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Mennonite Mass Choir

Menno mosso: 60 years of singing

This afternoon in the sleepy, golden-leafed village of St. Jacob’s Ontario, Menno Singers presents the first concert in their anniversary season. This particular event will shine a spotlight on Abner Martin (my Dad) who founded this choir 60 years ago. In the early years of the choir’s formation, they sang renaissance polyphony. In those days it was common practice to sing Latin motets in English translation. (Even at St. Mary Magdalene’s the choral library is full of anglicized versions of the renaissance classics.) My Dad says one of the principal inspiration for him was in fact not recordings of choral music, but… Read More »Menno mosso: 60 years of singing

WholeNote magazine: November’s child

WholeNote magazine is a Toronto treasure. The monthly must-have publication is put together by a group of talented, selfless, hardworking individuals who keep our musical network connecting, informing, and spreading the word about our vibrant underground classical community. I’m catching up with an article that tells a bit of my own story. It’s called November’s Child. It came out in print last month, but there’s a longer interview online. Here’s one of the secrets revealed in the piece- an embarrassing childhood musical memory: “What was my most embarrassing experience as a child learning music? I was entered in a sight-reading… Read More »WholeNote magazine: November’s child