‘Ev’ry Valley shall be Exalted’
$1 per Messiah ticket goes to revitalizing the Don River Valley for the Toronto community, in partnership with Evergreen
Toronto, November 7, 2019 … Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choirperforms Handel’s baroque masterpiece, Messiah, on December 17, 18, 19, and 20 at 7:30 pm in the stunning setting of Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre. A cherished Toronto holiday tradition since 1981, Tafelmusik’s Messiah is conducted by Ivars Taurins. Tafelmusik’s ever-popular Sing-Along Messiah takes place onSaturday, December 21 at 2 pm in Roy Thomson Hall, with free admission for children under the age of two. Full program details are available at tafelmusik.organd high‐resolution photos can be downloaded here.
This season’s stellar cast of soloists includes Margot Rood, soprano, and Lucile Richardot, mezzo-soprano, who are making their Tafelmusik debuts. Guest soloists who are well known to Tafelmusik audiences are Thomas Hobbs, tenor, and Peter Harvey, baritone.
TAFELMUSIK PARTNERSHIP WITH EVERGREEN
FREE and family-friendly: Christmas choruses from Messiah at Evergreen’s Winter Village
Saturday, December 7, 2019 at 1 PM and 2:30 PM
Evergreen Brick Works
In keeping with the message of peace, charity, and goodwill at the heart of Handel’s Messiah, Tafelmusik is excited to partner with Evergreen this holiday season.
One dollar per each Messiah ticket sold will go towards revitalizing the Don River Valley for the Toronto community. Members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir will also perform two short sets featuring Christmas choruses from Messiah at Evergreen’s Winter Village on Saturday, December 7.
“Tafelmusik is thrilled to be partnering with Evergreen, an organization that actively engages Canadians in creating and sustaining healthy urban environments. In the spirit of holiday peace, generosity and goodwill, and as a cultural partner in the city of Toronto, Tafelmusik is committed to contributing to community life in a meaningful way through collaborations like this one with Evergreen,” says Tafelmusik Executive Director Carol Kehoe.
“Evergreen is committed to creating, strengthening, and revitalizing public spaces across Canada, including the 200-hectare Don River Valley Park where Evergreen Brick Works is situated in Toronto’s Lower Don,” says Orit Sarfaty, Chief Placemaking Officer. “We are proud to bring an enhanced sense of culture and connection to visitors at Evergreen’s Winter Village, thanks to our partnership with Tafelmusik.”
What Makes Tafelmusik’s Messiah Different?
Intimate scale, specialized musicians and singers, emotional depth
Tafelmusik’s Messiahis a profoundly moving experience in the style and spirit of Handel’s own productions. Performed by the orchestra on period instruments and sung by a choir of 23 professional singers specializing in 17th- and 18th-century music, Tafelmusik’s Messiah “radiates brilliance and energy, along with an emotional depth that fully enhances the work’s expression” (AllMusic).
Ivars Taurins, Canada’s “Prince of Messiah” (Toronto Star)
No other Canadian conductor has led as many consecutive performances of Messiah as Ivars Taurins, who has conducted Handel’s masterpiece annually for 38 years with Tafelmusik and other orchestras and choirs across the country. As Canada’s go-to expert on all things Messiah, Taurins was invited to explore Handel’s oratorio with writer and broadcaster Robert Harris in Messiah Revealed, a fascinating radio documentary for CBC’s Ideas.
Why does Handel’s 18th-century oratorio still resonate so powerfully in the 21st century?
Written in England by a German composer in just 24 days, Handel’s Messiah moves people of different backgrounds, faiths, and cultures. A quick YouTube search turns up a wide range of renditions of the Hallelujah chorus, from an Inuit community in Alaska to a congregation in Kuwait.
“Handel’s Messiah offers solace, an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. The universality of this work lies in its message of ‘peace on earth, good will towards men,’ and in its themes of enlightenment and understanding, hope and faith, humanity and good will, sacrifice and charity — these are important values that we esteem and strive for, even in our secular world,” says Ivars Taurins.
What’s so special about Tafelmusik’s Sing-Along version of Messiah?
“Christmas just would not be the same without this beautiful and cathartic event.”
— CBC News, Toronto
The 34th annual Sing-Along Messiah at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday December 21 is a unique and beloved audience-participation phenomenon led by George Frideric Handel himself — aka Ivars Taurins, in character and meticulously dressed in full baroque costume and powdered wig. Every year, more than 2000 audience members fill the auditorium, and with scores in hand, raise their voices together with those of the choir and soloists. Many families and friends have made Tafelmusik’s Sing-Along Messiah a Yuletide ritual. Sing-Along Messiah is a family-friendly event, with free admission for children under the age of two.
How far has Tafelmusik’s Messiah travelled?
To the moon and back! Well, almost. Canada’s Governor General Julie Payette sang Messiah as member of Tafelmusik Chamber Choir from 1988 to 1990. As the first Canadian astronaut to board the International Space Station, Her Excellency famously brought Tafelmusik’s recording of Messiah to outer space, where she spent more than 600 hours over the course of two missions.
Closer to home, Tafelmusik’s Messiah has been heard around the world thanks to a live recording of the complete Messiah made in Koerner Hall and released on the Tafelmusik Media label in 2012, followed by a Best of Messiah album featuring highlights in 2014.
A live-performance film of Sing-Along Messiah was released commercially on the Tafelmusik Media label in 2012 and is broadcast regularly on the Bravo!, CTV, and WNED television networks.
LISTING INFORMATION
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir
Directed by Ivars Taurins
Handel Messiah:
Tues Dec 17, Wed Dec 18, Thu Dec 19, Fri Dec 20 at 7:30pm
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, 273 Bloor Street W.
Regular & 65+: From $39 | Youth (18 and under) – $20 |Tafelscene (19-35 yrs)- $20, best available seating, only available through Tafelscene email list sign-up. Groups of 10 or more save 10% on regular price tickets. Some exclusions may apply.
Weston Family Box Office: (416) 408-0208
Sing-Along Messiah:
Sat Dec 21 at 2pm
Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street
Regular: $49 | Age 65+: $45 | Youth (18 and under): $20 | Tafelscene (19-35 yrs): $20 best available seating, only available through Tafelscene email list sign up. Families and children are welcome, children under 2 attend free of charge. Groups of 6 or more save 15% on regular price tickets.
Box Office: (416) 872-4255
Members of Tafelmusik perform Christmas choruses from Messiah at Evergreen’s Winter Village
Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue
Saturday Dec 7 at 1pm and 2:30pm
FREE
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio, Tafelmusik is one of the world’s leading period-instrument ensembles, performing on instruments and in styles appropriate for the era of the music. Renowned for dynamic, engaging, and soulful performances, Tafelmusik performs some 80 concerts each year for audiences across Toronto, and is Canada’s most toured orchestra, having performed in more than 350 cities in 32 countries. The orchestra is often joined by the critically acclaimed Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and its director, Ivars Taurins.
Tafelmusik also seeks to transport audiences to the baroque and classical periods through insightful multimedia programs and adventurous cross-cultural collaborations. Our musicians share their knowledge and experience through comprehensive education and artist-training initiatives such as the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer and Winter Institutes. Tafelmusik’s recordings on the Sony, CBC Records, Analekta, and Tafelmusik Media labels have garnered ten JUNOs and numerous international recording prizes.
Social Media: Facebook| Twitter| Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
2019/20 SEASON PARTNERS
Tafelmusik wishes to thank the following for their generous support: BMO Financial Group, TD Bank Group, RBC Foundation, KPMG, Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Whitmer Trudel Charitable Foundation, The Pluralism Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Classical 96.3 FM, NOW Magazine, and Wholenote Magazine. Tafelmusik is a proud partner of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor.
Media contact: Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications, (416) 456-0499
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7