Elmer Iseler Singers

09/28/2026

Elmer Iseler Singers appear in first concert of the season!

The Elmer Iseler Singers, Lydia Adams, conductor and Joy Lee, piano, began the 2026-2027 concert schedule in great style with a wonderful concert as guests of St. Mark's Presbyterian Church in Don Mills, Toronto, on Saturday, Sept. 26th.

The Singers were thrilled to be a part of the series of events at St. Mark's raising funds for their new roof, and sang in the beautiful Sanctuary to a most appreciative audience, who gave the Singers an extended standing ovation at the finale of the concert!

The Singers thank St. Mark's and especially Music Director George Heldt and the amazing volunteers for their generosity towards the Singers, including the marvellous dinner!

Below, following the concert are: 2026-2027 EIS James T. Chestnutt Scholar Melanie Yirenkyi; tenor Mitchell Pady; pianist Dr. Joy Lee; conductor Lydia Adams; St. Mark's Rev. Emmanuel Mote-Ndasah and Music Director George Heldt.

Thank you, St. Mark's, for a wonderful and most memorable evening!

09/22/2026

We made the list, join us Saturday, September 26, 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church, 1 Greenland Rd., PWYC: $25 suggested

Classical music and opera events in Toronto for the week of September 21 to 27, 2026.

09/14/2026

Dear EIS friends,

It gives me great pleasure to announce Melanie Yirenkyi as the Elmer Iseler Singers’ James T. Chestnutt Choral Scholar for 2026-2027.

Melanie is an amazing emerging conductor with great promise, who we know will inspire many during her future career.

The Elmer Iseler Singers are thrilled to work with and mentor Melanie over the next
year and we offer our enthusiastic Congratulations!

Melanie - we look forward to working with you!

Lydia Adams, C.M.
Artistic Director, Elmer Iseler Singers

About Melanie Yirenkyi:

Melanie Yirenkyi is a conductor, singer, and music educator based in Toronto. Her passion for music was sparked by transformative choral experiences growing up, which ultimately inspired her to shift from biomedical sciences to music during her undergraduate studies. She holds a BFA in Vocal Performance from York University, a B.Ed from Queen’s University’s Artist in Community Education program, and a Master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Toronto, where she studied under Dr. Jamie Hillman.

Melanie serves as Director of the Massey College Choir and Musical Director for St. Anne’s Music and Drama Society, and has previously held roles as Assistant Conductor for RESOUND and Guest Conductor for Univox. Dedicated to refining her craft, Melanie has participated in masterclasses with clinicians including Lorenzo Donati, Dr. Kari Turunen, and Dr. Jean Sébastien Vallée.

In addition to conducting, Melanie sings professionally with the Nathaniel Dett Chorale. She is also an active member of the music ministry at Jarvis Baptist Church, where she has served as a pianist, singer, and occasional conductor for over a decade.

Melanie is honoured and delighted to be joining the Elmer Iseler Singers as the JT Chestnutt Scholar for the 2026–2027 season. She is deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow, and make music with EIS under the guidance and artistic excellence of Lydia Adams, and to honour Mr. Chestnutt’s lasting impact on the organization and the choral community.

09/10/2026

Dear Friends of Ruth Watson Henderson -

The Henderson family and four Toronto choirs and special guests invite you to celebrate the life and work of beloved composer, pianist, and organist Ruth Watson Henderson at 4:00 p.m., October 4th at Eglinton St. George's United Church (Lytton and Duplex), Toronto.

The Elmer Iseler Singers, (Lydia Adams, Artistic Director), the Oriana Women’s Choir (Mitchell Pady, Artistic Director), the Toronto Children's Chorus (Zimfira Poloz, Artistic Director), the Eglinton St. George’s United Church Choir (Shawn Grenke, Director of Music), pianist Rowan Sawarna-Small and organist Shawn Grenke all combine to honour Ruth and her life's work in what promises to be a moving, uplifting and inspiring event.

A special performance by the Elmer Iseler Singers will feature the première of the winning composition of the 2026 Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Award, 'Do Not Leave Me', by Kai Leung, and the presentation of the award to Kai by Patrick Murray, President of Choirs Ontario.

A most special aspect will be performances on Ruth’s Steinway grand piano throughout the program, including a performance of the 2nd and 3rd movements of 'Estampes' by Claude Debussy, played by brilliant young pianist Rowan Sawarna-Small, a student at the Glenn Gould Studio.

Joining in the tribute will be conductors/speakers Jean Ashworth Bartle, C.M., O.Ont. and Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt.

The choirs will be supported in this concert of the music of Ruth Watson Henderson by Dr. Joy Lee, piano; Suzanne Shulman, flute; and Robert DiVito and Luise Heyerhoff, trumpets.

A massed choir, including members of the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto (Kathleen Allan, Artistic Director) and the Kingsway-Lambton United Church Choir (Nathan Gritter, Director of Music), will perform the final movement of ‘Voices of Earth’, and the audience is invited to join in singing Ruth’s ’Sing Ye Praises’ to finish the program.

This is a wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to a beloved composer, and friend to many. We hope to see you there.

In lieu of tickets, we invite you to make a donation to the Ruth Watson Henderson Choral Composition Award through Choirs Ontario. Through your donation, you will be honouring Ruth and supporting the next generation of emerging Canadian choral composers. If you wish, you may donate at https://bit.ly/rwh-ccc-fund, with the QR code on the poster, or through the envelope provided in the program at the event.

We look forward to seeing you on October 4th!

Lydia Adams, Artistic Director, Elmer Iseler Singers
Shawn Grenke, Director of Music, Eglinton St. George’s United Church

09/04/2026

Soaring Voices!
Announcing the Elmer Iseler Singers 48th Toronto concert season

We are thrilled to present three outstanding concerts for you, showcasing phenomenal choral music.

We celebrate stellar compositions by women in our first concert, Life is the Song: A celebration of extraordinary choral works by extraordinary creators. In our second concert, we sing the magnificent "Messiah" of Handel with our special guests, the Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto and the VIVA Singers Toronto supported by orchestra led by the amazing Marie Bérard. The glorious quartet of soloists includes Leslie Fagan, British mezzo-soprano Catherine Wyn-Rogers in a rare Canadian appearance, tenor Asitha Tennekoon and bass Owen Phillipson.

The third concert highlights the spectacular "Lux Aeterna" of Morten Lauridsen, the delightful "Liebeslieder Waltzes, op. 52", of Brahms and the Toronto première of a new Celtic song set by celebrated Canadian composer/arranger Stuart Calvert. In all – a year of celebration of song with soaring voices raised high!

We look forward to welcoming you, your family and friends to this very special concert season with the Elmer Iseler Singers and friends! See you there!

Subscribe to all three Toronto Series Concerts: https://bit.ly/season48

08/10/2026

Elmer Iseler Singers: Extraordinary concert in the marvellous setting of the Charles W. Stockey Centre at the Festival of the Sound closes out the Elmer Iseler Singers' 2025-2026 Concert Season!

The Elmer Iseler Singers finished their 2025-2026 concert season in fine style with a most memorable concert at the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts in Parry Sound, ON, on Friday, August 7th, 2026, singing to a completely packed house of enthusiastic audience members who responded with an immediate standing ovation after the final notes were sung.

The Singers and conductor Lydia Adams were joined by extraordinary colleagues and friends Andrea Ludwig, mezzo soprano; Suzanne Shulman, flute; Erica Goodman, harp; James Campbell, clarinet, Cameron Crozman, 'cello; Tim Francom, percussion and organist Shawn Grenke in an amazing night of stellar choral music.

EIS sopranos Amy Dodington and Claire Renouf shone as soloists and 2025-2026 EIS James T. Chestnutt Choral Scholar Matthew Boutda ended his tenure with the Singers conducting a performance of the stunning 'Earth Song' by Frank Ticheli.

Music by Gustav Holst, W.A. Mozart, Eleanor Daley, M. Skoryk, Felix Mendelssohn and Srul Irving Glick was joined in the program by the elegant and moving 'Requiem' by British composer John Rutter in a concert that will be remembered as a highlight in the Singers' 2025-2026 concert season.

The Elmer Iseler Singers thank Festival of the Sound Artistic Directors James Campbell and Cameron Crozman along with all administrative staff, technical crews and the wonderful 'behind the scenes' group that fed us all and took such great care of the choir at the Stockey Centre during our visit.

The EIS thanks Eleanor Daley for her kind sponsorship of the organ placement in memory of her dearly remembered parents, Dr. Dan and Velma Daley.

Sincere thanks always to the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council and all sponsors, foundations and private donors, volunteers and audience members who support the ongoing work of the Elmer Iseler Singers. We are deeply appreciative to each and every one of you. Thank you!

In photos below, we see the Elmer Iseler Singers and colleagues in rehearsal and in concert, as well as a rehearsal photo of mezzo soprano Andrea Ludwig and clarinettist James Campbell weaving their magic, the Singers enjoying the breathtaking beauty of Parry Sound and JTC Choral Scholar Matthew Boutda with EIS Artistic Director Lydia Adams on stage following the concert.

Please join the Elmer Iseler Singers for the 2026-2027 concert season with a season full of joy and beauty!

07/12/2026

Collingwood Music Festival Spectacular night at the Collingwood Music Festival
The Elmer Iseler Singers and Artistic Director Lydia Adams were thrilled to perform at the Collingwood Music Festival on Saturday, July 11th in the beautiful space of 1st Presbyterian Church for the Opening Concert of the Collingwood Music Festival's 2026 season. The evening was filled with one highlight after another, as the Singers joined with the magnificent piano duo team of Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann, soloists Camille Labonté, William Salinas-Crosby and Peter MacGillivray, along with percussionists Tim Francom, Michelle Colton, Alejandro Céspedes and Dan Morphy to perform the epic 'Carmina Burana' of Carl Orff. The Singers joined with pianist and JUNO Award winning composer Andy Milne to premiere his new work, 'Try to Fly', commissioned by the Collingwood Music Festival and written on a poem by award winning poet and artist Shelly Grace. The Singers thank Collingwood Music Festival Artistic Director Daniel Vnukowski for the very kind invitation to appear for this special Opening Night program, and the wonderfull sponsors of our concert, Gail Selley and John Cleghorn, and the sponsors of the new work, Barbara and Pierre Lemaire and Maureen Quigley and Patrick Reid, for joining to make this night the magnificent event it was. The Singers also thank the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Toronto Arts Council for their ongoing support of the Elmer Iseler Singers. Below are photos of the enthusiastic and lively audience giving the artists a l***y standing ovation; our great friends, the Bergmann Piano Duo, and the artists thanking the audience for the final bow: Composer/pianist Andy Milne; tenor soloist, William Salinas-Crosby; baritone soloist, Peter MacGillivray; soprano soloist, Camille Labonté; conductor, Lydia Adams; Bergmann Piano Duo team of Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann; poet, Shelly Grace and Collingwood Music Festival Artistic Director, Daniel Vnukowski.
The next photo includes composer Andy Milne with EIS Artist Representative Robert Missen and EIS General Manager, Jessie Iseler.

Adding in one more photo with poet Shelly Grace, conductor Lydia Adams, composer Andy Milne and Collingwood Music Festival Artistic Director Daniel Vnukowski! What a fantastic night! Many, many thanks to all!

07/10/2026

The Elmer Iseler Singers and Artistic Director Lydia Adams were thrilled to join with the brilliant Bergmann Piano Duo to perform for the Huntsville Festival of the Arts on Thursday, July 9th! The performers joined together to sing for and with an enthusiastic and receptive audience in the beautiful space of the Algonquin Theatre in Huntsville. Below are photos of EIS Artistic Director Lydia Adams rehearsing with the magnificent piano duo team of Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann prior to the concert, and photos taken after the concert of Dan Watson, Executive Director of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts with EIS General Manager Jessie Iseler, EIS Artist Representative Robert Missen, Elizabeth and Marcel Bergmann and EIS Artistic Director Lydia Adams.

07/10/2026

The Elmer Iseler Singers and Artistic Director Lydia Adams were thrilled to work together this week with composer Andy Milne to rehearse his new work, Try to Fly, which the Singers will premiere on Saturday, July 11 at the Collingwood Music Festival.

The Singers are loving working with Andy, who is playing the piano for the premiere on Saturday, and thank the Collingwood Festival for commissioning his new work, built on a poem of poet Shelly Grace.

Pictured below with the Singers and Lydia Adams are composer Andy Milne and singer/conductor La Tanya Hall.

07/08/2026

We're looking forward to an exciting week as the Elmer Iseler Singers head north to share music with two wonderful festival communities!

Join us on Thursday at the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and Saturday at the Collingwood Music Festival as we bring inspiring choral music to these fabulous festival audiences. We're especially thrilled to be collaborating with the extraordinary Bergmann Piano Duo from British Columbia, whose artistry and energy promise to make these performances truly unforgettable.

There's something special about coming together through music, and we can't wait to share these concerts with you. We look forward to seeing familiar faces, meeting new friends, and celebrating the joy of live performance together.

See you in Huntsville and Collingwood!

🎫 Tickets at HuntsvilleFestival.ca and CollingwoodFestival.com