The Orpheus Choir of Toronto continues to expand and enrich the choral artform throughout their ambitious 62nd season.
With staged choral-theatre performances, fulfilling artistic collaborations, and daring world-premiere commissions, each of our four presented programs carry a unique spin and are not to be missed.
Subscribe to our 2026-27 season and experience the virtuosity of our talented Sidgwick Scholars alongside Toronto's own Orpheus Choir.
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Saturday, October 24, 2026 - 7:30 pm
Runnymede United Church
Orpheus kicks off our 62nd season with another foray into choral theatre.
Featuring acclaimed actor Ramona Gilmour-Darling, this staged production weaves stunning choral selections with a libretto by local dramaturge Ilana Lucas, exploring the complicated and beautiful relationship between one Toronto woman and her parents.
Join us and be transported as we push the boundaries of choral music in this tender and meaningful production.
The Sound of Bethlehem
Tuesday, December 15, 2026 - 7:30 pm
Calvin Presbyterian Church
With Shireen Abu Khader and Dozan World
Pre concert chat at 6:45 pm
What does the music of Christmas sound like where Christmas actually began?
In this holiday concert, Dozan World, publisher of Levantine and Middle Eastern choral music, joins Orpheus to present their recent album The Sound of Bethlehem.
Pairing your favorite Western carols with Christmas carols from the Levant, composed and arranged by Palestinian-Jordanian composer Shireen Abu Khader, this performance cherishes the Christmas we know and love while celebrating where it all began.
Hope for Tomorrow
Saturday, March 6, 2027 - 7:30 pm
Grace Chuch on-the-Hill
Pre concert chat at 6:45 pm
Premiered in 2020, Damien Geter’s Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow blends music from JS Bach’s Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (Weeping, lamenting, worrying, fearing), BWV 12, with traditional Spirituals and uplifting text charting the journey from fear into hope.
Adolphus Hailstork’s Gospel-infused cantata I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes and works by Zanaida Robles, Joel Thompson, Reena Esmail, and Merrill Garbus complete this celebratory and eclectic program.
Évangeline
Saturday, May 15, 2027 - 7:30 pm
Yorkminster Park Church
Pre concert chat at 6:45 pm
Our season culminates in a World Premiere of Évangeline by celebrated Métis composer Ian Cusson.
The first oratorio setting of Longfellow’s beloved epic poem, this large work for choir and orchestra tells the uniquely Canadian story of the Grand Deportation of the Acadian peoples by British settlers in the mid-18th century. Follow the story of Évangeline and Gabriel, two lovers who spend their lives searching for each other after being separated by war.
Paired with pieces celebrating French-Canadian heritage, this new piece promises to occupy a special place in Canada’s choral-orchestral repertoire.
Performed in French (translation of the original Longfellow poem by Canadian Léon-Pamphile Le May, 1837-1918)
World Premiere by Ian Cusson
