elora festival

Incorporated in 1979, the mandate of the Elora Festival is:

To present a summer festival of classical and contemporary music, with an emphasis on choral works, featuring Canadian artists of international calibre in the unique and intimate setting of the Village of Elora.

Come see why the world comes to the beautiful village of Elora every summer, when the Elora Festival welcomes the best musicians from around the globe to our small stages for an intimate experience truly like no other. Open your mind and fill your soul.

The Elora Festival is a registered charity, number 11926 3945 RR0001

mission statement

The mission of the Elora Festival & Singers is to manage a professional choir of international regard and to present a summer festival of classical and contemporary music, with an emphasis on choral works, featuring Canadian artists of international calibre in the unique setting of the Village of Elora.

elora festival singers

The Elora Festival Singers (EFS), a professional chamber choir, was founded in 1980 by Noel Edison as the principal choral ensemble of the Elora Festival. In 1992, the Elora Festival Singers was incorporated as a separate organization to manage its year-round activities. Since 1997, the choir has been the professional core of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the Mendelssohn Singers, and is the choral ensemble-in-residence of the Elora Festival for four weeks each summer.

Photo: Sophie Hogan
Soprano Sheila Dietrich Lara Housez Merry-Anne Hutton Alyssa Kerfoot Andrea Naccarato Charlene Santoni	Alto Andrea DeBoer Jessica Lloyd Meghan Prescott Nellie Scholtes	Tenor Charles Davidson Bryan Rankine Steve Surian Joel Vanderzee Paul Ziadé	Baritone  Michael Cressman Brian Emery Paul Grambo Richard Hrytzak Kevin Sean Pook Jordan Scholl

Through regular concert series, recordings, broadcasts, and touring, the Elora Festival Singers has established a reputation as one of the finest chamber choirs in Canada and beyond, contributing to the musical life, not only of the community, but on an international stage. With twelve releases on the NAXOS label, the Elora Festival Singers is known for its rich, warm sound and clarity of texture. The choir is renowned for its diverse styles, from early music to spirituals to contemporary, for its commitment to Canadian repertoire, and for its collaborations with other Canadian artists.

Two new recordings were released in 2009: What Child is This? - Christmas from Elora, and Julian Wachner: Complete Works for Chorus Volume 1.
The Requiems of Fauré and Duruflé and The Music of Eric Whitacre are new releases for 2010.

singer auditions

Annual

Elora Festival Singers' chorister auditions are held each in January or February. Those wishing to audition for these professional positions should contact Esther Farrell, Artistic Coordinator, at esther@elorafestival.com. The deadline for an audition request is December 31st. Once the schedule has been set, you will be informed as to your allotted audition time and location.

staff & board members

Artistic Director Noel Edison

Noel Edison is well established as one of the most versatile and charismatic conductors in the world today. As conductor and artistic director of two world-class Canadian ensembles, the large-scale Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the chamber-sized Elora Festival Singers, Edison is widely recognized and appreciated for his skillful, interpretive work with both choir and orchestra.

A native of Toronto, Edison moved to the scenic village of Elora, where, in 1979, he co-founded the Elora Festival and, a year later, the Elora Festival Singers as its choir-in-residence. Since 1984, Edison has served as Artistic Director of the Elora Festival as well as Organist and Choirmaster of one of the few all-professional church choirs in Canada at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Elora. In 1988, he established the Elora Festival Orchestra.

Each summer since its inception, the Elora Festival has attracted capacity crowds to Elora, located one hour west of Toronto. Visitors enjoy four weeks of international vocal music, from large-scale classical works for choir and orchestra to intimate evenings of jazz and cabaret.

In 2002 the University of Guelph conferred upon Noel the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music, and on January 22, 2009, he was appointed to the Order of Ontario, the province’s highest honour.