JS Branding JS Branding

New Beginnings

What did “New Beginnings” mean for Upper Canada Chorister, after the sudden withdrawal of a major new composition? It resulted in four brand new songs created by composers of various ages, musical backgrounds, and life stories.

Read More
JS Branding JS Branding

Looking Spiffy

Led by the creative vision of Otto Pierre, the new uniform features variations that allow members to express themselves while staying true to the choir's identity. With a carefully curated colour palette and a range of garment combinations, the choir is set to debut their stylish new look at their upcoming 30th Anniversary concert.

Read More
Joanna Ebbutt Joanna Ebbutt

The joy of belonging… to a choral family

Finding Upper Canada Choristers was a game-changer for Janet Leader. The support she received at that time made a tremendous difference – to the extent that not only did she rejoin the choir in September 2022, but she continues to attend our weekly rehearsals, via Zoom, whenever she is back in St. Kitts.

Read More
JS Branding JS Branding

Arts collaboration, the spirit of togetherness

As part of the concert Our Voices Together: Corazones al Unísono. Performed against a filmed, kaleidoscopic background of visual arts. The concert featured 3 pieces of music created for the UCC and Cantemos through commissions and collaborations. This international arts collaboration project featured a shadow puppet theatre production from Barcelona, Spain; an illustration from Toronto, Canada; and a dance performance from Boston, USA.

Read More
JS Branding JS Branding

The Bird I Await

When Laura Morales Balza was asked to write the lyrics for Cantemos, she considered it a gift. The Bird I Await is a prayer of grief, hope, daydreaming, infinite certainty, and strength. It is a contemplation of nature, through the universal song of a bird.

Read More
Joanna Ebbutt Joanna Ebbutt

Voices of Earth: The Journey

While participating at the conference PODIUM in Toronto in 2002, Laurie and Jacqui approached Canadian composer Stephen Chatman with the hopes to commission a choral work for our 10th anniversary, only when they match his talent with the words by the poetry of Archibald Lampman, Voices of Earth was created.

Read More
Joanna Ebbutt Joanna Ebbutt

Thoughts on Discrimination and Anti-Racism

Part 2 of the story behind the concert. By Upper Canada Choristers, Temple Sinai Ensemble Choir, the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir, Cantor Charles Osborne during Holocaust Education Week 2013.

Read More
Joanna Ebbutt Joanna Ebbutt

Voices from the Whirlwind (2013)

This is the story behind the concert. By Upper Canada Choristers, Temple Sinai Ensemble Choir, the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir, Cantor Charles Osborne during Holocaust Education Week 2013.

Read More
Joanna Ebbutt Joanna Ebbutt

A Sanity-Saver: Singing Through a Pandemic

Despite the rigours and challenges of choir life during a global pandemic, UCC has been fortunate to be joined by two new members, both with decades of experience in choral singing.

Read More
JS Branding JS Branding

My real “Canadian experience” 

I came to Canada in the fall of 2007 with my wife and two daughters. We landed in Toronto with big hopes for a better future. Little I knew how important singing was for me.

Read More
Joanna Ebbutt Joanna Ebbutt

The Story Behind the Song Comfort and Joy

The catalyst for Comfort and Joy, however, was two-part – a response to the raging Covid-19 pandemic and, as importantly, the recent death of Bill Briggs, a beloved and long-time tenor in the choir.

Read More