Choir rehearsals for the season 2009-2010 begin in September, 2009, with Boys' and Womens' Choirs on Tuesday the 8th, Girls' Choir on Wednesday the 9th, and Men's Choir on Thursday the 10th at the same times as on the Choirs page. If you are interested in the choirs, please telephone the director, Melva Treffinger Graham, at 416-488-7884 ext 117.
UK 2007
The memorable summer of 2007 -- two choirs in England, singing, playing, travelling, and working together for more than two weeks each in unmatched medieval settings. The choirs of Grace Church on-the-Hill experienced their 7th overseas tour in all its grandeur.
The men and boys met to warm up on Monday in the week of the departure to get ready for the first services before flying to Birmingham on August 3.
On the first weekend,
 the choir visited Ampleforth Abbey in north Yorkshire, the largest working monastery in Europe. The boys and men heard and sang plainsong and viewed the worship of a monastic community like the ones that built Durham and Oxford.
We sang for a full week in Durham, including a festive Evensong on the day of the celebration of foundation of the cathedral in 1093. It was moving to visit the shrines of the Venerable Bede and St. Cuthbert in Durham. In their free time, the choristers enjoyed forays to Riveaulx Abbey, Hadrian’s wall, the  Whitby seaside, Alnwick castle, Holy Island (Lindesfarne), and Cadbury World.
The choir’s second week was very different – from a huge cathedral to a small one, and from a small town to a busy university city. Our week in Oxford included Morse pubs for the men, tours of many colleges, a quick trip to London, a ghost walk, and the many activities at Warwick Castle. The  singing improved day by day, and Rev. John Paton, Christ Church Cathedral’s new precentor, said to the boys before the last Evensong, “Have a care for our stained glass, boys!” with a twinkle in his eye because their sound was so big. St. Frideswide, whose shrine is in that cathedral, would have approved.
The choir’s tour
statistics:
17 psalms sung with 276 verses in all, 117 hymn verses with 10 descants, and 27 pieces of choral music, 6 of them repeated.
Meanwhile, the St. Cecilia Choir had left Canada and arrived in Birmingham. Their first service was in the parish of All Saints, Northampton, where they received a warm
 welcome.
Then they began a full week of singing at the cathedral in Lichfield. The choir was charmed with the friendliness of the people and the warmth of their fellowship. A grand-fatherly retired archdeacon “fell in love” with our smallest chorister, Edith, amid much  playful commentary.
From Lichfield, the choristers visited Stratford, Warwick Castle, Birmingham, Cadbury World, and Chatsworth.
Salisbury Cathedral in the second week was more of a challenge—our living conditions were not as comfortable, and it was a bigger, busier cathedral. The choir was asked to sing a special evensong that commemorated the death of Princess Diana. Trips to
 Stonehenge, the Bath Museum of Costume and the Roman baths, Old Sarum, Wilton House, and Portsmouth added to the educational experience.
The girls' enthusiasm for Jane Austen grew enormously and by the end of the tour, everyone was doing their hair in rags for curls.
They even appeared at the coach at 7 am prepared for perfect curls
on the flight home!
Tour statistics:
15 psalms sung with 215 verses, 107 hymn verses with 7 descants, and 27 pieces of choral music, 6 of them repeated.
Pictures 1-5 courtesy of Sarah Teskey
Pictures 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11 by Ariane Heisey c 2007
Picture 10 by Melva Graham
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