A free concert in Toronto will bring together six choirs for new Advent and Christmas sacred music while raising scholarship support for Emmanuel College’s Master of Sacred Music program. The Bloor Street Music Project’s Light into the World: New Music for Advent and Christmas is set for Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church at 427 Bloor St. W., with free admission and freewill offerings designated for MSMus scholarships.
Key facts
- The concert is at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W., Toronto.
- Admission is free, and freewill offerings will support MSMus scholarships.
- The program brings together six Toronto choirs.
- Organizers say the event will premiere 12 new sacred anthems by composers from across Canada.
What this means for students and scholarship supporters
The concert directly benefits students in Emmanuel College’s Master of Sacred Music program because proceeds from freewill offerings are intended to support MSMus scholarships. For applicants and current students, that means the event is tied to a funding source rather than a ticketed fundraiser.
For attendees, the practical step is simple: attend the concert at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church and contribute if desired. The event is open to all, with free admission and an explicit scholarship focus.
- Who benefits: Emmanuel College MSMus students and scholarship support efforts.
- Cost to attend: Free.
- Support mechanism: Freewill offerings.
- Setting: Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, Toronto.
What is the Bloor Street Music Project Advent concert?
The event is a collaboration between church and university choirs that presents fresh sacred choral music for the Advent and Christmas seasons. The program is billed as Light into the World: New Music for Advent and Christmas and includes premieres of 12 new sacred anthems.
Featured choirs include the University of Toronto Choral Studies Singers, Victoria College Choir, St. Michael’s Schola Cantorum, Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church Choir and Heritage Children’s Choir, alongside the broader Bloor Street Music Project collaboration.
Who is involved in the new music?
The concert’s new works are credited to composers and lyricists from across Canada, including several Emmanuel College Master of Sacred Music students. The listed creators include Deborah Hyun Hee Park, Jason D. Locke, Ais Nowelle, Alan Wiseman, Yolanda M. Lichty, Matthew Emery and Lim, Swee Hong.
The repertoire also includes works with texts by Tom Reynolds, H. T. Smart, James Montgomery, Lori Hershberger, Eleanor Farjeon, Isabel Mackay, Felicia Hemans, Mary Kay Beall and Shirley Erena Murray.
Why does the concert matter?
The event combines performance, student support and the debut of new Canadian sacred choral music in one program. That matters for audiences interested in Advent and Christmas concerts, and for the university community because the event links artistic presentation to scholarship funding for sacred music study.
It also expands the public face of the Master of Sacred Music program by placing student and affiliated composers in a concert setting with multiple Toronto choirs.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the concert being held?
The concert is at Trinity-St. Paul’s United Church, 427 Bloor St. W., Toronto.
Is there a fee to attend?
No. Admission is free, though freewill offerings will support MSMus scholarships.
