Song Sharing is a participatory musical series led by Indigenous knowledge keepers and artists. During these song sharing sessions, the audience will learn about and honour Indigenous cultures and experiences in a participatory and relational way.

Deantha Edmunds is Canada’s first Inuk classical singer. A multi nominated and award winning performer, she is much in demand nationally and internationally as a singer, actor, and collaborator in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous projects. An urban Inuk, creator and mentor, Edmunds aims to empower Indigenous people and share their stories. She will lead the audience in a song that honours Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People.

PDF Download - MMIWG2S Fact Sheet and Legacy Score

Festival Concert #7

Sunday May 22, 2022

Time: 8:00 - 9:30 pm
​Venue: Trinity St. Paul's United Church and Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts
​427 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7
Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble
Artistic Director: ​Arianne Abela
​www.kaleidoscopevocalensemble.com
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The Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble presents vocal music with the highest artistic excellence, while celebrating racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. Led by Artistic Director Arianne Abela, the group of nine professional singers from around the United States have thriving national and international solo careers as well as a love for vocal chamber music, and focus primarily on presenting early and new music. In addition to performances and artistic residencies, the ensemble engages in creative educational outreach to audiences and students, particularly in communities of color, and promotes the study, research, performance, and recording of music from various eras with special attention to the intersection of arts and social justice.

Festival Concert #8

Monday May 23, 2022

Time: 3:30 - 5:00 pm
Venue: Metropolitan United Church
56 Queen St E, Toronto, ON M5C 2Z3
Exultate Chamber Singers
Conductor: Mark Ramsay
Pianist: Mira Jung
www.exultate.net
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Founded in 1981, Exultate Chamber Singers is an adult mixed-voice chamber choir located in the heart of downtown Toronto. The ensemble is enriched not only by the strong musicianship of its members but also by their varied ages, cultural backgrounds, and academic and professional credentials. Together they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire. The choir is a three-time winner of the Healey Willan Grand Prize in the CBC National Radio Competition and was most recently awarded first place in the chamber choir category of Choral Canada’s 2019 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs. In addition to presenting its annual concert series, Exultate has made regular appearances around Ontario, toured in Canada, collaborated with dozens of artists, released five albums, and enjoyed airplay on CBC Radio. Exultate is currently producing its sixth album, showcasing new Canadian choral music commissioned by the choir in recent years.
Canadian Men's Chorus
​Conductor: Greg Rainville
Accompanist: Gary Forbes
www.canadianmenschorus.ca
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The Canadian Men's Chorus is a premier men's chamber ensemble performing works from the contemporary classical repertoire and other genres. The CMC is noted for its exquisite blend, engaging and varied performances, and the ability to take the audience on an emotional journey. The CMC proudly fosters a distinctly Canadian repertoire of men’s choral music by committing to commission and premiere a new Canadian work at every concert. In just ten years, over 50 new pieces by some of Canada’s greatest emerging and established composers have been premiered. Several of those have been published in the CMC's signature choral series with Renforth Publishing in Rothesay, New Brunswick: The Canadian Men's Chorus Series For Male Voices. The CMC appears on Aaron Jensen's CD "From Sea to Sea", performing his setting of Robert Service's poem "The Tramps".
Song Sharing
New for 2022!

A new initiative for PODIUM 2022, Song Sharing is a participatory musical series led by Indigenous knowledge keepers and artists. During these song sharing sessions, the audience will learn about and honour Indigenous cultures and experiences in a participatory and relational way.

Shannon Thunderbird is an elder and artist from Coast Tsimshian First Nations.
Shannon, alongside singer Sandy Horne, will share Indigenous knowledge and history through interactive song and rhythm.