Behold Bach’s timeless masterpiece, Mass in B minor, sung by the exceptional Toronto Mendelssohn Choir under the direction of maestro Jean-Sébastien Vallée. As a jewel of the Baroque Era, this epic piece features Bach’s full range of musical expression – from the poignant “Crucifixus” to the exuberant exultations of hope and joy of the final “Dona nobis pacem.”
Toronto Mendelssohn Choir presents Little Match Girl Passion — a musical vigil drawing awareness to the problems of hunger and homelessness in our city. This moment of reflection features diverse choral selections centred on excerpts of J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion and David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning piece, The Little Match Girl Passion. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s famous tale about a poverty-stricken young woman sent out into the cold by her father to sell matches, this work leads us on a journey where hope and memories meet the harsh reality of the snowy streets.
A celebration of the life of the remarkably gifted and productive composer/writer/educator/administrator/provocateur John Beckwith (1927-2022). The former Dean of the Faculty of Music (1970-77), John Beckwith was a distinctly original and vital voice in all aspects of music in Canada, contributing over 160 compositions, and a large number of books and articles over the course of his 75-year career. Friends, colleagues, and family pay tribute in music and words, including performances by Soundstreams' Choir 21, the New Music Concerts Ensemble, Opus 8, members of the Faculty of Music Opera Department, and soprano Monica Whicher.
Opus 8 asks the eternal questions of the human condition, through a program of ravishing choral music. From the youthful frivolity of Howells and Britten, to the melancholic despair of Gombert and Gibbons, this concert takes us through the many stages of life - its joys, sorrows, and inevitable conclusion.
Pay-what-you-can-afford admission; free reception following the concert
On Good Friday, many devoted communities in Southern Italy still walk along an ancient path toward a holy sanctuary, singing powerful melodies along the way. In this special Good Friday performance, the Vesuvius Ensemble will take you along a sacred musical path, offering both traditional and composed music which considers the sacred mysteries of life and death.
In the Middle Ages, a manuscript book was a precious possession, often lavishly illuminated and illustrated. Illuminations takes you inside these treasures, in an evening where music and imagery from some of the most fabulous Medieval manuscripts combine in a feast for eyes and ears. While spectacular images are projected onto a huge screen behind the ensemble, we perform otherworldly cantigas, trouvere songs, medieval dances and sacred motets, with special performances by master Persian percussionist Naghmeh Farahmand, Pejman Zahedian (voice and Persian Setar), and Demetri Petsalakis (Oud).
Join us for a special pre-concert lecture with Nicholas A. Herman, Curator of Manuscripts, Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, University of Pennsylvania. Talks are FREE and held one hour before the concerts at 7pm, in Jeanne Lamon Hall.
Generously supported by Al & Jane Forest.
In the Middle Ages, a manuscript book was a precious possession, often lavishly illuminated and illustrated. Illuminations takes you inside these treasures, in an evening where music and imagery from some of the most fabulous Medieval manuscripts combine in a feast for eyes and ears. While spectacular images are projected onto a huge screen behind the ensemble, we perform otherworldly cantigas, trouvere songs, medieval dances and sacred motets, with special performances by master Persian percussionist Naghmeh Farahmand, Pejman Zahedian (voice and Persian Setar), and Demetri Petsalakis (Oud).
Join us for a special pre-concert lecture with Nicholas A. Herman, Curator of Manuscripts, Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies, University of Pennsylvania. Talks are FREE and held one hour before the concerts at 7pm, in Jeanne Lamon Hall.
Generously supported by Al & Jane Forest.
Explicit material warning! Don’t bring your kids. From the rude, joking songs of Mozart and Morley, to fresh pop arrangements dealing with love, lust, and licentiousness, Opus 8 will churn up music’s sordid underbelly. If you think that choral music can only be genteel or lovely, think again. Join us for what promises to be an evening of frolicks, fun, and a licensed bar to accompany this saucy serenade. Pay-what-you-can-afford admission; cash bar.
Guest singers and instrumentalists celebrate the season with carols, songs and instrumental works, including a rare performance of excerpts from The Birth of Christ by Canadian composer Clarence Lucas. Make merry with food, drink and silent auction.
Guest singers and instrumentalists celebrate the season with carols, songs and instrumental works, including a rare performance of excerpts from The Birth of Christ by Canadian composer Clarence Lucas. Make merry with food, drink and silent auction.
Anna Kwiatkowska, soprano; Rebecca Claborn, mezzo-soprano; Eliza-Jane Cassey, alto; Arieh Sacke, tenor; Paul Winkelmans, baritone
We celebrate the 450th year of Claudio Monteverdi’s birth by exploring his glorious late sacred works. Psalm settings, hymns, and a Magnificat will complete the musical elements of a Christmas Vespers sung from the balconies of St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice. Pre-concert chat at 7:15 PM.
Part of the second annual Toronto Bach Festival, this concert features what is possibly the earliest extant church cantata of J.S. Bach, Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich (BWV 150), as well as Komm, du süße Todesstunde (BWV 161).
This is no mere offering of sea shanties, but a phantasmagoria of all things aquatic, shipwrecked and watery. Opus 8 will be taking you through a historical journey from the rivers of Babylon and the river Jordan to the torrents of summer and the tears of unrequited lovers. Row, row, row your boat to Toronto and check them out. Free admission, with a reception to follow the concert.
Secular partsongs spanning the centuries unfold in playful polyphony, melancholy laments and colourful songs that cover a multitude of topics from sex and dancing to youth and obesity. Expect 'la - la - la's.' Free admission, with a reception to follow the concert.
Heinrich Biber’s masterful Requiem in F minor will be preceded by some of the composer’s most innovative motets and sacred cantatas, demonstrating his unique recipe for deepening the Catholic liturgy: the mixture of declamatory singing with Bohemian violin virtuosity. Our string ensemble will be led by Biber aficionados Julia Wedman and Christopher Verrette.
Exploring the power and potential of the Agnus Dei over the past 700 years, this concert of devotional pacifist music will open your ears to a huge variety of interpretations of the familiar 'Lamb of God' text. Intense and beautiful, not to be missed. Free admission.
Opus 8 presents a program of Philippe Rogier's "Cantatibus Organis," Richard Meehan's "He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven," and Benjamin Britten's "Hymn to St. Cecilia." After the recital, please stay for Evensong, sung by the Choir of St. James Cathedral. No admission.
Is the old adage true that we remember 10% of what we read but 90% of what we sing?
This Kaffeemusik will survey the complex relationship between music and memory by discussing, among other things, the role of memory in Renaissance polyphony, the legend of Wolfgang Mozart’s visit to the Sistine chapel, research by neuroscientists such as Oliver Sacks, and modern theories such as the “Mozart effect”. Music by Allegri, Lassus, Purcell, and others, plus the premiere of David Barber’s Remember Not.
Further information and tickets
Join us for the next in St. James Cathedral's ongoing series of J.S. Bach's church cantatas as we present BWV 180, Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele. Admission is by pay-what-you-can donation.
An effulgent spring extravaganza for choir, soloists, and orchestra, conducted by Pacific Opera Victoria’s Timothy Vernon. Programme including Mozart’s joyous “Exsultate, jubilate”, Telemann’s four delightful cantatas “Die Tageszeiten” that describe the times of day, and exuberant “Laudate Dominum” by Michel Corrette, based on “Spring” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Monica Orso, soprano
Rebecca Genge, soprano
Rebecca Claborn, mezzo soprano
Zachary Windus, countertenor
Kevin Myers, tenor
Andrew Erasmus, baritone
Opus 8 are delighted to present our program in celebration of spring at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Edmonton, AB. Please join us for a diverse program of Gesualdo, Palestrina, Vaughan Williams, Britten and more!
Admission is free; donations gratefully accepted
Opus 8 joins Pro Coro Canada, one of Canada's finest chamber choirs, in a highlight concert at the Podium Choral Festival in Edmonton, AB.
As we ease our way into the light of spring after a long & drawn-out winter, Opus 8 explores the idea of light and darkness and invites you to reconnect with the land, after months of hiding indoors from the cold. Please join us as we celebrate spring, light and life with a diverse program including music by Gesualdo, Palestrina, Monteverdi, Vaughan Williams, Britten and our very own music director, Robert Busiakiewicz.
Admission is free; donations gratefully accepted.
Join us on the first Wednesday of each month for Cantatas in the Cathedral, showcasing the remarkable cantatas of J.S. Bach, performed by the singers of St. James Cathedral! May's cantata is BWV 44, "Sie werden euch in den Bann tun," Admission is by pay-what-you-can donation.
Sixteenth-century masterpieces from Northern Europe including music by Byrd, Gombert, Clemens, de Rore and more.
Free admission; donations welcome
We are thrilled to invite you to the Official Launch Party for Opus 8! Please join us for an elegant and intimate cocktail party as we look back over a year of music-making, and look ahead to a year of new and exciting endeavours. The party includes drinks and delicious appetizers, a unique and exciting 3-item auction, and performances by Opus 8 throughout the party
Spend a week in 17th century cottage in southwest France
Have Opus 8 all to yourself! (or for an event of your choosing)
Have an exclusive arrangement of your favourite song, to be performed by us in concert
Tickets for the Launch Party are $100 (partial charitable tax receipt available upon request).
Further information and tickets
We celebrate the festive season with music from Dresden in the time of Heinrich Schütz and Michael Praetorius. The new musical idiom these composers forged managed to synthesize the opposed ideas of sacred music and dance music, Latin and vernacular, complex polyphony and simple melodicism. The resulting music seems to magically satisfy us from every possible angle at once, convincing us that it can link Earth and Heaven. The voices of the TCC will float above a lush carpet of chamber organ, a Baroque string ensemble, and the joyous musical pointillism of Toronto’s favourite “pluck band,” the Toronto Continuo Collective.
Anna Kwiatkowska, soprano
Rebecca Claborn, mezzo-soprano
Jonathan MacArthur, tenor
Richard Hrytzak, baritone
Händel's grand anthem, which includes the famous Hallelujah Chorus, is accompanied by Baroque works by Geminiani and others. The Musicians in Ordinary are joined by the Schola Cantorum of St. Michael's College, conducted by Michael O'Connor, and a full Baroque orchestra led by Christopher Verrette. Free admission; donations gladly welcomed.
Hallie Fishel, soprano
Rebecca Claborn, mezzo-soprano
Further information and tickets
Hebrew Sacred Music for three to five voices by Salamone Rossi and some of his innovative sonatas for two violins and chitarrone with Christopher Verrette and Patricia Ahern. Pre-concert lecture begins at 7:30 PM; concert begins at 8:00 PM.
Hallie Fishel, soprano
Rebecca Claborn, mezzo-soprano
Ben Kim, tenor
Graham Robinson, baritone
Sean Nix, bass
Further information and tickets
The full setting of one of Bach’s last and greatest compositions, completed in 1749, but only first fully performed in 1859. Today it is considered one of the greatest pieces of choral music ever written. The choir is joined by the Baroque orchestra Ensemble Caprice of Montreal and world-class soloists.
Agnes Zsigovics, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Rebecca Claborn, mezzo-soprano
Jacques-Olivier Chartier, tenor
Daniel Lichti, bass-baritone
Geoff Sirett, baritone