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Stephanie Martin

An aspect of being Mennonite

Sometimes it takes a momentous event to shake you out of complacency – to shake you out of your routine – shake you out of taking for granted all the imperceptibly small things that add up to something big. The event today was a funeral for my friend Paul Penner. I had not been back to Toronto United Mennonite Church for quite some time. I had been busy making music at a high Anglican Church downtown for a while, so being on Queen Street east today, in the embrace of my cultural family, was one of those moments. It was… Read More »An aspect of being Mennonite

Pax Christi 2013-14 season

If you read my blog you may know that I conduct a lovely big oratorio choir called Pax Christi Chorale. I have a fabulous team of musicians backing me up, including Dan Norman, assistant conductor, accompanist Simon Walker, and an enthusiastic choir of amateur singers supported by a professional ensemble of choral scholars. We present an annual concert series in Toronto at Grace Church on-the-Hill, collaborating with professional soloists, orchestra, and incorporating young singers into our concerts whenever possible. This is just a quick note to encourage you to view our Youtube video which summarizes our new season with a… Read More »Pax Christi 2013-14 season

Time

Time

The old common arbiter, the healer of all things, the teller of all truths: Time. You are a god, and I wear your talisman on my arm. I perpetually gaze upon that counterfeit countenance, your potent, ticking charm. The symbol of your omnipotence circles my wrist like a handcuff, binding me to your power. Time, I am your slave! You govern my every action; when I rise, when I eat, when I work, when I play. Without you there can be no life, no music, no movement, no breath. My very pulse is enthralled by your ceaseless rhythm. The changing… Read More »Time

What is a hymn?

I suppose you cannot really understand what a hymn is all about unless you’ve had a personal encounter with a hymn, maybe singing with hundreds of people in a vast cathedral to the visceral accompaniment of a mighty organ, or maybe picking out the notes on your ancient piano on a quiet Sunday evening with your sister singing alto to your soprano. If you’ve ever been singing a hymn and had a moment where the music just gets to you, and a few of the notes choke your voice just a bit, and you have to pretend nothing happened but… Read More »What is a hymn?

The Joy of Cleaning

Why is it so much better cleaning someone else’s house than cleaning your own? Maybe it’s because you discover things about that person that you didn’t know before. For example, you can find out what they’ve been reading this week. You can also find out what they read last week, and also what they read six months ago, as well as many other interesting things that get swept under couches and forgotten. There is also a purer joy that comes from the act of cleaning. You can enjoy the interesting tinkling sounds that foreign objects make as they get sucked… Read More »The Joy of Cleaning

Tragedy of the Walnut Cruller

It was a morning ritual. It didn’t hurt anybody and it imparted a mild, somewhat guilty joy; a harmless addiction ameliorated by a trace element of goodness. Since I have to drive early on Tuesdays to York University for “Music and Culture” lectures, I treat myself to one, simple pleasure. I approach the doughnut drive-through window and order my usual, to go: “A large coffee with milk and a chocolate walnut cruller, please.” Just saying the words was cathartic. On this particular morning the thin, crackling voice came back to me through my lowered car window with a terrifying edict,… Read More »Tragedy of the Walnut Cruller

Free Christmas download

Yes, it is a bit absurd that I’m posting a free Christmas piece on August 17, but leaders of choral organizations all over the musical world need to plan their repertoire far ahead of time. They have to choose music far in advance to plan thematic programmes, to provide material for press releases, to order music in time to rehearse and perform concerts and church services. I’m giving you “Portinari Nativity” four months ahead of time since I figure it will not be published, and you can really only sing it once a year, and I want you to have… Read More »Free Christmas download

No place like home

This summer in Britain offered up many profound delights: walking the ancient pilgrim road to Canterbury with my sister; hearing Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius performed magnificently in Gloucester cathedral; listening to Arvo Part in the dark at the tomb of Edward II; standing in the yard for Shakespeare at The Globe Theatre; standing in the gallery in the Royal Albert Hall for Wagner’s Die Walkure; meeting up with choir friends from Ottawa and Toronto; travelling to  Tewkesbury for the Jongen Mass; seeing Vermeer at the National Gallery; hiking the Malverns with Shawn and Dave; experiencing Billy Budd at Glyndebourne with… Read More »No place like home

The Pilgrims’ Way

After about a year of anticipation, my sister and I set out on our very own Canterbury pilgrimage. Our goal was to walk 40 miles from Rochester to Canterbury with the aid of our expert guide, Derek of Walk Awhile who custom builds walking tours through Kent. Each morning Derek packed us a lunch bag full of local bread, cheese and fruit, and gave us detailed instructions along with an ordinance survey map. Our compass got us out of a few tricky navigational errors, but on the whole we managed to find the trail. Each evening we arrived at our… Read More »The Pilgrims’ Way

The blog days of summer

Out of the blue, while holidaying in the fabulous fresh air of friendly British Columbia, I received an email from England. Tomorrow I’ll be going down to a Toronto studio to be interviewed for a BBC 4 radio show about Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius. That’s all because of this blog and my posts about that composer. So, I keep on blogging, even though here, on a weekend break with my parents, the Ontario summer is so hot and humid one can barely summon the strength to lift a cold beer. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to hearing a couple of my… Read More »The blog days of summer