Phil Up Your Glass!
2024-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Toronto) | TWB Brewing, 300 Mill St, Kitchener, ON, N2M3R8, Canada
Celebrate singing and the season with our first ever “Phil Up Your Glass” event!

Join us in a rousing singalong with songs like Spirit of the West’s “Home for a Rest” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.”
Enjoy delicious malted creations from our friends at TWB Brewing while toasting to the legacy of drinking and song.

Bring your friends! No musical training required!
Saturday October 19th, 2 to 4 p.m.

TWB Brewing, 300 Mill St., Kitchener).
Led by outreach director and youth choir conductor Greer Schatz.

Tickets available in advance for $10 at grandphilchoir.square.site/s/shop or at the door if there’s still room.
(Admission price does not include drinks)

Carmina Burana
2024-10-26 19:30 - 22:00 | Centre In The Square, 101 Queen St. N, Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 6P7, Canada
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Carmina Burana is an over-the-top feast of love songs, drinking songs, and a powerful ode to the fickleness of fate. By turns clever, tender, and sardonic, it’s a lot of fun for the singers as well as the audience!
Andrew Balfour’s moving work is a setting of Psalm 67 in Cree, which explores the difficult relationship between Indigenous spirituality and the impact of the Christian culture on First Nations people.
Lindsay McIntyre – Soprano
Chris Fischer – Tenor
Nathan Keoughan – Baritone
Musicians of the KW Symphony
Grand Philharmonic Children’s Choir
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Mark Vuorinen, Conductor

Fauré Requiem
2024-11-02 20:00 - 22:00 | St. Matthews Centre, 54 Benton Street, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
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Note: the time and location of this concert have changed. It will be held at 8:00pm on Saturday November 2nd, at St. Matthews Lutheran Church, 54 Benton Street, Kitchener
This beloved and ethereal Requiem will be accompanied by other works by Fauré, Hindemith, and Canadian composer Marie-Claire Saindon.
Grand Philharmonic Chamber Singers
Mark Vuorinen, Conductor
Tickets available at the door

Messiah
2024-12-14 19:30 - 22:00 | Centre In The Square, 101 Queen St. N, Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 6P7, Canada
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No matter how many times you may have heard Handel’s Messiah, it is always as fresh, hopeful, and lovely as an evergreen tree covered in sparkling decorations! Join us for this special occasion at Christmas time, and make your season complete!
Claire de Sévigné – Soprano
Lillian Brooks – Mezzo-Soprano
Owen McCausland – Tenor
Andrew Mahon – Baritone
Musicians of the KW Symphony
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Mark Vuorinen, Conductor

Musical Skills workshop with Carol Bauman
2025-01-18 13:00 - 15:00 | Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd N, Waterloo, Canada
Musical skills with Carol Bauman: Saturday January 18 2025, 1-3pm, Conrad Grebel Chapel
A workshop designed to build the musical skills for choral singers in a unique and tangible way. Engage with the philosophies of Dalcroze and embodied music-making, and put them into practice as we focus on building the skills that can make choral singing exquisite (for example, musical phrasing, sensitive dynamics, and confident rhythms) – from a new perspective! Come ready to learn, and ready to move! This workshop will be facilitated by Greer Schatz and led by Carol Bauman. Carol is a percussionist, music educator, retired musical skills instructor at WLU and UW, and overall warm and wonderful human who loves to bring joy and discovery to the learning process.
Carol has been teaching and performing for over 45 years. In the last 10 years, her interests in rhythm and musicianship have been developing through the study of Dalcroze Eurhythmics. Carol hopes that bringing experiences in music, movement, and improvisation to people of all ages will help others understand music in new ways.
Cost is $10 (free for high school and university students)
Registration is required. To register, click here.
If you have questions, please contact Greer at greerschatz@grandphilchoir.com

Vocal Technique with Katy Clark
2025-02-08 10:30 - 12:00 | Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd N, Waterloo, Canada
Vocal technique with Katy Clark: Saturday February 8 2025, 10:30-Noon, Conrad Grebel Community Education Room
This workshop will be specifically designed for the choral singer interested in getting better acquainted with the mechanics of their instrument, and learn how to strengthen their vocal techniques for a lifetime of beautiful choral singing! In this interactive learning experience led by Katy Clark, singers will have the opportunity to put into practice their newfound knowledge and ask their most serious singing questions – what can you do if you’re experiencing vocal fatigue? What’s the point of a warm-up? How can you work to expand your range? Katy will know!
Canadian soprano Katy Clark is known for her versatility as a singer, lecturer, and teacher of a variety of musical styles. She holds a DMA in Voice Performance from the University of Toronto, and has taught Vocal Techniques and Voice Pedagogy at Wilfrid Laurier University and McMaster University. She placed second overall, and won the prize for the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work, at the 2023 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. She has won the Jim and Charlotte Norcop Prize in Song and the Sheila and Marla Zack Competition, and has also won prizes in the Harold Haugh Competition and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Katy was a recipient of the 2017-2018 Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency, and has performed as a soloist with the Amici Chamber Ensemble, Michigan Opera Theatre, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, London Symphonia, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. She has given more than 200 performances with Shoestring Opera, bringing The Magic Flute, Carmen, and Hansel and Gretel to school-aged children across Canada. In 2023, she created the role of “Water” in Stephanie Martin’s oratorio of the same name with the Grand Philharmonic Choir. She is a member of The Elora Singers and Opus 8, and a former member of the Canadian Opera Company Chorus and Tafelmusik Chamber Choir. She operates a private voice studio in London. For upcoming performances and more info, visit katyclarksoprano.com.

This Is Me - Children's and Youth Choirs, with Carousel Dance Centre
2025-02-22 16:00 - 17:30 | Knox Presbyterian Church, 50 Erb St. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 1T1, Canada
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We’re thrilled to be collaborating again with the Carousel Dance Centre, with music from Broadway shows such as the Greatest Showman, the Lion King, and more!
There will be two performances – one at 4:00pm and one at 7:00pm. Tickets are $20 for adults, $5 for students and under-30s, free for grade 8 and under (but do get them a ticket anyway so we have an accurate seat count!)

In Concert with the Waterloo Chamber Players
2025-03-02 15:00 - 17:00 | Knox Presbyterian Church, 50 Erb St. West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 1T1, Canada
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We are excited to announce our first collaboration with the Waterloo Chamber Players, a small orchestra composed of skilled amateur and semi-professional musicians who have been playing and performing together since 1994. Music by Mozart, Elgar, Schubert and more!
Waterloo Chamber Players
Grand Philharmonic Chamber Singers
Matthew Jones, Guest Conductor
Mark Vuorinen, Conductor
Tickets can be purchased until noon on Saturday March 1st either online by clicking the Buy Tickets button above, or by calling the Centre In The Square box office at 519-578-1570. You can also purchase tickets at the door before the concert

Songs of Destiny
2025-03-22 19:30 - 22:00 | St. Matthews Centre, 54 Benton Street, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
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There are a limited number of tickets remaining for this concert! Purchase your tickets ahead of time to avoid disappointment!
A selection of hauntingly lovely works, from Brahms and Schubert, to Ola Gjeilo and Joni Mitchell!
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Mark Vuorinen, Conductor

St. Matthew Passion
2025-04-18 19:30 - 22:00 | Centre In The Square, 101 Queen St. N, Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 6P7, Canada
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Bach’s sublime and powerful setting of the Passion story offers layers of theological and mystical symbolism, a dramatic Biblical narrative, and a compassionate, loving portrayal of the human spirit.
Asitha Tennekoon – Evangelist
Jesse Blumberg – Jesus
Hélène Brunet – Soprano
Allyson McHardy – Mezzo-Soprano
Lawrence Wiliford – Tenor
Jamal Al Titi – Baritone
Musicians of the KW Symphony
Grand Philharmonic Children’s Choir
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Mark Vuorinen, Conductor

Missa Solemnis
2025-10-25 19:30 - 21:00 | Centre In The Square, 101 Queen St. N, Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 6P7, Canada
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“From the heart: may it go to the heart” ~ Beethoven on his epic Missa Solemnis
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis stands as one of the composer’s most profound and ambitious works, a monumental setting of the Latin Mass that blends spiritual intensity with symphonic grandeur. Written over several years and premiered in 1824, it stretches the boundaries of sacred music with its dramatic scope, intricate counterpoint, and heartfelt devotion. You will be drawn into an awe-inspiring journey that conveys Beethoven’s deep faith and humanity, making the Missa Solemnis a truly timeless masterpiece.
Aviva Fortunata, soprano
Marion Newman, mezzo-soprano
Owen McCausland, tenor
Brett Polegato, baritone
University of Waterloo Chamber Choir
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Mark Vuorinen, conductor
This concert will be performed without intermission. Length approximately 80 minutes.
Program notes
Von Herzen: möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen!
From the heart: may it go to the heart!
It is this very personal and emotive inscription that Beethoven wrote at the top of the score of his Missa Solemnis. Beethoven, who had already defied what was thought possible with respect to the genres of the day, dedicated most of the years 1819-1822 to writing a new Mass that would become the “crown of my life’s work.”
In 1809, Archduke Rudolph, brother of Emperor Franz II, was one of three noblemen who signed a contract assuring Beethoven would receive an annual annuity for as long as he remained in Vienna. Around the same time, Beethoven began to give Rudolph music lessons, instructing him in piano and composition. A long-lasting relationship of reliable patronage emerged, prompting Beethoven to dedicate a large number of major works to him. Some years later, when it became known that Archduke Rudolph, a priest, would be elevated to the status of cardinal and be made Archbishop, Beethoven professed his desire to mark the occasion with a new Mass setting:
The day on which a High Mass composed by me will be performed during the ceremonies solemnized for Your Imperial Highness will be the most glorious day of my life; and God will enlighten me so that my poor talents may contribute to the glorification of that solemn day.
Beethoven’s work on the Mass began in earnest, but both the eventual scale of the new work and several interruptions in its composition meant that the date of Rudolph’s installation, March 20, 1820, came and went before Beethoven could complete it (music by Hummel and Haydn was performed instead). It would, in fact, be another three years before the new work was finished. Nevertheless, its dedication, “Von Herzen- möge es wieder zu Herzen gehen,” was intended as much an offering of gratitude and admiration to his friend, student and patron, as it is an indication to the rest of the world of the profoundly personal nature of the music. The occasion of Archduke Rudolph’s installation as cardinal and archbishop may have been the impetus Beethoven needed to contemplate the new work, but the Missa Solemnis would take on so much greater a scope and scale than would have been suitable for a liturgical event; this would occupy Beethoven’s creative energy for nearly four years.
Beethoven prepared exhaustively to begin writing this new mass, noting in his diary in 1818, that to write good church music one must “go through all the ecclesiastical chants of the monks, etc. Also look there for the stanzas in the most correct translations along with the most perfect prosody of all Christian-Catholic psalms and hymns in general.” He studied music of the great masters who came before him, including Palestrina, Handel and Bach, for whom he had great respect. He found inspiration, too, in the ancient musical modes of the church, in which the “devotion is divine. May God permit me to express it one day.”
Although Beethoven had set the Mass text once before, in 1807, he began this endeavour with a fresh copy and marked the textual stress of every phrase, with a word by word German translation underneath. He made minor alterations and word substitutions (ending the Gloria with a reprise of the opening text or replacing “Et in spiritum sanctum” with “Credo in spiritum sanctum,” for example). These editorial decisions were made to better fit his thematic and formal musical designs.
The first performance of Missa Solemnis took place in St. Petersburg in 1824 and was given by Prince Nikolai Galitzin who had commissioned other works of Beethoven. The first performance at which Beethoven was present was in Vienna a month later, but was incomplete. The Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei were performed in a German translation, since the performance of liturgical works was forbidden in the concert hall. The Mass movements were billed as “Three Sacred Hymns” and were performed in the same concert as the premiere of the Ninth Symphony. Beethoven would not see or “hear” (he was completely deaf by this point of his life) a complete performance in his lifetime.
The Kyrie begins not with a decisive downbeat, but with an upbeat, momentarily suspending time until the woodwinds intone the cries of “Kyrie, preceding those of the chorus and soloists by several measures. The middle section, Christe, flows easily in three, giving contrast to the stoicism of the opening passages. The timeless lament returns with the repetition of the words Kyrie eleison.
Beethoven begins the Gloria with a thunderous uproar using nearly the whole, large orchestra to initiate a rising line of exultation. In a moment of matter-of-fact text painting he arrests the rushing climb, dropping two octaves for the words, “et in terra pax hominibus” (and in earth peace and goodwill to all) returning us all to terra firma. A tender aria for the vocal quartet and chorus forms a slow-movement to his well-balanced triptych of veneration. After returning to the fast tempo a fugue builds towards the end where unexpectedly Beethoven returns to both the text and music of the beginning of the movement (Gloria in excelsis Deo) only now at a faster, more inexhaustible tempo. The movement ends with the chorus shouting “Gloria!” after the orchestra has finished.
The Credo is the longest and wordiest movement of the Mass and also contains some of the most ferocious music for both the orchestra and singers. Beethoven’s piety has always been somewhat of a question. He was born and raised Catholic but would not have been considered an orthodox believer. He did not attend church regularly past the age of childhood and found little use for organized religion. It becomes a subject of interest, therefore, to notice which clauses of the Nicene Creed, the testament of faith, Beethoven emphasizes in his setting. The incarnation, a still moment in time, (Et incarnatus est: And was incarnate by the Holy Spirit…) receives the most intimate music of the entire mass, with a trilling flute depicting the Holy Spirit’s gentle breath over the quartet of soloists. The resurrection, a central tenet of Christianity, (Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum scripturas) is over in just six measures of music, while the final three words of the creed, …et vitam venturi (and the life of the world to come), receives 177 measures. Beethoven’s understanding of religion was less concerned with the details of dogma than with the ways in which humanity relates to God.
Beethoven sets the Sanctus in a b-minor Adagio. The score is marked “Mit Andacht” (With Devotion) and is sung by the quartet of soloists. A measured tremolo builds tension before the orchestra and chorus are once again unleashed in an imitative frenzy at the words pleni sunt coeli. One of the most extraordinary moments of the Mass follows. A lengthy orchestral Prelude of lower strings, bassoon and flutes brings the liturgical proceedings to a standstill, before a transcendent violin solo descends from the heavens and weaves throughout the Benedictus.
The Agnus Dei contains some of the most personal music of the entire Missa Solemnis. Three solemn statements of Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi accompanied by low strings, horns and bassoons leads to an extended Dona nobis pacem (Grant us peace). Here Beethoven gives the instruction “Bitte um inner und äußern Frieden” (Prayer for inner and outer peace). It must be noted that Beethoven knew little peace in his lifetime. Threat of invasion during the Napoleonic wars was never far off and personal peace often eluded the great composer. From family custody battles involving his nephew to constant fear of financial ruin, Beethoven’s own sense of strength was often in jeopardy. Needless to say, his hearing loss over the course of the previous decade was a source of distress and embarrassment. On three occasions in the Dona nobis pacem section, Beethoven interrupts the playful, optimistic theme with “war interludes.” In the first, field bugles are heard, invoking the soloists to a recitative-like passage to sing once again “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The second involves an extended, wandering orchestral passage that culminates in the sound of trumpets and drums pleading for peace with a shout. The third interlude is a remembrance of war, a distant drumming before four ‘pacems’ from the chorus returns hope.
Missa Solemnis stands as one of his most profound achievements—a towering exploration of faith, humanity, and transcendence. Fusing monumental architecture with moments of intimate devotion, it reaches beyond liturgical boundaries to express universal longing for peace and reconciliation. From fervent cries of “Kyrie” to the radiant vision of the “Dona nobis pacem,” this masterpiece remains both a personal testament of belief and a timeless appeal to the spirit.
–Mark Vuorinen

Fight the Flight!
2025-11-07 19:00 - 20:30 | Conrad Grebel University College, 140 Westmount Rd N, Waterloo, Canada
Clinician Amie Debrone will help us use Neuro Athletics to calm nerves and improve vocal stamina!
This workshop is great for people who experience “stage fright” or just want to train themselves to have more control over their voice. It’s open to everyone– please join us!
Friday Nov. 7
7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Great Hall, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo
$10 fee, free for students.
Sign up here.

Take a Winter Walk With Me
2025-11-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Trillium Lutheran Church, 22 Willow Street, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Our Children’s and Youth choirs present a concert of songs of light and memory
Saturday November 22nd, 7:00pm
Trillium Lutheran Church, 22 Willow St. Waterloo
Grand Philharmonic Children’s Choir
Andrea DeBoer-Jones, conductor
Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir
Greer Schatz, conductor
Tickets at the door on the night of the concert

Winter's Night
2025-11-29 19:30 - 21:30 | Trillium Lutheran Church, 22 Willow Street, Waterloo, ON, Canada
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Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols is paired with a beautiful new companion piece by Armenian-British composer Kristina Arakelyan. Join us for the North American premiere of A Christmas Offering with the Grand Philharmonic Chamber Singers and harpist Lori Gemmell. The concert will also include seasonal music by Tori Amos, Dan Forrest and Randall Thompson.
Grand Philharmonic Chamber Singers
Lori Gemmell, harp
Mark Vuorinen, conductor
Advance ticket sales close at noon on Saturday the 29th. Tickets available at the door on the evening of the concert.

Messiah
2025-12-13 19:30 - 22:00 | Centre In The Square, 101 Queen St. N, Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 6P7, Canada
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Handel’s Messiah has captivated audiences for nearly three centuries with its radiant choruses and profound storytelling. From the jubilant “Hallelujah” to the tender “He Shall Feed His Flock,” this masterpiece traces the prophecy, birth, passion, and triumph of Christ. Both intimate and monumental, it unites soloists, choir, and orchestra in music of timeless beauty and spiritual depth. Experience the wonder of a tradition that continues to inspire hearts and uplift souls.
Sharleen Joynt, soprano
Allyson McHardy, mezzo-soprano
Asitha Tennekoon, tenor
Jonathon Adams, baritone
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Mark Vuorinen, conductor

Misatango
2026-03-07 19:30 - 21:30 | St. Matthews Centre, 54 Benton Street, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
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Imagine a music experience that combines the traditional beauty of the Latin Mass with the emotional intensity and rich, dramatic colours of Argentinian tango!
This is Martin Palmeri’s Misatango (Misa a Buenos Aires), which the full choir will perform for you in the resonant space of St. Matthews Centre, Kitchener.
Also on the program for the evening: Eric Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs, Jake Runestad’s The Hope of Loving, and Aaron Manswell’s Stick With Love (this was the winner of our 2022 composition competition)
Amichai Ben Shalev, bandoneon
Musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Mark Vuorinen, conductor

Mass in B Minor
2026-04-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Centre In The Square, 101 Queen St. N, Kitchener, Ontario, N2H 6P7, Canada
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Bach’s Mass in B minor stands as one of the greatest achievements in Western music: the summation of a life’s work. Written near the end of Bach’s life, it gathers the breadth of his musical genius into a single, breathtaking composition. From the joyful dance of the “Gloria” to the profound cry for peace in the “Agnus Dei,” the Mass is a journey through awe, devotion, and profound expression, uniting soloists, choir, and orchestra in music of timeless and universal power.
Myriam Leblanc, soprano
Kate Baroney, mezzo-soprano
Michael Colvin, tenor
Byler Duncan, baritone
Grand Philharmonic Choir
Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Mark Vuorinen, conductor

Choral Couture
2026-04-18 19:30 - 21:30 | Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts, 36 King St. W., Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 1A1, Canada
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Our season wraps up with a most unusual concert!
Unique “upcycled” fashions, in which local designers have created beautiful new garments from discarded or outdated items, will be displayed, along with a performance of especially chosen songs from our Chamber Singers, led by Mark Vuorinen.
Part concert, part fashion show with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, it all takes place at the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts in downtown Kitchener.
