How does choral singing enhance our wellbeing?
Online panel discussion and audience Q&A
Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7 PM EST
with
ArinMaya, Jody Malone, and Ruben Valenzuela
moderated by Cory Knight, tenor, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir
Toronto, March 2, 2021 … Tafel Talks online panel discussions return on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7 PM EST with Emotional Rescue. Moderated by Cory Knight, the conversation will explore how choirs and choral singing enhance our wellbeing physically, mentally, and spiritually, while encouraging collaboration and community-building. Tickets for Emotional Rescue are $5 and are now on sale at tafelmusik.org.
Joining Knight for Emotional Rescue are panelists ArinMaya (Brooklyn), songwriter and performer, sound healer, activist, and founding member, arranger and musical director with the Resistance Revival Chorus; Jody Malone (Toronto), Artistic Director Singing OUT, Toronto’s Largest LGBTQ+ Choir; music teacher/choral conductor at Cawthra Park Secondary School for the Performing Arts; and Ruben Valenzuela (San Diego), founder and Artistic Director of the Bach Collegium San Diego, musicologist, Director of Music and Organist of All Souls’ Episcopal Church, Point Loma, and Choral Director of the La Jolla Symphony Chorus.
Listening to a group of people singing can be an uplifting experience, but did you know that actually participating in choral singing is a powerful way to enhance overall wellbeing? Our conversation explores the ways in which choral singing affects our minds and bodies, and how choirs help us connect with each other.
In addition to the sheer joy of singing in a group setting, the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of choral singing —from the endorphins generated by deep breathing to the complex cognitive and emotional engagement— have a profound, positive effect on the human body.
Enjoyed by everyone from young children to seniors, choral singing is a lifelong pursuit that can reduce feelings of isolation while fostering a sense of community. A 2019 Chorus America study found that choirs are “powerhouses for civic engagement and creating community connections.”
Whether presented as an expression of solidarity or as part of formal worship, choral singing has the power to enrich and nurture our souls.
Listing information:
Tafel Talks: Emotional Rescue:
How do choirs and choral singing enhance our wellbeing physically, mentally, and spiritually, while encouraging collaboration and community-building?
Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 7 PM EST online
Panel discussion and audience Q&A with ArinMaya, Jody Malone, and Ruben Valenzuela
Moderated by Cory Knight
Discussion will be followed by a short Q&A
Ticket price: $5
Website: tafelmusik.org
Social Media: Join the conversation on Facebook| Instagram| YouTube| Spotify
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
ArinMaya
ArinMaya is an inspirational songwriter and performer, sound healer and activist whose solo performances are said to be “healing” and “joyful.” She’s been described by Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Gregory Porter as having “a unique and ancient sound”.
Though she’s been called “the Mayor of Brooklyn,” ArinMaya originally hails from Chicago’s South Side where her artistic training began with studies in West African dance and rhythms, continued in numerous church and community choirs and was fostered by her parents’ diverse record collection.
She has shared the stage with icons, artists and activists, including Angelique Kidjo, Deva Mahal, Carly Simon, Bobby McFerrin, Maya Azucena, Akua Naru and Maimouna Youssef, and is a founding member, arranger and musical director with the Resistance Revival Chorus. ArinMaya is committed to creating uplifting music for all ages across genres of soul, jazz, hip-hop, and world music. Her next project is due in Spring 2021.
Jody Malone
Since 2008, Jody Malone has been the Artistic Director of Singing Out, Toronto’s largest mixed LGBTQ+ choral Ensemble. Singing Out is a community choir begun in 1992. The choir meets weekly and does concerts and gigs throughout the year and this year, meets virtually.
Jody is also a piano/vocal specialist at a Performing Arts school outside of Toronto and has been working with the Regional Arts Team since 1997. At times, she also worked in Guidance and was also the school’s Artistic Director for a 2-year session.
Jody received her Honours Music degree at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Since that time she has conducted women’s choirs, men’s choirs, mixed concert and chamber choirs and vocal jazz choirs with rhythm section accompaniment. As well, Jody earned her Master’s in Education in Counselling Psychology. She is particularly interested in the healing power of music for those that have experienced trauma.
Her community choir’s motto is Pride, Music and Belonging and is committed to ensuring that these cornerstone values are on-going, with the demands of our changing world.
Ruben Valenzuela
Ruben Valenzuela is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Bach Collegium San Diego (BCSD). Under Valenzuela’s leadership, the Bach Collegium San Diego has achieved national acclaim, regularly collaborating with leading musicians specializing in historical performance practice. As a musicologist, he has undertaken research in the area of Novo-Hispanic music, with an emphasis on the music tradition of Mexico City Cathedral with archival work at CENEDIM (Centro Nacional de Investigación, Documentación e Información Musical, Carlos Chavez), and the Archivo del Cabildo of Mexico City Cathedral. His doctoral research at the Archivo del Cabildo focused on the basso continuo tradition of Mexico City Cathedral during the first half of the eighteenth-century. In addition to his work with BCSD, Valenzuela is also Director of Music and Organist of All Souls’ Episcopal Church, Point Loma, and Choral Director of the La Jolla Symphony Chorus. Valenzuela holds a PhD in musicology from Claremont Graduate University.
ABOUT THE MODERATOR
Cory Knight
Tenor Cory Knight first joined the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir in the fall of 2010 shortly after participating in the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute. Cory holds a Master of Arts degree in Historical Performance Practice from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland and an Advance Diploma in vocal performance from the Glenn Gould School. Cory performs regularly as both an ensemblist and soloist and has been described as “that rare, wonderful, lyric tenor who turns every note he sings into gold” (Musical Toronto). He has sung at major festivals and concert venues across Europe, including the Utrecht Early Music Festival, Trigonale Early Music Festival, Baroque Music Festival in Ambronay, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona. Highlights of his work in Canada include singing with Pacific Opera Victoria, Opera Atelier, La Chapelle de Québec, Soundstreams, and Tapestry Opera. Cory is also an Artistic Associate with Toronto Consort and an Occasional Teacher with the TCDSB.
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio and Executive Director Carol Kehoe, Tafelmusik is an orchestra, choir, and experience that celebrates beauty through music of the past.
Founded over 40 years ago on the pillars of passion, learning, and artistic excellence, Tafelmusik continues to bring new energy to baroque music and beyond. Historically informed performances of 17th- to 19th-century instrumental and choral music (led by Chamber Choir director Ivars Taurins) share the stage with vibrant, insightful multimedia programs, and bold new music written just for the group. Each piece is played on period instruments, underscored and illuminated by scholarship.
Through dynamic performances, international touring, award-winning recordings, and comprehensive education programs, Tafelmusik invites audiences to engage with beauty and experience the breadth of emotion music can inspire.
Media contact: Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications, (416) 456-0499
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7