Your donation towards the work of the choir, through PayPal Giving Fund, Canada Helps or calling the EIS office at 416-217-0537, gives you access to our event.
For other ways to donate visit the EIS donate page. 2021 donation tax receipts will be issued for full amount.
Proceeds from this celebration will support the Elmer Iseler Singers’ return to live musical performances, world premieres, community workshops, and educational activities throughout the GTA, around Ontario, and across Canada.
Prayer Before Sleep (from the Talmud Suite) by Sid Robinovitch, composer; Elmer Iseler, conductor; performed by the Elmer Iseler Singers; album Gloria: Sacred Choral Works (CBC Records, label series: Musica Viva, 1993).
“They will never know the beauty of this place, see the seasons change, enjoy nature’s chorus. All we enjoy we owe to them, men and women who are buried in the earth of foreign lands and in the seven seas. Dedicated to the memory of Canadians who died overseas in the service of their country and so preserved our heritage.”
The Veterans Monument – Department of Veterans Affairs, Canada View from the monument on French Mountain, Cape Breton Highlands National Park – Placed in 1985. Photo by Lydia Adams.
Prayer Before Sleep
Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam
Exalted are Thou, O my Lord Who art God and King of the World
Hamapil chavlei sheina al einai Ut’numah al afapai
Who weighs down my eyes with gentle bonds of sleep, And refreshes my tired spirit with slumber.
Thanksgiving 2021 is here and everywhere we look, the world is wrapping itself in the glorious reds and golds of Autumn.
To mark this time of gratitude, the Elmer Iseler Singers wish to send you a special gift of music, recorded by the EIS sopranos and altos for a CD, From Sea to Sea, by the brilliant composer and arranger, Aaron Jensen. For this CD, Aaron has chosen to celebrate the work of poets from across Canada. The piece the EIS sopranos and altos sing here, Rain in the Country, is on a poem by PEI/Ontario poet, Lucy Maud Montgomery. Rain in the Country, written for choir and percussion, is in two parts: a Maritime Song (built on the poem) and Dance (some Maritime-style mouth-music) to finish off in rousing style!
We wanted to let you all, each and every one, know how much we truly appreciate that you are such an important part of our community, and we thank you for your support.
We are excited also to let you know that we have begun rehearsing again, and had our first ‘in person’ sessions all together with all safety protocols in place.
Watch for announcements shortly on our upcoming season!
For now – please enjoy the choir as we revel in the sounds and sights of Canadian Autumn and the music of Aaron Jensen, as we prepare to sing for you once again in person with fabulous choral sounds!
On behalf of the Elmer Iseler Singers, General Manager Jessie Iseler and the Board of Directors, I wish you a most Happy Thanksgiving!
With sincere best wishes,
Lydia Adams Conductor/Artistic Director Elmer Iseler Singers
Rain in the Country: A Maritime Song and Dance. Aaron Jensen, composer and Lucy Maud Montgomery, poet; Lydia Adams, conductor; performed by the Sopranos and Altos of the Elmer Iseler Singers; Steáfán Hannigan and Aaron Jensen, percussion. From the album From Sea to Sea (Centrediscs, 2015 – Distributed by NAXOS).
Rain in the Country by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Here in the country the cool sweet rain Falls on the daisies and growing grain, Shadows the pond with widening rings, Kisses the lips of the lowland springs, Plays with the pines on the hilltop dim And fills the valley with mist abrim.
It flashes in shadowy forest nooks, Dimples the faces of woodland brooks, Whispers with leaves in untrodden ways, Wraps the distance in sober grays, Dances o’er meadows of lushest green And scatters the petals where roses lean.
The Elmer Iseler Singers, Lydia Adams Conductor, wish to join together with thousands of music lovers worldwide in expressing our condolences in the passing of R. Murray Schafer.
We are all enriched through his groundbreaking creativity, inspiration and passion.
‘Hear The Sounds Go Round’ by R. Murray Schafer (World Premiere) performed by Elmer Iseler Singers, Pro Coro Canada, Vancouver Chamber Choir and Kaspars Putniņš (conductor).
With the coming of Passover, Ramadan and Easter 2021, we now see the signs of renewal in the earth.
We are watching the sprouting of the daffodils in the garden and have seen our first red-winged blackbirds of the season in the nearby marsh. Now, we are listening and waiting for the sound of the frogs in the nearby pond, a welcome choral cacophony after the melting of the snow.
To celebrate the coming of Spring, the Elmer Iseler Singers send you this musical gift from a wonderful CD the Singers recorded with the Canadian Brass, our long-time friends and colleagues. For our musical gift today, we would like to send you ‘SheepMay Safely Graze’ from the ‘Birthday’ Cantata (BWV 208) by J.S. Bach. This is an arrangement of a well-known soprano solo from this cantata, a birthday present for the 31st birthday of Duke Christian of Saxe-Weissenfels, and this arrangement for choir and brass quintet was made by Canadian Brass trombonist Eugene Watts.
Please enjoy!
Lydia Adams, Artistic Director Jessie Iseler, General Manager EIS Board of Directors, James T. Chestnutt, Chair the Singers and staff of the Elmer Iseler Singers
Sheep May Safely Graze
Sheep May Safely Graze
J.S. Bach, composer with text by Salomon Franck. Lydia Adams, conductor; performed by the Elmer Iseler Singers with Canadian Brass: Charles Lazarus, Stuart Laughton, trumpets; Bernhard Scully, horn; Eugene Watts, trombone; and Charles Daellenbach, tuba. From the album People of Faith (Opening Day Records, 2006).
Sheep May Safely Graze by J.S. Bach and text by Salomon Franck Text in English (translation from original German)
Sheep may safely graze and pasture In a watchful Shepherd’s sight.
Those who rule with wisdom guiding Bring to hearts a peace abiding Bless a land with joy made bright.
Today, we are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and we hope that everyone is wearing some green for the occasion!
To celebrate, the Elmer Iseler Singers are bringing you a musical gift from our November 2018 concert with the Toronto Children’s Chorus and the Toronto Youth Choir. This is a première performance of Stuart Calvert’s arrangement of this famous WWI marching song, written in 1912 by Harry Williams and Jack Judge. The audience is joining along in this performance, and why don’t you as well, as we celebrate everything Irish.
Wear the green! Play the tin whistle! Drown the shamrock! Walk with your shillelagh! Play the Irish harp and sing along with baritone Michael Thomas, the Elmer Iseler Singers, the Toronto Children’s Chorus, the Toronto Youth Choir, instrumentalists and Elise Bradley, conductor, to brighten your day!
Spring is on the way, and we can’t wait for the time when we can all join together once again in friendship and music, surely our own ‘pot of gold’ waiting for us just around the corner!
Enjoy!
It’s a Long Way to Tipperary
It’s a Long Way to Tipperary composer: Harry Williams; text: Jack Judge; and arranger: Stuart Calvert. Conductor: Elise Bradley, MNZM, Artistic Director, Toronto Children’s Chorus. Performed by Michael Thomas, baritone; Elmer Iseler Singers, Lydia Adams, conductor; Toronto Children’s Chorus, Elise Bradley, conductor; Toronto Youth Choir, Matthew Otto, conductor; Stan Klebanoff, trumpet; Andy Morris, percussion; and Lara Dodds-Eden, pianist. Recorded November 11, 2018, at Toronto Centre for the Arts
It’s a Long Way to Tipperary by Harry Williams and text by Jack Judge (arranged by Stuart Calvert)
Up to mighty London came an Irish man one day All the streets were paved with gold so everyone was gay! Singing songs of Piccadilly, Strand, and Leicester Square ‘Til Paddy got excited and he shouted to them there:
Chorus: It’s a long way to Tipperary It’s a long way to go. It’s a long way to Tipperary To the sweetest girl I know!
Goodbye Piccadilly Farewell Leicester Square! It’s a long long way to Tipperary But my heart’s right there.
Paddy wrote a letter to his Irish Molly O’ Saying, “Should you not receive it, write and let me know! If I make mistakes in spelling Molly dear”, said he “Remember it’s the pen, that’s bad, Don’t lay the blame on me”.
Chorus…
Molly wrote a neat reply to Irish Paddy O. Saying. “Mike Mahoney wants to marry me, and so Leave the Strand and Piccadilly, or you’ll be to blame For love has fairly drove me silly, hoping you’re the same!”
