The Elmer Iseler Singers, Lydia Adams, Artistic Director and Conductor welcome their special association with the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto presenting Springburst with the UofT MacMillan Singers conducted by Dr. Jamie Hillman, Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting on March 22nd at Eglinton St. George’s United Church in Toronto.
EIS have a longstanding relationship with UofT that goes back to founder, Elmer Iseler (1927-1998). Dr. lseler is one of the Faculty of Music’s most distinguished graduates (1950), whose many contributions to the University include his years as choral music professor (1965-68), conductor of the UofT Symphony and All-Varsity Mixed Chorus, and later as visiting artist. He was appointed Adjunct Professor of Choral Music in the fall of 1997, where he and the Elmer lseler Singers as the professional choir-in-residence at the Faculty of Music, worked directly with the students. In 1998, UofT awarded him an honorary doctorate – it might be fair to note that this was Mr. Iselers 5th honorary doctorate (Dalhousie in 1971, Brock in 1972, Wilfrid Laurier in 1985, and York in 1994).
After Elmer Iseler’s passing, The Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting and the Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowships in Choral Conducting were endowed by Vern & Frieda Heinrichs (on behalf of the Heinrichs Foundation) as a cornerstone for the UofT Faculty of Music to build internationally renowned programs in conducting.
Elmer lseler Chair in Conducting
Doreen Rao, Professor Emerita of Choral Studies at the University of Toronto
In 1999, Professor Doreen Rao was appointed to the newly created Elmer lseler Chair in Conducting at the Faculty of Music.
During her tenure as Director of Choral Programs, Rao founded Toronto’s International Bach Festival with Bach conductor-scholar Helmuth Rilling. She led the Faculty of Music’s graduate program in choral conducting with Canada’s Elmer Iseler Singers as University Artists-in-Residence.
Her award-winning MacMillan Singers and Bach Festival Singers performed and broadcast regularly with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Maestros Rilling, Peter Oundjian, Gianandrea Noseda, and Bernard Labadie. Toronto music critic Robert Everett-Green wrote: “For Rao, every note has an urgent meaning, not just within the composition, but within the wider world.”
Currently, Rao is Artistic Director of the Chicago Chamber Choir. She founded The Rao Center for Choral and Contemplative Arts in 2014 to mentor emerging conductors, singers and music educators in the practice of mindfulness-based conducting and choral teaching. Rao is also the Founder-Director of CME Institute for Choral Teacher Education, a professional development and choral certification program for emerging conductors and choral music teachers.
http://www.doreenrao.com
Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, Professor Emerita of Choral Studies at the University of Toronto
In 2014, Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt was awarded the Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting. From 2013 – 2018, she was artistic director of Exultate Chamber Singers, a semi-professional ensemble in Toronto.
After retiring from UofT, she served as Interim Executive Director of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) for a year and has recently done significant conducting residencies at McGill University in Montreal and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Her book on the life and work of Canadian composer Ruth Watson Henderson, I Didn’t Want It To be Boring (Toronto: Prism Publishers), won Choral Canada’s award for Outstanding Choral Publication in 2018. She is currently editing a book on female choral composers (Choral Repertoire by Women Composers), to be published by GIA Publications in 2025. She serves on the Editorial Board of Anacrusis for Choral Canada, and as a writing mentor for the National Collegiate Conducting Organization (NCCO).
Dr. Jamie Hillman, Associate Professor, Area Head, Large Ensembles – Director of Choral Studies at the University of Toronto
In 2021, Dr. Jamie Hillman was awarded the Elmer Iseler Chair in Conducting along with his appointment to Associate Professor of Music, Director of Choral Studies at UofT. Dr. Hillman conducts the UofT MacMillan Singers and lead the master’s and doctoral programs in Choral Conducting, as well as the summer Choral Conducting Symposium.
He is a Canadian and American musician, active as a conductor, singer, pianist, music educator, and composer-arranger. Professor Hillman is also cross listed as an adjunct faculty member in Emmanuel College’s Master of Sacred Music program. In 2024, Dr. Hillman received the Faculty of Music’s Teaching Award which recognizes excellence, commitment, and innovation in teaching.
In Fall 2022, Hillman began an additional role as Associate Conductor and Director of Community Engagement of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
Dr. Hillman will be conducting the MacMillan Singers and the Elmer Iseler Singers in their March 22nd concert, Springburst, along with Lydia Adams.
http://www.jamiehillman.net/
Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowships in Choral Conducting
The Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowships in Choral Conducting have been awarded to numerous talented individuals including:
- Dr. Marta McCarthy, Conductor, Associate Professor at the University of Guelph for over 15 years. She also conducted the University of Waterloo Choir for five years, and taught choral techniques at Wilfrid Laurier University and at the University of Toronto.
- Brad Ratzlaff, Associate Artistic Director of VIVA Adult Choirs, Accompanist, Conductor of Community Choir and Co-Conductor of Chamber Singers at VIVA Singers Toronto. Brad is also a former member of the bass section of several professional choirs, including the Elmer Iseler Singers. He studied piano with Ruth Watson Henderson, organ with John Tuttle, and conducting with Jon Washburn, Leonard Ratzlaff, Doreen Rao, Helmuth Rilling, and the late Dr. Elmer Iseler.
- Cheryll Chung – Artistic Director and founder of the Cantabile Chamber Singers. She is on faculty at The Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists, The Glenn Gould School, and at The Oscar Peterson School at The Royal Conservatory of Music.
- Greg Rainville, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Canadian Men’s Chorus (now Sonus Voices) for over 15 years.
- Dr. Elaine Choi (D.M.A.) is Director of Music at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, Artistic Director of Pax Christi Chorale, and founder and Artistic Director of Babεl.
- Melissa Morgan, DMA, Conductor, Speaker, Performer, Head of Music and Director of Choral Activities in the department of Media, Arts, and Performance at the University of Regina.
- Mark Vuorinen, University of Waterloo Music Department Chair and Chamber Choir Ensemble Director. Mark is the artistic director and conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Choir, and recently became the director of the Elora Festival Singers.
- Dr. Mark Ramsay, Artistic Director of the Exultate Chamber Singers as well as the Coordinator of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor in Music Education at Western University, and is the conductor of Western University Singers. Mark has also been a student conductor with the Elmer Iseler Singers.
- Dr. Tracy Wong, Assistant Professor of Choral Studies at the Don Wright Faculty of Music, Western University, where she conducts Chorale and Les Choristes ensembles, and teaches choral conducting. She also serves as the Conductor of the Grand Philharmonic Youth Choir in Kitchener.
- Michael Denomme, EVM Chorus Assistant Conductor at VIVA Singers Toronto and Main Choir Assistant Conductor at Toronto Children’s Chorus. Michael studied with Dr. Jamie Hillman and Dr. Zimfira Poloz. While at UofT, Michael worked as the assistant Conductor of the MacMillian Singers, and the Tenor-Bass Choir.
- Nathan Gritter, conductor, singer, and student of choral conducting at the UofT in a Masters degree program with Dr. Jamie Hillman. He currently holds the role of Director of Music at Kingsway Lambton United Church. Nathan is also the assistant conductor for the Tenor Bass Choir at UofT. He sings professionally with the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, Soundstreams’ Choir 21 and the Pax Christi Chorale.
- Maria Conkey, Conductor of UofT Soprano-Alto Chorus. She is the Artistic Director of the Oakville Choir for Children & Youth and the Junior Choir Conductor at St. Michael’s Choir School.
The Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto is an integral part of musical life in Canada, offering undergraduate and graduate programs in composition and theory, music education, musicology, and performance, including jazz and opera. We are extremely grateful to have this opportunity to link the Canadian musical heritage established by Dr. Elmer lseler with the goals and activities of the Faculty of Music, and to contribute to the future of conducting and the study of choral music on a national and international level. The UofT Faculty of Music have approximately 900 students, 570 undergraduate and 330 graduate students. The Choral Area currently includes four choirs involving approximately 200 music majors.
Join the Elmer Iseler Singers, Lydia Adams, conductor; our 30+ voice Gallery Choir; and the University of Toronto MacMillan Singers, Dr. Jamie Hillman, conductor; with Dr. Joy Lee on piano, Shawn Grenke on organ and percussionists the KöNG Duo for Springburst on March 22nd!
Springburst Concert Details
Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 4:00 pm
Eglinton St. George’s United Church
35 Lytton Blvd., Toronto
Individual tickets ($45, $40, $25), click here.
