East Toronto residents who enjoy holiday music will want to take note of some annual seasonal concerts being presented by our community-based choirs and concert bands.
The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir will present a Christmas performance and seasonal "sing-a-long" at St. Aidan’s Church, 70 Silver Birch Ave. (at Queen St. E.), Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m.
The evening will feature a reading of Dylan Thomas’ ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales’ along with traditional Welsh selections and seasonal favourites.
Tickets are $25, available at staidan@eol.ca or 416-691-2222.
The choir will then hold its annual holiday concert on Saturday, Dec. 13 at Calvin Presbyterian Church, 26 Delisle Ave. (near Yonge/St. Clair subway).
More on the choir at http://welshchoir.ca
The Cantemus Singers present ‘Welcome, Yule!’, directed by Michael Erdman, at two Toronto churches on two successive late November days:
• Nov. 29 at Church of the Holy Trinity, 7:30 p.m.,
• and Nov. 30 at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, 70 Silver Birch Ave., 3 p.m.
The concerts, featuring carols, motets and Pachelbel’s Magnificat in D, are fundraisers for Centre 55 Share A Christmas.
Tickets at CC55 and at door: general admission $20, kids under 12 free.
More on the choir at www.cantemus.ca
The Voca Chorus of Toronto presents Winter: North and South Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. (Chester subway).
Admission $25 (seniors $20, students $10).
Led by artistic director Jenny Crober and accompanist Elizabeth Acker, the show’s special guests include Lori Gemmell, harp; William Beauvais, guitar; Les Allt, flute, tin whistle and pan pipes; and Ray Dillard percussion.
Selections include Stan Rogers’ Northwest Passage, Ola Gjeilo’s Northern Lights and Conrad Susa’s Carols & Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest.
The choir is based out of the Eastminster United Church where it practices and typically presents its concerts.
The Toronto Beach Chorale, together with orchestra and soprano soloist Alexa Wing, celebrates the festive season with John Rutter’s jubilant Magnificat Saturday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd.
Rutter’s work features lyrical, irresistible melodies and brilliant, colourful orchestration.
The show begins with a selection of seasonal favourites.
Admission is $25 ($20 in advance) and $12 youth ($10 in advance); free admission for children six and under.
The long-running East York Concert band has a busy December planned including its annual Christmas concert Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at St. Clement of Ohrid Macedonian Orthodox Cathedral, 76 Overlea Blvd.
It also has a number of Christmas carol sing-alongs which include:
• Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 11:30 a.m. at Cummer Road Church, 53 Cummer Ave.
• Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m., Legion Christmas concert at Brigadier O.M. Martin Legion Hall (Branch 345), 81 Peard Rd., Scarborough
• Tuesday, Dec. 16, time to be announced, at Rouge Valley Centenary in Scarborough, 2867 Ellesmere Rd.
• Thursday, December 18, 11:30 a.m., at Scarborough General Hospital, 3050 Lawrence Ave. E.
Visit www.eastyorkconcertband.ca for details.
The 22nd annual Riverdale Share Concert is on tap Sunday, December 7 at 3 p.m. at the Danforth Music Hall.
A diverse holiday celebration held every December in Toronto’s vibrant Riverdale neighbourhood, the Riverdale Share Concert is made possible by the contributions of residents, businesses, students, volunteers, civic leaders and some of Toronto’s most celebrated artists.
Admission is $20 plus a non-perishable food item.
Tickets are now on sale and can be picked up at The Big Carrot, 348 Danforth Ave.; Treasure Island Toys, 581 Danforth Ave.; and It’s My Party, 423 Danforth Ave.
The Toronto Choral Society Presents Music of the Americas including Navidad Nuestra and Missa Criolla by Ariel Ramirez Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Eastminster United Church, 310 Danforth Ave. (Chester subway).
Special guests: Cassava Latin Band, featuring Ernesto Cárdenas.
Tickets are $20 in advance ($25 at the door). The choir, which is based and usually performs out of Eastminster United Church, will also be releasing its new CD in conjunction with the performance, titled Navidad Nuestra and Missa Criolla, which can also be purchased in advance.
Visit www.torontochoralsociety.org for details.
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