The 53rd annual Christmas Concert is one of City Hall’s longest-running traditions, happening every year since City Hall opened in 1965. Join us in celebrating the festive season with an exciting free event for all ages, starting at noon on December 20 in the City Hall Rotunda. Enjoy Christmas carols and seasonal favourites performed by the internationally acclaimed Toronto Mass Choir, Toronto Beaches Children’s & Youth Chorus, Pan Fantasy Steelband and Tower Brass. The event will also feature a reading by Toronto Poet Laureate Anne Michaels and a special guest appearance by Santa Claus. Bring your voice to sing-along with the carols!
Date: Thursday, December 20
Time: Noon to 1 p.m.
Location: City Hall Rotunda (100 Queen St. W., Toronto)
* Please note that a sign language interpreter will be present at the event.
Artist Information
Toronto Mass Choir
Toronto Mass Choir has been forging a unique path for the past 30 years, fusing elements of traditional and contemporary Gospel music with Jazz, Latin and Caribbean grooves. International tours, a dozen recordings and a strong core of vocalists and instrumentalists have sustained the strong presence of this award-winning ensemble on the Canadian music scene. TMC’s 30th anniversary celebrations includes an upcoming tour with renowned tenor Ben Heppner.
Toronto Beaches Children’s & Youth Chorus
Founded in 2006 by artistic director Bronwen Low-Scott with the contributions of drama instructor, Joanne Mitchell, the Toronto Beaches Children’s & Youth Chorus (TBCYC) has grown from 30 to over 150 children and youth from Scarborough and Toronto’s East End. TBCYC welcomes all, offering a high quality musical and dramatic experience in an atmosphere where hard work and fun coexist. Each year, TBCYC choristers are involved in concerts and events throughout the city.
Pan Fantasy Steelband
Pan Fantasy Steelband was formed more than 32 years ago by a volunteer group of young people to provide an opportunity for youth in the Jane-Finch community. The goal was, and continues to be, to engage youth and develop leadership skills through the performing arts. Under the direction of co-founder Wendy Jones, Pan Fantasy has become a perennial favourite of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival and have been crowned Pan Alive champions for the past seven years.
Tower Brass
An all-star brass quintet featuring some of Toronto’s finest concert musicians.
Anne Michaels
Anne Michaels is Toronto’s fifth Poet Laureate and is an internationally acclaimed poet and novelist. Her books have been translated and published in 45 countries and have won dozens of international awards. Her novel Fugitive Pieces was adapted into a feature film and her 2013 book, Correspondences, was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. Michaels’s latest book of poetry is All We Saw (2017), and she released two new works in 2018, Infinite Gradation, and Railtracks with John Berger.
(Source: City of Toronto) |