Anne Stanley

Becca Whitla Workshop. Sing! Sing! Sing!

by


Echo Conductor Emerita Becca Whitla returns to Echo to lead a Workshop.
Saturday, Oct. 5,10am-12:30pm
at Holy Trinity Church MAP  
10 Trinity Square (Dundas Subway, beside the Eaton Centre accessible)
Tickets: $20.  Purchase here or PWYC (cash in hat at workshop)

All are welcome to join Becca and the choir as she shares some of her favourite songs and introduces a couple of new beauties. And we’ll have tea & snacks!

 Becca Whitla is the professor of practical ministry and the Dr. Lydia E. Gruchy Chair in Pastoral Theology at St. Andrew’s College in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan where she teaches worship and liturgy, preaching, religious education, and practical theology. 

Her book Liberation, (De)Coloniality, and Liturgical Practices: Flipping the Song Bird was released in December, 2020 (Palgrave McMillan). From her White Euro-Canadian settler perspective, she examines ways to decolonize liturgical practices, especially community singing. 

She worked in Toronto for many years as a music director in both Anglican and United Churches (Church of the Holy Trinity, and Trinity St Paul’s United Church). She also co-directed Echo, a 70 voice women’s choir, and worked in the trade union movement developing leadership through choral singing.

Echo is a group of harmonizing women who love to sing, directed by
well-respected community music leaders Alan Gasser and Katie White.
Echo provides a strong, inclusive, mutually supportive community in the heart of Toronto for women who love to sing. The choir is committed to a unique and eclectic repertoire with a focus on social justice, musical excellence and passionate expression.  We collaborate frequently with musicians who enrich our repertoire with music from a range of genres and diverse cultures.
We have a spring and fall season. Contact Anne if you have any questions
or would like to join us: info.echo@gmail.com   
www.echochoir.ca  

Echo Spring Concert, O Sister! with special guest david sereda

by

Sunday, May 5, 2024, 3pm
Church of the Holy Trinity
19 Trinity Square, Toronto next to the Eaton Centre

Sunday, May 5, 3pm
Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto, beside the Eaton Centre
19 Trinity Square, Accessible MAP
Tickets $25. purchase here with Zeffy 
$15. Seniors, Children
Underwaged PWYC (or cash at door)
Don’t forget to bring some cash to buy raffle baskets tickets!

david sereda is a singer-songwriter whose moving music has been heard in concerts and festivals across Canada. Whether a cappella, solo at the piano, or with his stellar ensemble, david’s joy of singing is irresistible. His unique songs draw from folk, gospel, soul, jazz and pop. His lyrics are rich in meaning and emotion. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta he now lives in Grey County,
Ontario near Georgian Bay. 
“david sereda’s range as a singer-songwriter is breathtaking.” 
(The Chronicle-Herald, Halifax, NS)

Questions? Please contact Anne: info.echo@gmail.com
www.echochoir.ca

Behnaz McCallum

by

Second Soprano

Behnaz McCallum is a relatively new member, having joined Echo in the fall of 2023. She is very enthusiastic about the singing with the choir, and agreed to share her impressions with others who might be looking for a similar experience.

Behnaz is a retired audiologist with over thirty years of experience, twenty of which were spent working in a private hearing clinic. She is definitely an auditory person. Behnaz holds a graduate degree from Tehran University and a doctorate from the Arizona School of Health Sciences. She found helping people with their communication problems very rewarding, but took early retirement during the Covid pandemic. Behnaz now has time for a wide range of activities including painting, studying piano, and singing. She practices yoga and meditation daily, as she has for many years.

Although she had never sung in a choir before joining Echo, Behnaz plays the Persian frame drum, or Daf. This instrument is used in folk music, and is an important component of Sufi music, which is very spiritual and uplifting.

Behnaz learned about Echo through a newspaper ad. She had always wanted to sing in a choir, and the fact that Echo is a women’s choir and requires no experience and no audition appealed to her. She became a member and participated in her first concert In December, which she found to be a lot of fun.

Following is an excerpt from our conversation.

Echo: What do you like about singing with Echo?

BM: When I started going to rehearsals, I thought, this is what I want: some community, different kinds of music, progressive music; when you care about different people with different orientations, that’s nice…I like the songs, the repertoire. There is always an interesting mix of music. Last season I liked guest artists Andrew Craig and the gentleman from South Africa [Bongani Magatyana]. When Andrew played that drum …I was jumping up and down. I kind of let go…I never sang in front of people before… but the choir actually holds you. I felt supported, and held by the choir and I just let go.…I feel very joyful when I sing.

Echo: You lead a very busy life in retirement, taking care of mind, body and soul. In addition to singing with Echo, you also study piano and paint. Can you talk a little about this?

BM: I have done Persian calligraphy in the past.  After attending a painting class in Alberta during a visit with relatives, I found a class with the TDSB [Toronto District School Board] and started drawing and painting. I haven’t stopped yet. I enjoy the colours…I work from a picture and put my own impression in it. With no place to store canvases, I started painting on paper. I don’t paint to sell.

Echo: Do you have any suggestions on how to improve Echo? Is there anything you would like to see?

BM: I enjoy what we do, but I would like to do more socializing. Food is a way to connect. I enjoyed the ice breakers at the beginning of the session. They gave us a chance to get to know each other.

I’m glad I found this group. If something doesn’t come up, I will be a member for a long, long time.

Behnaz lives in Toronto with her husband and their Beagle Terrier, Piper.

Interview by Christine Boyanoski

Echo Fundraiser Silent Auction Donors

by

Special Guests Turkwaz, Tranzac Club Feb. 22, 2024

Stephen Goring Registered Massage Therapist (416) 535-3512 26 Russett Avenue Toronto, ON M6H 3M3

Boomerang Pilates Boomerang Pilates and Wellness – Home

Confluence Concerts Confluence Concerts

Nightwood Theatre Nightwood Theatre – Canada’s flagship feminist theatre since 1979.

Coal Mine Theatre www.coalminetheatre.com

Young Centre for the Performing Arts  youngcentre.ca

National Ballet of Canada  national.ballet.ca

Mosaic Yoga  Studio  mosaic yoga toronto – Classes that keep you open, resilient, rejuvenated, and curious

Toronto Symphony Orchestra TSO.CA

david sereda! Join us for a day of singing!

by

Saturday, March 23, 10am to 3pm
Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto, beside the Eaton Centre
19 Trinity Square, Accessible MAP
Cost $30. Purchase ticket here with Zeffy or sliding scale cash at door.
Pot-luck lunch, bring something to share.

david will lead us through call and response as we learn inspiring traditional and new songs by ear, no music reading required.  From his original songs about our volatile time to Spirituals that carried Freedom Seekers along the Underground Railroad, this is music to move your hearts and minds. 
 
The workshop begins with a thorough warmup to wake up and tune in to our voices, breathing and bodies. Come and be part of a daylong community chorus – and feel the joy of connecting through music.  

david sereda is a singer-songwriter whose moving music has been heard in concerts and festivals across Canada. Whether a cappella, solo at the piano, or with his stellar ensemble, david’s joy of singing is irresistible. His unique songs draw from folk, gospel, soul, jazz and pop. His lyrics are rich in meaning and emotion. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta he now lives in Grey County,
Ontario near Georgian Bay. 
“david sereda’s range as a singer-songwriter is breathtaking.” 
(The Chronicle-Herald, Halifax, NS)

Questions? Please contact Anne: info.echo@gmail.com
www.echochoir.ca

New Videos ECHO!! Revived 2024

by

Andrew Craig & Bongani Magatyana Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now

In September 2023, the multi-talented Andrew Craig offered a dynamic workshop for choir members at the Church of the Holy Trinity, Toronto. Echo welcomed members of the Toronto Children’s Concert Choir (TC3),
with whom we’ve collaborated in past years.

Video Here

This was part of a pandemic initiative by Echo to expand its engagement with a diversity of communities in Toronto and the GTA. The video is part of the ECHO!! Revived project, funded by a Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now grant.
We are deeply grateful for this government commitment to Community Music
and the Arts in Canada; and we acknowledge ongoing support
from the Toronto Arts Council.

In October 2023, Echo hosted a visit by South African choral composer and teacher Bongani Magatyana. In conjunction with the Toronto Children’s Concert Choir (TC3), our choir shared workshops with Chief Dan George Public School and Sistema Toronto, besides an evening workshop for our own choir and a
full-weekend public workshop.

Video Here
This was part of a pandemic initiative by Echo to expand its engagement with a diversity of communities in Toronto and the GTA. The video is part of the ECHO!! Revived project.

Videos directed, filmed and edited by Carlos Coronado
www.coronadofilms.ca

Echo Spring Fundraiser, Feb. 22 with Turkwaz

by

Echo Spring Fundraiser
Thursday, February 22, 7-10pm, 2024
Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave. Toronto MAP

You’re invited to join us for a fabulous night of music with
Turkwaz, Echo and other Special Guests!

Tickets $30. can be purchased at the door or on-line here with Zeffy 

Cash bar, free snacks and fabulous Silent Auction!
All proceeds support Echo, a non-profit community choir and registered charity.
***

Turkwaz  is Sophia Grigoriadis, Jayne Brown, Maryem Tollar and Brenna MacCrimmon, four vocalists who individually have contributed widely to the Toronto world music scene and beyond. Their work together focuses on interpretations of songs primarily from Greek, Turkish, Arabic and Balkan traditions with forays into other genres when the inspiration moves them.

With gentle accompaniment provided by qanun, tambura, ukulele and various forms of hand percussion, the songs and the voices remain front and center.
Their debut album “Nazar” was nominated for a 2017 Juno, two CFMAs and made the Top of the World list in Songlines magazine in April 2018.

They have performed at the National Arts Center and Chamberfest in Ottawa, Calgary Folk Festival, Open Ears Festival (Kitchener), Silence  (Guelph), Mill Race Festival (Cambridge), Shelter Valley Folk Festival (Grafton),  Mission Folk Festival (BC), Summerfolk (Owen Sound), Cultura (North York), Luminato (Toronto), as well as at numerous venues in and around Toronto including the Small World Centre, The Burdock, COC Bradshaw Amphitheatre and the Aga Khan Museum.

☀ 🔘 💗
 www.echochoir.ca   
Echo is grateful for the ongoing support of the Toronto Arts Council.

Thank you to our Ad Sponsors! Echo Winter Concert Dec. 3, 2023

by

Thank you to our Ad Sponsors! Echo Winter Concert Dec. 3, 2023. Love is the Greatest Gift with Special Guest Andrew Craig

MATTACHIONI
Italian Restaurant & Grocery Locations: WEST 1617 Dupont St. Toronto
416-519-1010 & EAST 1501 Gerrard St. E. Toronto 416-466-1111

BLOOR AVENUE CHIROPRACTIC
Dr. Lynette Nissen Locations: 1033 Bay Street #314 Toronto &
2306A Bloor Street W. Toronto 416-920-2468

HARBORD BAKERY & Calandria
115 Harbord Street, Toronto
416-922-5767

Echo Winter Concert, Love is the Greatest Gift

by

Thank you for a great concert!
Sunday, December 3, 2023 7:30- 9:30pm
19 Trinity Square, Toronto, beside the Eaton Centre, Accessible MAP

Join us for our Winter Concert, Love is the Greatest Gift, with Special Guest Andrew Craig
part of the ECHO!! Revived, Canada Council project.
Artistic Director: Alan Gasser
Assistant Conductor: Katie White

Echo acknowledges the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council & Canada Council for the Arts