The choir, augmented by its youth division, four soloists and orchestra, did justice to the glories of Elgar’s complex music. He was as much a star of the concert as its interpreters — a fact acknowledged by conductor Stephanie Martin as she held the scarlet leather-bound score aloft during the prolonged and noisy standing ovation.

It’s a shame that we don’t hear great English choral works from the Victorian and Edwardian eras more often, because they contain so much to impress any listener.

Lovers of opera can appreciate the grand scale and sweep of the dramatic arc of a well-turned text and orchestration. People who prefer art song or arias can bask in prolonged solos. Devotees of choral music have plenty of richly texured choruses to savour. And listeners who like music with a larger-than-life, quasi-cinematic scope can get carried away on crescendos of sound.

Elgar’s Kingdom is populated with all of this, as well as powerful message of faith for those inclined to heed its text, carefully chosen by the composer from the Christian New Testament.

Although everyone on stage deserved the ovation, special mention needs to go to the soloists, tenor Keith Klassen, mezzo soprano Krisztina Szabó and visiting British baritone Roderick Williams, whose richly oaked voice and impeccably turned phrasing turned every solo into a golden moment.

Toronto soprano Shannon Mercer bought a compelling luminosity to a prolonged solo in “The sun goeth down,” at the close of the fourth of The Kingdom‘s five parts, or movements.

And then there’s the remarkable work of Pax Christi artistic director Stephanie Martin, who teased out Elgar’s complex leitmotifs with utter clarity as she held an iron command over the hour-and-a-half of music from beginning to end.

Perhaps it helped that she was working with an orchestra approximately half the size of what Elgar had at his disposal at the oratorio’s 1906 premiere. But at no point did the music ever sound as if it we were missing a single timbre or texture.

Here was the full glory of a grand old choral tradition, delivered with great polish and total conviction. Plus we could go home with Elgar melodic motifs swimming around with the warm memories.

More, please.

John Terauds

Sunday, May 6, 2012 – 3:00 pm
Koerner Hall,
TELUS Centre for Performance & Learning
273 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Pax Christi Chorale and Youth Choir
Shannon Mercer,soprano
Krisztina Szabo, mezzo-soprano
Keith Klassen, tenor
Special guest, Roderick Williams, baritone
with orchestra

To crown Pax Christi Chorale’s 25^th anniversary we will present Elgar’s The Kingdom, acknowledged by the great English conductor, Sir Adrian Boult as Elgar’s choral masterpiece, in Toronto’s spectacular Koerner Hall. Rarely heard in North America and last performed in Canada over 25 years ago, The Kingdom is a monumental work of drama, power and beauty. We are delighted to feature British baritone sensation Roderick Williams in his Canadian debut. Listen to a sample of ‘The Kingdom’ here.

“This afternoon, a packed house at Koerner Hall was treated to a rare and stirring performance of Edward Elgar’s oratorio The Kingdom by the Pax Christi Chorale, in honour of its 25th anniversary.”
John Terauds – Musical Toronto

Click here to read the full review

Sunday, May 6, 2012, 3:00 pm

Pre-concert chat, 2:00 pm

Koerner Hall
TELUS Centre for Performance & Learning
273 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Pax Christi Chorale and Youth Choir
Shannon Mercer, soprano
Krisztina Szabo, mezzo-soprano
Keith Klassen, tenor
Special guest, Roderick Williams, baritone, in his Canadian debut

A unique opportunity for choral music lovers to experience Elgar’s rarely-heard masterpiece The Kingdom

Listen to a sample of ‘The Kingdom’ here.

To order tickets, click here.

Last performed in Toronto 25 years ago, The Kingdom is a work of great power and beauty, praised as the finest of Elgar’s oratorios.

According to Sir Adrian Boult The Kingdom “maintains a stream of glorious music throughout,” although the high points include Mary’s sublime aria “The Sun Goeth Down” sung in the dark hours following arrest of the apostles Peter and John, and the stirring New Faith theme, which may have provided inspiration for the popular 1960s song Softly as I Leave You.

Outstanding soloists

The concert features three of Canada’s most well-known soloists and marks the Canadian debut of British baritone Roderick Williams.

Hailed as one of Britain’s best baritones, Roderick Williams will make his Canadian debut with The Kingdom and Pax Christi Chorale.  Mr. Williams takes his inspiration from singers “who combine musicianship with a tremendous voice and who can act convincingly as well – baritones like Simon Keenleyside and Gerald Finley.”

Shannon Mercer (soprano) has charmed Toronto and international audiences with her pure, clear sound, versatility, and engaging stage presence.

Krisztina Szabó  (mezzo-soprano), has performed to rave reviews with the Toronto Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, Opera Atelier, and throughout North America and Europe. Audiences and critics alike love her rich and powerful voice and convincing interpretation of dramatic roles.

Keith Klassen (tenor) is one of Canada’s busiest soloists, maintaining a demanding performance schedule. His smooth, rich voice is beautifully suited to Elgar’s dramatic music.

Elgar Society of North America Annual Conference

Toronto is the site of the 2012 conference of the Elgar Society of North America.  The weekend includes presentations and discussions of Elgar’s music and several performances, the highlight of which will be The Kingdom at Koerner Hall. Arthur Reynolds, chairman of the Elgar Society of North America and avid collector of Elgar artifacts, will give the pre-concert chat.

Pax Christi Chorale

The 2011-12 season marks the 25th anniversary of Pax Christi Chorale, and with this year’s ambitious artistic programming the choir is performing at its peak.

Stephanie Martin, at the artistic helm for 15 seasons, is known for engaging audiences with great works on the fringe of popularity, reviving masterpieces ignored or forgotten by the mainstream of choral practitioners.  She has studied Elgar’s music extensively, was the first woman to conduct Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, and has even composed at Elgar’s piano.

Elgar Society of North America Annual Conference

Toronto is the site of the 2012 conference of the Elgar Society of North America.  The weekend includes presentations and discussions of Elgar’s music and several performances, the highlight of which will be The Kingdom at Koerner Hall. Arthur Reynolds, chairman of the Elgar Society of North America and avid collector of Elgar artifacts, will give the pre-concert chat.

Listen to a sample of ‘The Kingdom’ here.

To order tickets, click here.

For directions to Koerner Hall, click here.

Masterpieces Old and New

Join us to celebrate our 25th anniversary with great food, exciting live auction items, a tour of fine Canadian art, and beautiful music.

The highpoint of our celebration will be the première of Artistic Director Stephanie Martin’s string quartet “From a distant island”.

Written during a year of musical inspiration, this lovely new work integrates the diverse sights and sounds of the remote Isle of Wight with the serenity of the convent where Stephanie stayed during her sabbatical.Inspired by scenes of daily life, views of the beautiful green countryside and local folksongs, the works speaks to the meeting between the old and modern worlds.

For more information about our 25th Anniversary Celebration, click here

Friday, January 27, 2012
Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Bay Adelaide Centre
333 Bay Street, 24th Floor

6:30 pm – Gourmet Reception
7:30 pm – World Première of String Quartet No. 1 “From a distant island”

To order your tickets, click here.

$150 per person
Charitable income tax receipts issued for portion above costs.

Dear Pax Christi Supporters,

It is my delight to invite you to celebrate our 25th anniversary season!

We’ve been performing masterworks of the oratorio repertoire for a quarter century, and this season we explore rarely heard works of genius. We showcase Antonio Salieri, the gifted mentor of a generation of classical composers. Our Christmas concert highlights Benjamin Britten’s quirky cantata Saint Nicolas. I am also pleased to premiere a piece of my own.

To crown the season, we perform Elgar’s The Kingdom, acknowledged by the great English conductor Sir Adrian Boult as Elgar’s choral masterpiece. We are so proud to bring British baritone sensation Roderick Williams to sing his Canadian debut in the role of St. Peter.

With stellar soloists, engaging repertoire and a choir that sings from the heart, this season promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime journey. I invite you to join us as a fellow traveller and attend our concerts. Your support is greatly appreciated!

See you at the concerts!

Stephanie Martin
Artistic Director

Read Stephanie’s thoughts on the 25th Anniversary Season here.

By Marilyn Reesor – Special to The Examiner

“Rejoice, resound with joy!”

This bit of text, a portion of Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate, is exquisitely apt, for Hi-Way Pentecostal Church did indeed “resound with joy” in glorious fashion on Saturday evening when Pax Christi Chorale took to the stage at the invitation of Barrie Concerts.

The vastly experienced oratorio choir of 100 voices is celebrating its 25th exciting season after its inception within the Mennonite community in 1987.

A very popular and widely respected chorus, it has since blossomed to embrace singers of many faith traditions and performs under the expert direction of award-winning conductor and composer Stephanie Martin, accompanied by a full chamber orchestra.

Saturday evening’s sold-out concert featured works of Mozart, as well as Antonio Salieri’s rarely heard Mass in D Major, and highlighted four vocal soloists of exceptional calibre: soprano Melanie Conly; mezzo soprano Nina Scott-Stoddart ; tenor Graham Thomson; and baritone Benjamin Covey.

Pax Christi Chorale is described as a group which “shares a love of great choral singing” and does so with “passion, conviction and heart.”

From the deeply fervent Kyrie of the Salieri mass to Mozart’s dramatically intense Regina Coeli, the chorus proved itself to be worthy of such praise.

As voices soared and diminished, seamlessly weaving through intricate contrapuntal passages then rising together in magnificent harmonies, this shared, great love of choral singing encompassed all who were privileged to be present.

Melanie Conly, an established and renowned soprano, delivered a superbly expressive performance of Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate.

Sweet and articulate, her cheerful demeanour belied the fact she was displaying an incredible range of technical vocal skills, particularly during the Alleluia, which moved the audience to a burst of enthusiastic and prolonged applause.

The evening was rounded off by a rousing and confident rendition of the aforementioned Regina Coeli by Mozart, led by assistant conductor Daniel Norman. Also worthy of note is the brilliant and dynamic support of the instrumentalists throughout the program.

Fans of Pax Christi Chorale, both new and old, can find this excellent musical group on the weekend of Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 at Grace Church-on-the-Hill in Toronto.

They will be performing their Christmas concert, which features carols and motets, and will also present a world premiere of a new composition by Stephanie Martin.

Read it online here:

Pax Christi Chorale in Peak Form

news@thebarrieexaminer.com

Benjamin Britten Saint Nicolas

Stephanie Martin Winter Nights  world première

The Pax Christi Chorale and Youth Choir, with guests: James McLean, Bruce Ubukata and Stephen Ralls, Havergal College Chamber Choir and 
Boy Soloists from Canadian Children’s Opera Company.

At Grace Church on-the-Hill

Pax Christi Chorale and Youth Choir were joined by the Havergal College Chamber Choir and boy soloists from the Canadian Children’s Opera Company in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s vividly crafted Saint Nicolas cantata.  This highly evocative work depicts episodes in the life of the real Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children, scholars, and seamen. It is musical storytelling at its best, at once playful and serious, and even includes several audience carols.

A highlight of the programme was the world première of Artistic Director Stephanie Martin’s Winter Nights, commissioned especially for this concert. The work is a lovely setting of four winter-themed poems for choir, string orchestra, percussion and tenor soloist, dedicated to Founder and President Emily Burgetz and husband Bruce, the foremost sponsors of Pax Christi Chorale in its first 25 years.

“I follow Britten’s vision of the “holy triangle” between composer, performer and audience. A new piece can satisfy the intellectual needs of the composer, respect the performing forces and move the audience”.

Stephanie Martin – on Winter Nights

Click here to read the complete interview with Stephanie Martin, Artistic Director and composer of Winter Nights

Saturday, December 10, 2011 – 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Church of Saint Mary Magdalene
477 Manning Ave., Toronto

Click here for directions

Pax Christi Chorale and the Gallery Choir of the Church of Saint Mary Magdelene
Stephanie Martin, Artistic Director
Allison Cecelia Arends, soprano
Richard Whittall, counter-tenor
Graham Thomson, tenor
Michael York, baritone
with orchestra

Designed especially for the younger crowd, we encourage you to bring your children to introduce them to some of the highlights from Handel’s glorious Messiah.

Children admitted free. Adults pay what you can at the door.

This concert is not part of our annual subscription.

October 22, 2011: Hi-Way Church, Barrie ON
October 23, 2011: Grace Church-on-the-Hill, Toronto ON

The Pax Christi Chorale and Youth Choir, with guests Melanie Conly, Nina Scott-Stoddart, Graham Thomson, and Benjamin Covey performed the rarely-heard Salieri Mass in D-Major, paired with Mozart’s Regina Coeli, Ave verum corpus, and soprano Melanie Conly’s fresh interpretation of Exultate Jubilate.

Listen to an excerpt from the ‘Agnus Dei’ recorded on October 23, 2011 Concert

“As voices soared and diminished, seamlessly weaving through intricate contrapuntal passages then rising together in magnificent harmonies, this shared, great love of choral singing encompassed all who were privileged to be present.”
Marilyn Reesor, The Barrie Examiner

Click here to read the full review

Pax Christi Chorale launched its new “Great Canadian Hymns” CD at our concert on April 17, 2011. This new CD is a selection of all-Canadian world premiere recordings of some of the winners and finalists of our inaugural Great Canadian Hymns Competition of 2009. The CD is accompanied by a book of scores, so it is an excellent collection for churches, choirs, and choral music enthusiasts everywhere. The CD will be available for sale at our concerts for $15 and may also be purchased through our website and through selected music stores. Contact us for more information!

Information about our next competition will be available in the spring of 2013.