On our winter concert program we will be singing Noël Nouvelet, a beautiful arrangement by Canadian composer and arranger Erica Phare-Bergh. What is the story behind this hauntingly beautiful French Canadian carol, and who is the composer who brought this enchanting setting to life?

Cantala will be singing one of the most beloved Christmas melodies of Catalonia, El Cant dels Ocells ("The Song of the Birds") in our upcoming concert. This piece is a traditional folk carol whose origins date back to the seventeenth century. Rather than on the Nativity itself, the carol focuses on nature-creation- rejoicing. 

Andrew Balfour, a Cree composer and conductor from Winnipeg, has garnered national and international acclaim for his innovative choral compositions that seamlessly blend Indigenous storytelling with Western choral traditions. We are honored to bring his voice to our Cantala concert stage.

If you've ever dreamed of singing with a high-calibre choir, there's a choir in Toronto you need to know about. Read on to learn how you can be a part of the excitement!

On April 11, 2025, under the dazzling chandeliers of Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Cantala Choir experienced one of the most exhilarating performances of our musical journey.

Come and rediscover the magic of the natural world with Cantala during our winter seasonal concert, Saturday December 7th at 7pm. It will feature parts from a larger work called Lost words: A Spell book, which features one poet (Robert Macfarlane), ten composers (many of our Canadian favorites!) and twenty choral compositions.

We finished up our spring recording project this past week. The piece titled Lullaby, is a musical audioscape by Toronto composer James Rolfe. Listen to our recording below.

Cantala is now well into its 2024 Spring project. This year we are recording James Rolfe’s Lullaby with Michelle Colton on Marimba in Walter Hall at the end of June 2024. This will be released on our next album, titled Songbird, this coming Fall 2024.

We are truly lucky to have such a diverse cultural landscape in Canada. From the Indigenous peoples, to the settlers and now immigrants from every part of the globe, Canada is a place where there is such variety in our food, entertainment and social circles that one cannot but rejoice and celebrate Canada.

This spring we will be learning Canadian Folk songs. I was inspired recently by the work titled Woodsmoke and Oranges (Tamblyn). (Psst…. For those that know me, don’t be surprised to also anticipate other pieces that are not Canadian folk as well).

Cantala is rethinking its commitment to provide an equitable, inclusive and diverse musical experience for any and all that want to sing. To see our initiative through, we have started a mentorship program.

Have you ever swirled around in a big ball gown on a concert stage that is all yours? We did this past May at Roy Thomson Hall. We can report back that it is a fantastic experience and highly recommend it.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to our upcoming recitals. We are featuring brand new works that are looking forward to their world premiere. As we are entering our final rehearsals with this challenging program the excitement is growing at Cantala.

Have you ever wondered what a rainbow wears for clothes?….. come to our first winter concert since 2019 where we will entertain with an array of christmas “usuals” and unusuals…..

Here at Cantala our favorite Winter themed concert includes A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten. However, we have now presented that work recently and made an outstanding recording of the work with Canadian legend Harpist Erica Goodman, so what could be next to rival that work? Read on to find out.

Cantala Choir and I had our first in person rehearsal in two years in February 2022 and for so many reasons, it feels like a new beginning. For one, as I re enter the world of choral music and choral programming I feel I have many new ideas and perspectives. So consider this: what about changing “hundred of years-old sacred text” to a sacred text that is relevant to our human society today? Radical idea? Read on.

This is the first time in 20+ years that I haven’t had a jam packed, stressful, busy, over the top musical calendar. I usually find myself running to watching a performance of the Nutcracker, then running downtown to take in the kids’ symphony Christmas concert, then singing a Messiah performance here or there, and of course keeping up with my own performance schedule: Church services and choral concerts.

Cantala is off to Banff Alberta this February 14-17th, 2020 to attend a choral Art weekend at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. We will be working with Michael Zaugg (Montreal, Canada) and Pro Coro Canada (Edmonton, Canada), Lone Larsen (Sweden), Sven Helbig (Germany) in a weekend of exploration and camaraderie.