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Views from the Choir Loft

My Trip to Canada

Andrew Leung · July 26, 2018

CTL My Trip to Canada APPOLOGIZE for haven’t been posting for a few weeks. I was on a trip to Canada with my family. We stayed in Toronto for the most part, and we also visited Montreal and Quebec City as well. I must say, after being in Asia for two years, it’s nice to see some gorgeous churches built in the European style.

I had the opportunity to attend the weekly Solemn Mass at Holy Family Parish, where the Oratorian community of Toronto is located. The Mass was very well-attended and the choir sang beautifully! The professional singers of the parish sing weekly for the Solemn Mass and the Solemn Vespers. I was told that about 40 seminarians of the community would join the Vespers during the school year and I can imagine that must be quite a powerful experience for the parishioners.

I got to chat with Dr. Aaron James, the director of music, after Mass for a little bit and he told me about the history of the church and their pipe organ. The original Holy Family Church was built in 1902 and was destroyed by a fire in 1997. It was the rebuilt in 1999 and dedicated in 2001. Their organ, originally built for a residence, was given to the newly constructed church.

Another very special church I got to visit when I was in Toronto was the Cathedral Basilica of St. Michael. The interior of the cathedral is stunningly beautiful. Right across the street from the cathedral is the St. Michael’s Choir School. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to listen to their boys’ choir. The choir school was founded in 1937 by Monsignor John Edward Ronan. Boys and young men are trained in the art of music there and they play a prominent role in the cathedral’s music program. Here is a recording of the choir from 2016, and you can find more videos on their YouTube Channel.

If you ever get a chance, try to attend a Mass at the Toronto Oratory and the St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica! Finally, I leave you with some pictures of the churches I visited during the trip.

CTL Canadian Church 1 CTL Canadian Church 2 CTL Canadian Church 3 CTL Canadian Church 4 CTL Canadian Church 5 CTL Canadian Church 6 CTL Canadian Church 7 CTL Canadian Church 8 CTL Canadian Church 9
Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Andrew Leung

Andrew Leung currently serves the music director of Vox Antiqua, conductor of the Cecilian Singers, and music director at Our Lady of China Church.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“There are no hymns, in this sense, till the fourth century; they were not admitted to the Roman office till the twelfth. No Eastern rite to this day knows this kind of hymn. Indeed, in our Roman rite we still have the archaic offices of the last days of Holy Week and of the Easter octave, which—just because they are archaic—have no hymns.”

— Adrian Fortescue (25 March 1916)

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