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Schola Magdalena

Schola Magdalena launch

Medieval music was one of my earliest passions. As a kid I listened over and over again to an old Archiv recording of Machaut’s “Messe de Notre Dame” which struck me as so strange and beautiful. It’s amazing to me now that I have found 5 other women who want to sing the same music with me. Schola Magdalena has been singing Gregorian chant and medieval polyphony together now for 5 years, and this Saturday we are launching our second recording “Virgo Splendens.” The CD contains the four Marian Anthems for the liturgical year, chants by Hildegard von Bingen and… Read More »Schola Magdalena launch

Willan's Sketch for Requiem

Willan Requiem

On March 27th I had the great privilege of attending the Kingston Symphony’s performance of the Requiem by Healey Willan. I sat with Mary Willan, Dr Willan’s daughter, and we chatted about the circumstances facing her family during those early years, and why Willan did not complete this work. Singing in the choir was Martha Clarke, widow of F.R.C.Clarke who was the musicologist who completed the Requiem from sketches and orchestrated the work. The whole event was very festive, and the conductor, Brian Jackson, signed my score after the concert. He had also conducted the premiere performance 23 years earlier… Read More »Willan Requiem

workspace

Heading into Holy Week

I am arranging some hymns for brass quintet for Easter Day, but other items just keep piling up on my piano! It’s like there’s a great magnet sunk deep under the strings somewhere, so that everything in the house that requires a surface comes to rest here eventually. Holy Week happens every year, but every year I am astonished at how much musical preparation is required to pull off this epic liturgical event at St. Mary Magdalene. There are 11 musical services between Palm Sunday and Easter Day involving scores of selfless volunteer musicians and an incredible list of music:… Read More »Heading into Holy Week

Candlemas

Candlemas

Feb 2nd is a turning point in the year: there’s that thing with the ground-hog, and there’s the Blue Hag of the Highlands, and Imbolg, but at Manning and Ulster we celebrate Candlemas. I suppose I’ve witnessed five Candlemas services at the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene now, and this year was just as memorable as the last four. A day of doom was forecast by the weather people, but that storm turned into a gentle shower of fluffy stuff that just made trudging to church with my tuna casserole all the more scenic. Seventy brave souls did make it out to… Read More »Candlemas

Spa-speak

My very kind and generous husband gave me a spa visit as my Christmas gift. I think I dropped the hints pretty strongly, wrapping his gift and placing it under the tree by Dec. 12th, and mentioning several times that “I brought that gift all the way from Germany in my backpack.” This is wife-speak for “You’d better get me a gift of equal or greater value.” There is a language of spas. When the receptionist explains that “your therapies will commence at 11:30” she means your massage starts soon so get changed now. The waiter at lunch may ask… Read More »Spa-speak

January blog

January was a busy month for Schola Magdalena. We had a concert at the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Toronto on Friday Jan. 14th, and then toured to Stratford for an afternoon workshop, tea and concert. It was a snowy day, but the folks in Stratford did come out and we were treated like royalty! We were each given a beautiful bouquet after the concert (ah, roses!) and Nicola Adair cooked us a gourmet dinner with plenty of excellent wine before we were poured onto the Via Rail train back to Toronto. It was a wonderful weekend, and great… Read More »January blog

Children's Messiah

    Do you remember the first time you heard Handel’s Messiah? Last Saturday afternoon we had the privilege of presenting this masterpiece of baroque music to about 300 people, most of them under the age of 12. Pax Christi Chorale teamed up with the Gallery Choir of St. Mary Magdalene, along with four super stellar professional singers and a volunteer orchestra made up of veteran players and high school students, led by Larry Beckwith. I shared the conducting with Matthew Otto my assistant conductor. During one of the choruses, a tiny little girl came right up and stood beside… Read More »Children's Messiah

Where is my camera?

It’s embarrassing but I think I’ve lost my camera. So I’ll just describe this week’s activities. I went out on a limb and went downtown to a club to see an amazing singer/songwriter perform live with her band. Her name is (wait for it) Stephanie Martin, and I found myself at several points very  moved by her music and her devotion to performing – and not just because we share the same name. I’d recommend to everyone to step outside of their musical comfort zone and take in a new genre of live music over the holidays. I’ve returned to… Read More »Where is my camera?

Playing it old school

Being a musician in Toronto sometimes takes me off the well-beaten track of my weekly routine to some very interesting places. Yesterday I had a great time playing piano and organ for the annual Christmas carol concert at Upper Canada College. It will be remembered by family and friends as the carol service when the house lights in the auditorium failed. The audience’s carol singing was a little timid, perhaps because of the dim light, but this did not deter the boys from singing very enthusiastically, and playing some rousing big band numbers. As I wandered through the halls looking… Read More »Playing it old school

In search of Hildegard

When Janet and I decided to visit Hildegard sites in Germany we were initially pretty confused since there is more than one way to pursue her history. We felt it was most important to visit the living community of nuns who sing daily services in the Abbey of St. Hildegard. We were not disappointed.  The nuns sing Gregorian chant beautifully and the Abbey is a turn-of-the-century version of a medieval monastic building. We spoke with several of the nuns in the gift shop, and made many purchases: CDs, books, printed music and wine. If you want to visit the Abbey… Read More »In search of Hildegard