Soprano-Alto Chorus, Allegro Choir and Tenor-Bass Chorus
Thomas Burton, Maria Conkey, Enquan (Frank) Yu, Melanie Yirenkyi, and Tyrese Walters, conductors
PROGRAM
Soprano-Alto Chorus
How Can I Keep from Singing
Robert Lowry
Vichten
Angele Arsenault arr. Hart Rouge🍁
Ching Lok Li, solo
Rob James, percussion
Hallelujah, Loof Die Here
Franco Prinsloo
Melanie Yirenkyi, conductor
Beat of a Different Drum
Sarah Quartel🍁
Jessica Dawdy, Shabnam Bahrami Asl, Sophie Liu, soloists
Rob James, percussion
This recital is in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music in Choral Conducting.
Melanie Yirenkyi is a student of Jamie Hillman.
This recital is in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting.
Maria Conkey is a student of Jamie Hillman.
Allegro Choir
人世间 (A Lifelong Journey)
Qian, Lei, arr. He, Aobo
如果明天就是下一生 (If Tomorrow Were the Next Life)
Shi, Qingru
Tenor-Bass Chorus
Wankantanhan Hotan’Inpe
Traditional Lakota Sioux Arr. Linthicum Blackhorse
Tyrese Walters, soloist
Ständchen
Franz Schubert
Non, Nobis Domine
Rosephanye Powell, arr. William Powell
Tyrese Walters, conductor
Darest, O Soul
Mari Esabel Valverde
This recital is in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music in Choral Conducting.
Tyrese Walters is a student of Jamie Hillman.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Donors to Choral Studies
Advancement: Tyler Greenleaf, James Conquer, Rachel Loo
Concert Office: Eric Chow
Librarian, Performance Collection: Karen Wiseman
Performance Office: Eddy Aitken, Amanda Eyer Haberman
Voice Studies and Faculty of Music Voice Faculty
Collaborative Piano Studies and Professor Steven Philcox
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO SOPRANO-ALTO CHORUS
Maria Conkey, conductor
Rebeca Lluveras Matos, collaborative pianist
Melanie Yirenkyi, assistant conductor
Helena Webster, vocal coach
Soprano 1
Mai Arai
Shabnam Bahrami Asl
Lauren Chalmers-Rizzato
Mackenzie Chalmers-Rizzato
Yan (Janice) Lam
Yuexi (Ceci) Li
Zige Lin
Yunting (Sophie) Liu
Emily Luo
Varuni Papade
Juliana Papagni
Ana Garcia Flores
Kirsten Marie Villegas
Ashley Wang
Yunting (Fiona) Xiao
Anna Yefimenko
Yuting (Emily) Zhang
Soprano 2
Vanessa Chen
Zhiyan (Tina) Chen
Jessica Dawdy*
Charlotte Fowler
Fiona Fu
Bienca Fung
Julie Man-Wing Fung
Elena Wu Gan
Sophia Jestadt
Wan Tong (Doris) Li
Zhuoyu (Jacqueline) Li
Yuyi (Emily) Lu
Ruo Lai (Joy) Luo
Young-Ah (Ellie) Park
Fiona Shu
Xinya (Sophia) Zhang
Joanna Zhao
Alto
Therese Benoza
Kelly Du
Bienca Fung
Nazeli Ghanaghounian
Annie An Nhi Hoang
Julia Hrelja
Min Ji Koo
Eunice Lau
Ching Lok Li
Roxolana Luzskov
Suet Kee Angela Ng
Laura Quevedo
Yifei (Alyn) Shen
Melody Shui
Jamie Stanzel
Jeanne Tsui
Danielle Vachon
Claudia Wong*
Karen Yoshida
Amanda Yu
Yutong Zhang
Ziou (Sunny) Zhao
*ensemble manager
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ALLEGRO CHOIR
Enquan (Frank) Yu, conductor
Bingbing Li, collaborative pianist
Ziyuan (Hardy) Gu, violin
Soprano
Yifei Chen
Adriana Da
Simin Jin
Shulin Li
Evelyn (Yuxin) Lin
Xuefei (Jasmine) Ma
Lucille Qiu
Aurora Wang
Ruochen Wang
Elaine Zheng
Stephanie Zheng
Alto
Jessica Cai
Yujia Chai
Biantong (Kelly) Han
Chloe Hua
Fanshi Lin
Vicky Lin
Ruixuan Liu
Liruoshi (Tina) Meng
Stella Sun
Lu Tang
Yutong Wang
Tenor
Justin Chen
Ziyuan (Hardy) Gu
Aobo He
Tianqi Huang
Hantang Li
Yuning Liu
Yiwen Su
Zi Xiao Yang
Yuan Yu
Zhongyuan (Jasper) Zhang
Ruian Zhou
Bass
Changyun Bo
Jiayi (Jeffery) Guo
Qirui Hou
Jinghao Hu
Ka Cheung Lee
Jia Wen Li
Shengkun Nie
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO TENOR-BASS CHORUS
Thomas Burton, conductor
Narek Ebrahimi, collaborative pianist
Tyrese Walters, assistant conductor
Peter Bass, vocal coach
Tenor
Kenny Cheng
Sidney Forde*
Tyler McFadden
Joshua Yeo
Tyrese Walters
Sebastian Brunner
Could Chen Guan Bu
Cameron Doi
Tom Han
Felix Hill
Levy Lam
Tristan Stryjnik*
AndrewTorgovtsev
Johann White
Charles Zhu
Bass
Carlo Cristiano
Sampson Lui
Jacob Manucdoc
Julian Merendino
Dane Sevilla
Jeffrey Shi Zhen Sun
Adam Wang
Matthew Wang
Houtian Zhong
Oscar Hodgson
Carlos Songcuan
Antonios Vazintaris
Matthew Woolard
Matthew Xie
Kylin Xuan Han Zhao
Neil Gonputh
*ensemble manager
BIOGRAPHIES
Thomas Burton
Raised in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Thomas Burton is Artistic Director of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Conductor of the University of Toronto Tenor-Bass Chorus, and Artistic Director of Durham Region’s RESOUND Choir. He is co-conductor of the award winning Halifax based chamber choir, Eastern Horizon. Praised for his innovative and eclectic programming as well as his dynamic presence on the podium, Thomas is in-demand nationally as a guest conductor, clinician and educator.
Thomas is passionate about inspiring excellence in performers of all ages and abilities. He has had the privilege of working with such ensembles as the Pacific Chorale, The Amadeus Choir of Greater Toronto, Pro Coro Canada, the National Youth Choir of Canada, and the Vancouver Chamber Choir. An accomplished choral singer, Thomas has sung with some of Canada’s finest choral ensembles including the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, Voces Boreales, and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.
Thomas is a recipient of multiple awards, including the Ken Fleet Choral Conducting Scholarship and the Sir Ernest MacMillan Memorial Foundation Award. In 2024 he was selected by Jeunesses Musicales as the inaugural recipient of the Iwan Edwards Scholarship for Young Conductors. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Trombone Performance from McGill University and a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Michigan where he studied with Dr. Jerry Blackstone and Dr. Eugene Rogers.
Maria Conkey
A native of Newfoundland and Labrador, Maria Conkey (she/her), is an inspiring and innovative conductor, clinician, and pedagogue. She is passionate about using choral music to build community and nurture leadership skills in young people. In addition to beginning her Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) at the University of Toronto, she is the Artistic Director of the Oakville Choir for Children & Youth and the Outreach Coordinator at St. Michael’s Choir School.
Maria is also the 2024-25 recipient of the Elmer Iseler National Graduate Fellowship in Choral Conducting, and a nominee for the 2023 Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting. She has also received the Beryl Barnes Memorial Graduate Award and the Andreas Barban Memorial Scholarship.
Past engagements include the Junior Choir Conductor at St. Michael’s Choir School (ON) - on leave while studying, the Artistic Director of Young Voices Toronto, the Conductor of the award-winning senior choirs at St. Bonaventure’s College (NL), and the Choral Director at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist (NL). She has also worked with Shallaway - Newfoundland Youth in Chorus and several children’s, youth, and adult choirs, including the Alberta Youth Choir and the University of Alberta Madrigal Singers.
Narek Ebrahimi
Narek Abrahamian is a pianist and piano instructor with a rich background in both performance and teaching. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Piano Performance at the University of Toronto, after earning his Bachelor’s degree from the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan, Armenia, where he graduated with honors.
Narek has received several prizes and awards, including first prize at the "Youth National Music Competition" and the "Alice & Armen Matheson" Entrance Scholarship from the University of Toronto. His performance highlights include concerts and recitals both as a soloist and collaborator at major venues in Tehran, Yerevan, and Toronto. He has also served as the pianist for the St. Sargis Church choir in Tehran for five years. As a recording artist, Narek has been involved in recording works by contemporary composers as both a soloist and accompanist.
Ziyuan (Hardy) Gu
Ziyuan (Hardy) Gu holds a HBSc degree in Computer Science from the University of Toronto,
and is currently pursuing a Master of Computer Science at the University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign. He earned his ABRSM Grade 8 certificate in Violin in 2013. Prior to his
studies in Toronto, he served as concertmaster of the Lambrick Park Secondary String Orchestra for three years in Victoria, British Columbia, and was also an active member of the Lambrick Park Secondary Musical Theatre program. Hardy was the violinist for The Addams Family (2017), the auxiliary percussionist for High School Musical (2018), and was the violin soloist for Legally Blonde (2019). During his first year at UofT, Hardy performed as a violinist in the Skule Symphony Orchestra and is currently a violinist in the UofT Campus Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2023, he joined the UofT Allegro Choir as both a tenor and violinist.
Bingbing Li
Bingbing is currently a third year piano major at University of Toronto, studying with Professor
Charles Lin, who is the Artistic Director of the University of Toronto Piano Pedagogy Program.
Bingbing has been actively participating in music collaborative activities, working with choirs,
solo performers, as well as in musical theatres. She has performed a large number of concerts as soloist and collaborative pianist, and has been participating in competitions and winning prizes such as piano festivals held in Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Also with passion in music research relating to environmental studies, Bingbing is currently composing for a research project titled “Improving Public Awareness on Sustainability by Connecting Scientific Data with Art Forms,” conducted by Dr. Zhongzhe Shen at the University of Georgia. With passion for both performing and composing, Bingbing is continuously willing to collaborate with artists within different genres of music activities, valuing music as a way of communication.
Rebeca Lluveras Matos
Born in Cuba, naturalized Mexican citizen, Rebecca began studying the piano at the age of eight. Since her early age she received numerous awards in piano competitions in her home country of Cuba.
Ms. Lluveras completed her Bachelors of Music at the prestigious Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana in 2005. A year later she was invited to Austria to study with maestro Harald Ossberger where she was selected for further study with the members of prestigious faculty at the University of Vienna. In 2008, she earned with honors her Master’s in Piano Methodology in Havana under the leading Cuban teacher Teresita Junco. In 2021 she earned another degree in Piano Technique and Biomechanics at the Higher School of High Performance Music (ESMAR-SPAIN). During her years in Cuba, she performed as a soloist with the Cuban Symphony Orchestra, as well as in contemporary Music Festivals. She also taught at the Instituto Superior de Arte for five years.
In 2012 Ms. Lluveras moved to Mexico. Currently she is on the faculty at the University of the Arts of Yucatán. She has performed in the Manuel M. Ponce Hall of the Palace of Fine Arts, Blas Galindo Auditorium of the National Center of the Arts, Sala Netzahualcóyotl of the University Cultural Center of the UNAM, Centro Cultural Helénico, Teatro Degollado (Guadalajara), Sala Felipe Villanueva, (State of Mexico) José Peón Contreras Theater (Mérida, Yucatán) among others. She has also performed as a soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of the National Polytechnic Institute. She has served as a juror of the National Piano Competition at the University of Guadalajara, as well as in the internal piano competitions at the Faculty of Music of UNAM and the Escuela Superior de Música de Bellas Artes, in Mexico City.
Tyrese Walters
Tyrese Walters is a graduate of Western University with a Bachelor of Music with Honours in Voice Performance, where he studied Voice with Prof. Torin Chiles and Conducting with Prof. Kathleen Allan and Dr. Mark Ramsay. In his final year at Western, he co-led and co-conducted the Student Choral Initiative, a 20-member choir, within the Faculty of Music. He is the recipient of many awards and scholarships, including the Richard G. Manuel Music Award (2022), and the Deral Johnson Award (2022). Tyrese is continuing his studies at the University of Toronto where he will complete a Master of Music in Choral Conducting under the direction of Dr. Jamie Hillman. Tyrese is an experienced choral singer and conductor. He is the conductor of the low-voice ensemble, “Rocambolesco,” and an associate conductor of the 60-voice youth choir “Frisson” in the MSC Choirs organization. He is the Assistant Conductor of “Encore” in the Young Voices Toronto organization. Currently, he sings in the Nathaniel Dett Chorale and Concreamus Chamber Singers.
Melanie Yirenkyi
Melanie Yirenkyi is a music educator, conductor and singer based in Toronto. Her passion for music inspired her to make the switch from biomedical sciences to music during her undergraduate studies. Melanie went on to obtain a BFA in music from York University, and later, a B.Ed from Queen’s University’s Artist in Community Education program.
Melanie is dedicated to refining her skills as a conductor and has engaged in numerous choral workshops and masterclasses, working with various choirs such as the Vancouver Chamber Choir, and learning from esteemed conductors: Eugene Rogers, Jennifer Tham, Kari Turunen, and Ragnar Rasmussen.
Melanie is presently the interim music director at Jarvis St. Baptist Church, where she has been involved in the Music Ministry as both a pianist and vocalist for over ten years. Melanie is delighted to be studying under Dr. Jamie Hillman in the Master of Music in Choral Conducting program.
Enquan (Frank) Yu
Enquan (Frank) Yu is a versatile vocal artist, singing teacher, choral conductor, and artistic director. He holds a B.Mus. (Voice Performance) degree from the University of Toronto, and recently began his studies in the M.Mus. (Opera) program at UofT. A fine soloist, Frank has appeared in Bach’s Oratorio for Ascension Day with New Song
Church, solo performances with the Toronto Children’s Chorus, and portrayed several roles in UofT Opera including Achille di Rosalba (Il cappello di paglia di Firenze) and The Old Marquis (A Tale of Two Cities) which was a continuation of his immersive stage experience in Fredericton, New Brunswick. In 2022, Frank represented New Brunswick in the National Youth Choir of Canada's tour, Make Me a World. Bilingual in English and Mandarin, Frank is the conductor of the UofT Allegro Student Choir, a student-led ensemble with focuses on Chinese and English repertoire. An active music director and vocal consultant, Frank conducted Toronto Metropolitan Theatre Company’s production of Something Rotten! (2023), and was the vocal director for the Victoria College & Trinity College Drama Societies’ co-production of Next to Normal (2024).
TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
Chanter
Chanter l'amour, chanter l'amour et l'amitié
Le temps d'une chanson
Je sens en moi, jaillir la joie et la fierté,
Mon coeur bat la chamade
Il s'emballe sur des harmonies
Chanter, chanter la liberté
Chanter pour se faire entendre
Toujours aller plus haut, plus haut
Toujours aller plus loin,
C'est la vie!
Ami viens donc chanter en choeur et de tout coeur
Il nous faut suivre l'onde
On prend le temps d'une chanson
Pour conquérir le monde
Il faut apprendre à se connaître, apprendre à partager,
à s'ouvrir sur le monde
Il y'a des jours où tout est gris, où l'on s'ennuie
Fredonne un air pour t'évader
Il faut toujours aller plus haut,
Toujours aller plus loin,
C'est la vie!
Singing with love and friendship.
With a song, I feel joy and pride springing up within me.
My heart beats wildly, it races with the harmonies.
Sing, sing for freedom,
sing to be heard.
Always go higher,
always go further,
that’s life!
Friend, come and sing along and with all your heart.
We have to follow the wave.
We take the time for a song to conquer the world.
You have to learn to know yourself, learn to share, to open up to the world.
There are days when you are bored, hum a tune to escape.
Always go higher, always go further, that’s life!
Halleluja, Loof die Here
Halleluja, loof die Here,
Halleluja, prys Sy naam.
Prys en loof Sy heilige naam,
Want elke liewe glinsterende helder nuwe maan
Knipoog oor die hele wereld, prys en loof Sy naam,
Die sterretjies die flikker in die donker nag,
‘n wonderwerk om op te kyk, die melkweg vonkel sag.
Al is die sterre baie ver, en bo ons is die donker volke (dit) swart,
Woon die Heer dig naby in jou en my hart.
Alleluia, praise the Lord,
Alleluia, praise His name.
For every bright new moon
Shines over the whole earth
With endless praise.
The stars flickering in the night sky,
The galaxies sparkling softly above us,
Are miracles of praise.
Even if the stars are far away,
Or dark clouds hide their light,
The Lord lives near our hearts.
A Lifelong Journey
Grasses and trees will sprout, and children will grow,
The years’ train halts for no one, it does not slow.
At fate’s station, joy and sorrow, meeting and parting, all fleeting.
People, like snowflakes, fly high and then start melting.
The world’s sorrows—love must part, and rain must fall,
The world’s sweetness—no matter how far, remember home’s call.
We, the ordinary, sustain a small flame under the eaves,
No matter the countless changes time weaves.
Wish you to cross through waves that rise and fall,
To stay beside the one you love through it all.
In the days when your mother grows old,
Listen as she slowly tells stories of childhood gold.
Wish you never forget your youthful face,
Nor fear the white hairs time may place.
If youth one day fades from memory, recall how we
Loved like fire, fiercely and free—
In this world, so worthy.
For every joy and sorrow, there are countless ways to live,
Through every change, the sun will rise and give.
We, the ordinary, whether rain, snow, wind, and frost,
With no need to know where we belong,
Following the seasons’ ebb and flow, still singing strong.
I wish you to cross through waves that rise and fall,
To stay beside the one you love through it all.
In the days when your mother grows old,
Listen as she slowly tells stories of childhood gold.
I also wish you never forget your youthful face,
Nor fear the white hairs time may place.
Like seeds, we grow, reaching for the sun’s warm rays,
In this soil, with all things, we bloom and raise.
If Tomorrow Were the Next Life
The years drift softly through our breath,
When we reach the end, do dreams find rest?
Between the dawns and dusks that blaze,
Our bodies turn, our souls erase.
When impermanence calls out your name,
Does your heart return the same?
Scenes around you play their part,
Unfamiliar, yet close to the heart.
We search and search, oh, where to start?
How to mend the broken pearl,
And sing the note that’s lost in swirl?
If tomorrow were the next life,
How would you face today’s own strife?
If tomorrow were the next life,
How would you face today’s own strife?
I guarded life with warmth and care,
Left footprints in the waves we share.
With mindful contemplation, I breathed a light,
And lit the cycle of life for future sight.
Wankantanhan Hotan’Inpe
Wankantanhan Hotan’inpe ye
Hotaninpe yelo.
Hena kinyan Wakinyan oyate
Ca Hotan’inpe ye
Hotan’inpe yelo
From above, they are making their voices heard
They are making their voices heard,
The Thunder Nation is flying
So they are making their voices heard.
They are making their voices heard
Ständchen
Leise flehen meine Lieder
Durch die Nacht zu Dir;
In den stillen Hain hernieder,
Liebchen, komm’ zu mir!
Flüsternd schlanke Wipfel rauschen
In des Mondes Licht;
Des Verräters feindlich Lauschen
Fürchte, Holde, nicht.
Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen?
Ach! sie flehen Dich,
Mit der Töne süssen Klagen
Flehen sie für mich.
Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen,
Kennen Liebesschmerz,
Rühren mit den Silbertönen
Jedes weiche Herz.
Lass auch Dir die Brust bewegen,
Liebchen, höre mich!
Bebend harr’ ich Dir entgegen!
Komm’, beglücke mich!
Non Nobis Domine Softly my songs plead
through the night to you;
down into the silent grove,
beloved, come to me!
Slender treetops whisper and rustle
in the moonlight;
my darling, do not fear
that the hostile betrayer will overhear us.
Do you not hear the nightingales call?
Ah, they are imploring you;
with their sweet, plaintive songs
they are imploring for me.
They understand the heart’s yearning,
they know the pain of love;
with their silvery notes
they touch every tender heart.
Let your heart, too, be moved,
beloved, hear me!
Trembling, I await you!
Come, make me happy!
Non nobis domine tuo da Gloriam
Sed nomini tuo da Gloriam Not unto us, Lord,
but your name be the Glory
Darest, O Soul
Darest thou now, O Soul,
Walk out with me toward the Unknown Region,
Where neither ground is for the feet, nor any path to follow?
No map, there, nor guide,
Nor voice sounding, nor touch of human hand,
Nor face with blooming flesh, nor lips, nor eyes, are in that land.
I know it not, O Soul;
Nor dost thou—all is a blank before us;
All waits, undream’d of, in that region—that inaccessible land.
Till, when the ties loosen,
All but the ties eternal, Time and Space,
Nor darkness, gravitation, sense, nor any bounds, bound us.
Then we burst forth—we float,
In Time and Space, O Soul—prepared for them;
Equal, equipt at last—(O joy! O fruit of all!) them to fulfil, O Soul.
Ticket Prices: $30 Adult, $20 Senior, $10 Student.
University of Toronto students with a valid T-Card are admitted free at the door (space permitting, some exceptions apply). No ticket reservation necessary.