Pre concert chat at 6:45 pm
What does the music of Christmas sound like where Christmas actually began?
In this holiday concert, Dozan World, publisher of Levantine and Middle Eastern choral music, joins Orpheus to present their recent album The Sound of Bethlehem.
Pairing your favourite Western carols with Christmas carols from the Levant, composed and arranged by Palestinian-Jordanian composer Shireen Abu Khader, this performance cherishes the Christmas we know and love while celebrating where it all began.
Premiered in 2020, Damien Geter’s Cantata for a More Hopeful Tomorrow blends music from JS Bach’s Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (Weeping, lamenting, worrying, fearing), BWV 12, with traditional Spirituals and uplifting text charting the journey from fear into hope.
Adolphus Hailstork’s Gospel-infused cantata I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes and works by and works by Zanaida Robles, Joel Thompson, Reena Esmail, and Merrill Garbus complete this celebratory and eclectic program
WORLD PREMIERESaturday, May 15, 2027 – 7:30 pmMetropolitan United Church
Our season culminates in a World Premiere of Évangeline by celebrated Métis composer Ian Cusson.
The first oratorio setting of Longfellow’s beloved epic poem, this large work for choir and orchestra tells the uniquely Canadian story of the Grand Deportation of the Acadian peoples by British settlers in the mid-18th century. Follow the story of Évangeline and Gabriel, two lovers who spend their lives searching for each other after being separated by war.
Paired with pieces celebrating French-Canadian heritage, this new piece promises to occupy a special place in Canada’s choral-orchestral repertoire.
Performed in French (translation of the original Longfellow poem by Canadian Léon-Pamphile Le May, 1837-1918)
Saturday, October 24, 2026 – 7:30 pm Runnymede United Church
Tuesday, December 15, 2026 – 7:30 pm Calvin Presbyterian Church
Saturday, March 6, 2027 – 7:30 pm Grace Church on-the-Hill
Saturday, May 15, 2027 – 7:30 pm Metropolitan United Church
Help Orpheus present moving and joyful concerts, provide emerging artists with employment and mentorship, and celebrate the transformational power of choral music as an agent of social change and a passionate medium of artistic expression.Tax receipts will be sent for donations above $10.Note that your billing address will be used as the address for the donation receipt; for other donation options, please contact us.
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