TCDSBTCDSB SMCS Newsletter WELCOME TO TCDSB A … · The Bambino Programme for the 2013-2014 is...

Principal’s Greeting

The season of Lent is a time of preparation and anticipation. The

sacrament of Reconciliation, offered to all students on March 7,

is an opportunity to turn towards the Lord in anticipation of the

joy of Resurrection. As choristers, preparation also entails musi-

cal rehearsals for service during Holy Week. This year, here at

the Choir School, this is also a time of preparation and anticipa-

tion of our big trip to Italy on the day after Easter!

Our school has been receiving a lot of media attention because of our trip to

Rome, especially in the light of the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The

raising and installation of the new statue of St Michael in front of the Cathedral

early in February was a historic (and cold) occasion for the whole school. We call

on our school’s patron to protect the Church and we pray that the Holy Spirit will

guide the Church as she chooses a new successor to St. Peter.

Throughout the month of February, in assemblies and in class, we have been look-

ing at the virtue of forgiveness as a way to heal rifts, build community, and make

sure that everyone is included in the brotherhood that exists among the choristers.

Our up-coming anti-bullying pink shirt initiative is designed to give students an op-

portunity to express solidarity with anyone who has been bullied or marginalized in

any way.

I hope all of our students will have a safe and enjoyable week during the March

Break. It will be a chance to rest up before the flurry of activity which will follow at

the end of March and the start of April.

TCDSB

SMCS Newsletter A Newsletter for the Families of

St Michael’s Choir School

Our Mission:

S t . M i c h a e l ’ s

C h o i r S c h o o l i s a

C a t h o l i c

C o m m u n i t y

w h o s e p r i m a r y

m i s s i o n i s t h e

e d u c a t i o n o f

y o u n g C h r i s t i a n

g e n t l e m e n . A t

t h e c e n t r e o f t h e

c o m m u n i t y ’ s

a c a d e m i c e f f o r t

t o m a k e t h e

u n i v e r s e

i n t e l l i g i b l e t o

g r o w i n g m i n d s i s

a n e x p e r i e n c e o f

m u s i c f o r t h e

p r a i s e o f G o d i n

J e s u s C h r i s t

———————————

St. Michael’s Choir School

67 Bond Street

Toronto, On M5B 1X2

Telephone: (416) 393-5518

Fax: (416) 393-5880

[email protected]

TCDSB

TCDSB

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS March, 2013

WELCOME TO

THE CHOIR

SCHOOL

ANDREW PEA-

COCK

DEPT HEAD OF SOCIAL SCI-

Director’s Message—Mr. S. Handrigan

It has been an incredibly busy couple of months here at SMCS! Preparations are in full swing for our Italy Tour and I would like to share with you

some exciting developments. I can confirm that Salt and Light TV will be travelling

with us throughout the tour and will produce a 1 hour documentary of the trip. Wil-

liam Littler, the music critic for the Toronto Star will also travel with us on the Rome

Portion of the tour and he will ensure that articles appear in the Toronto Star as well

as other publications. As you know, Fr. Busch and I spent the last week of January in

Rome and Florence finalizing the details of the tour. Confirmed performances include

Mass and Vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica as well as concerts at the Canadian Martyr’s

Church and the Academic Hall of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. Our school

has also enjoyed extensive media coverage leading up to the trip. At every angle, the

excitement is building. Please note: a tour information package will be sent home with your son on Friday,

March 8th. For up-to-date tour information, please go to www.Italy13.com

Our Sunday, January 20th, our Sunday Senior Choir sang at an Ecumenical Service at St. Andrew’s Lutheran

Church with Thomas Cardinal Collins in attendance. Thank you to Dr. Cichocki for preparing and conduct-

ing the choir.

The Bambino Programme for the 2013-2014 is well under way. The audition days have been fully booked

and we have been very impressed so far with the students who have auditioned. Thank you to the student

and parent volunteers, as well as the conductors for giving so generously of their time.

On February 5th the entire student body sang at the raising of the Statue of St. Michael. It was one of the

coldest days of the year; however, our hearts were warmed by the beautiful music.

On February 8th, Dr. Darryl Edwards from the University of Toronto gave a workshop for students who are

auditioning for various university vocal music programmes. He was deeply impressed and has invited these

boys to participate in a summer vocal workshop in Italy.

Robin Williams, a doctoral candidate at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome has spent the last

three weeks at the school cataloguing the music of Msgr. Ronan. Msgr. Ronan composed over 4000 pieces

of music and we are now investigating how we can make this valuable catalogue of sacred music available to

all. I would like to thank Robin for all of his work ensuring that Msgr. Ronan’s legacy is preserved and pro-

moted.

February and March are recital months here at SMCS. The level of playing at these recitals has been truly

outstanding, and I would like to congratulate the teachers and students for their hard work and dedication.

A new and improved SMCS website will be launched within the next two weeks. Thank you to Patrick Parro

(Grade 12), Mr. Kovacs and Ms. Rosser-Davies for taking the lead on this initiative.

CHORAL NEWS


SMCS NEWSLETTER

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 2

http://www.Italy13.com

SMCS NEWSLETTER


As the school community prepares for the 75th anniversary tour to Italy, please join us for a fun and infor-

mative evening discussing Italian food, culture, music and more with guest speaker Sara Maida-Nicol.

Sara graduated from the Faculty of Music at University of Toronto with a degree in Voice Perform-

ance. She discovered her love for opera in Tuscany where she studied music for four summers. Wanting to

continue to indulge her passion for the Italian experience she then completed an M.A. in Italian Studies in

Florence, Italy. Sara is currently working on a Ph. D. in Linguistic Anthropology, integrating the various

areas of her expertise into the study of Italian dialect in music. Her research led her to Naples where

she also discovered a rich food culture. This discovery led her to expand her own scholarly activities to in-

clude food writing and research.

A passionate, enthusiastic and dynamic speaker and instructor, Sara currently teaches two courses at the

School of Continuing Studies at the University of Toronto, Opera Italian and La Cucina Italiana. Former

students have enjoyed her courses so much that Sara continues to meet regularly with many of them at vari-

ous Italian restaurants throughout the city in order to continue the conversation about Italian food and cul-

ture.

In advance of the Italy tour, Sara has graciously agreed to speak to the Choir School community about Ital-

ian food, culture and music, with a particular focus on Florence and Rome. All are welcome to attend.

Quando: Tuesday, March 19th

Ora: 7:00 p.m.

Dove: St. Michael's Choir School Auditorium

Costo: Free!

If you plan to attend, would you kindly RSVP by e-mail to [email protected] with "Italy Talk" in the

subject line so that we can ensure there are enough seats for everybody.

mailto:[email protected]

Student Council Report - March, 2013

So much has happened over the past month that I’m going to cut right to the chase for this month’s Student Council Report! The Student Council has been hard at work this month leading up to one of our two big events, Concept Lounge, which takes place on Friday, March 8, 2013. Auditions took place at both the Choir School, and at St. Joseph’s College earlier this month. The final set list is now up, and tickets are also on sale from all Stu-dent Council members! We invite all students Grade 8 and above to attend the event and we look forward to another successful Concept Lounge on Friday night.

For another year, the Student Council treated all students and staff with donuts on the morning of Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday), just before the Lenten season began. It was a nice and sweet treat for all! House Meetings also took place this month in preparation for a house event this Friday. The houses met to discuss their cheers, build leadership, and interact with one and other in their house. This Friday’s house event will be a dodge-ball tourna-ment, featuring a staff vs. students game! In collaboration with the Social Justice Club, this Friday is also Pink Shirt Day at the Choir School. The Student Council has created two t-shirt designs available for sale for students to wear on Pink Shirt Day to symbolize a stand against bullying. Those shirts will be available this week at $10 each, but if you missed the initial order, the shirts will be available for purchase at a later date. Finally, students from Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School came to our school to sell tickets for their ‘Jam for Justice’ event as a result of a new partnership between our student councils. The turnout at the event was excellent and we are very happy to continue offering these opportunities to attend events at other schools to our students. Who knows what school we’ll partner up with for an event next month?

Patrick Parro

President

SMCS Student Council 2012-2013

SMCS NEWSLETTER

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS March , 2013

STUDENT VOICE

STUDENT COUNCIL ORGANIIZED THE DISTRIBUTION

OF DONUTS IN THE CAFETERIA TO ALL THE STUDENTS

ON SHROVE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013

SMCS NEWSLETTER


SMCS NEWSLETTER


St. Michael’s Choir School—Singing the National Anthem

On Monday, February 25, 2013 at the Raptors Game

TCDSB Website—March 25th

The Toronto Catholic District School Board is pleased to announce that St. Michael’s

Choir School will take centre court at this evening’s Toronto Raptors Game to sing the

national anthem. The choir will perform at approximately 6:45 p.m. at the Air Canada

Centre before the opening tip off between the Raptors and the Washington Wizards.



It certainly is anything but a dull period for the Catholic Church with the shocking news of the resignation

of the Holy Father. It will be an interesting coming few weeks as the College of Cardinals come together to

elect the 266th Pope. The Religion department has posted some information about the conclave on our

website: www.smcsreligion.com. This ancient ceremony dates back to the 13th century. The word

“conclave” comes from the latin words con and clavis which mean to lock with a key. The Sistine chapel will

literally be locked so that the Cardinals are secluded from the outside world (and outside influences) as

they elect the next successor of Peter.

On a symbolic level, this ceremony may have more important meaning to Catholics during Lent than we

realize. Just as the Cardinals lock themselves within a chapel in order to discern God’s will, cut off from the

outer world’s influence, so too, we as Catholics are called to take some time to discern, without the inter-

ference of the secular world, as to how we can carry out God’s will during this time. Our discernment

won’t necessarily be within a locked room, but it may occur in a place that is quiet and where we can re-

flect and pray to God, without the distractions and business that so usually preoccupies our minds.

This is a season for the Church to reflect upon its mission to God…both at the Papal level, but also at the

individual level. We all seek eternal salvation and Glory of the Lord. Let us all find the time to refocus our

Church at all levels towards the ultimate goal that we were made for eternal happiness with God.

In Christ,

Andrew Hume

Chaplain

CHAPLAINCY AND STUDENT LEADERSHIP

SMCS NEWSLETTER

March, 2013 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

MULTICULTURAL NIGHT

SMCS NEWSLETTER

March, 2013 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

MONTHLY RECOGNITION

CHORAL AWARD:

Front Row: Timothy Stocker, Taras Rawlinson, Matthias Law,

Benjamin Norton

Back Row: Matthew Balano, Vincent Gatchalian, Gianpaolo Povolo

FRANCAIS AWARD:

Front Row: Vincent Bonus, Scott MacDonald, Noah Yokota

Back Row: Viktor Lipiniski, Timo Lahteenmaa-Swerdlyk, Jurgen Bueno

VIRTUE AWARD: COURAGE

Front Row: Christian Sforza, Marco Viernes, Calum Murray,

Ellis Dalmacio

Back Row: Paolo Bordignon, Evan Buzdon, David Avila,

Stefan Vercillo, Derek Li

http://www.theweathernetwor k.com/index.php?pr oduc t=weather &pl acecode=camb002http:/ /www.theweather networ k.com/index.php?

produc t= weather&placecode=camb0025&wbR ef= www.brandonsun.com&link=cityPage&switchto=c&swi tchto=c&ref= wxbtn234x60_text_city5&wbRf= www.brandonsun.com&link= cityPage&switchto=c&switchto=c&r ef= wxbtn234x60_text_city

From: Brandon Manitoba

Toronto's St. Michael's Choir School thrilled by chance to

perform for new pope

St Michael's Choir School elementary conductor Teri Dunn works with part of the choir at the school in Toronto on Thursday February 28, 2013.

The choir is travelling to the Vatican in April and will have an audience with the new Pope. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO - The melodious voices of a Canadian student chorus will soon be lifted in song for the next leader of the Catholic

Church.

Some 187 students from Toronto's St. Michael's Choir School will be among a travelling party of 320 headed to Italy in April.

While there on April 10, they are expected to be among the first to be granted an audience with the successor to pope Bene-

dict, who resigned on Thursday. They are also slated to perform for the new pontiff on that date.

Choir members will also showcase their vocal prowess at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City on April 7, where Archbishop of

Toronto Thomas Cardinal Collins is scheduled to preside over mass. The appearance will mark the first Vatican performance

for St. Michael's Choir School in 16 years, and comes 42 years after the school's first performance in Rome.

The all-boys school nestled in the heart of downtown Toronto is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The school's visit to Italy is

part of a performance tour of some of the world's foremost sacred music venues.

The tour is also slated to include performances for the Vatican's diplomatic core at Rome's Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music,

with which the school has been affiliated since 1955.

School director Stephen Handrigan said tour planning has been in the works for 1 1/2 years, and the twist of events with Bene-

dict announcing his resignation initially left them feeling "flooded with disappointment." That quickly changed when they realized

they would have an audience with the new pontiff, he added.



SMCS NEWSLETTER

FROM: BRANDON SUN

"I speak to the boys every day about it and one of the words is they're gobsmacked," Handrigan said. "They al-

most don't know what to say because they know that it's very historical that this is happening. They feel very

privileged and very lucky to be there at that time.

"Many of them have their family with them, their parents and some of them their brothers and sisters, so I think that just sort of adds to

the sense of occasion and importance about it."

Grade 6 student Jesus Serrano Arevalo said he was excited at the prospect of visiting a new country, spending time with friends, and of

course, meeting the new pontiff.

"It is sad the pope is leaving, but then again, we're meeting the new pope which is once in a lifetime," said the 12-year-old.

Grade 11 student James Profiti is feeling both anxious and excited to have an audience with the pope.

"Even if we just get to shake his hand, that'll be wonderful," he said.

Principal conductor Jerzy Cichocki said the choir started rehearsals just after Christmas. They are performing several pieces of music

while abroad but one particular piece has a homegrown connection: Canadian composer Peter Togni's "Totus Tuus," which was the

motto of the late pope John Paul, Cichocki noted.

As a school alumnus and current faculty member, Giacomo Tarascio has been on both sides of the tour experience as a choir member

and chaperone. He describes performing at St. Peter's Basilica as "very enriching."

"Not too many people get the opportunity to do that. And even being a student at the time in Grade 11, it meant a lot to me having the

opportunity to go there. And singing in such a sacred basilica where the pope is is just a very unique experience."

In the past, St. Michael's Choir School has performed for high-profile figures and dignitaries including the late pope John Paul, Queen

Elizabeth and former Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien.

Many modern-day Canadian artists are part of the storied history of St. Michael's alumni, including actor and singer Michael Burgess,

crooner Matt Dusk, Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn and tenor John McDermott.

While the performances are the main focus of the tour, students will have their share of opportunities to soak in Italian culture. Handri-

gan said students will go sightseeing in Florence, will visit Assisi and will spend a half-day attending gladiator school.

Erik Gillis will be celebrating his 14th birthday while in Italy, and is hopeful his family living in Treviso will have the chance to see him

perform.

The Grade 8 student knows history will be made with the new papal selection and that there's a chance the new pontiff could be Cana-

dian.

"It's an amazing opportunity to perform for the new pope, especially if the cardinal from Montreal gets appointed. That would be cool to

have a Canadian pope in office."

Indeed, as the cardinals convene to select the new pope, Handrigan is well aware of the possibility that Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet is

among the contenders to lead the church.

"We kind of joke, 'Well, if it's Cardinal Ouellet, we'll just call him up,' because he's our friend and we know him and we have connections

and we'll do a private concert for him," he said.

"It would be wonderful if we did have a Canadian pope, but whoever the pope is, we're going to be honoured to be there and to be pre-

sent with him."

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL EVENTS

SMCS NEWSLETTER

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

1. We are in need of your assistance with a buddy for a Grade 3 student. The student requires a buddy to ac-

company him to and from school. He can either go to the Kipling Subway Station or the Islington Subway

Station. Parents are willing to pay for a student for his assistance. If you can help us in this matter please

contact the Main Office as soon as possible. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

2. An electronic version of the St. Michael’s Choir School calendar is now available. This calendar is

one of the new features being offered as part of the updates being made to our school website

(www.smcs.on.ca). For the time being, the calendar is embedded in our board-generated web

site. To view the calendar, please follow the steps outlined below:

1) Access the school’s board-generated website at:

http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stmichaelchoir/Pages/default.aspx

2) Click on the “School Calendar” section of the home page.

Please note that events listed on the calendar are subject to change, particularly those listed months in advance.

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Matthew Snowdon and his partner Isabelle Barnes won

a bronze medal in the Juvenile Ice Dance Category at Skate

Canada's Central Ontario STARSkate Championship on

February 22nd. This qualifies them to represent Central

Ontario in the Provincial Championships in Fort Erie at the

end of March.

http://www.smcs.on.ca

http://www.tcdsb.org/schools/stmichaelchoir/Pages/default.aspx


CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

January, 2013

Special Up-Coming Choir School Events

Monday, March 4, 2013 Sting Recital—7:00 P.M.—Auditorium

Mr. Dustako and Mr. ten Kortenaar

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 Piano Recital—7:00 P.M. Auditorium

Mrs. Krechkovsky

High School students—Late Start

Thursday, March 7, 2013 Reconciliation—Elementary—9:00 A.M.

High School Students—11:00 A.M.

Piano Recital l—7:00 P.M.—Auditorium

Mr. Krechkovsky

MARCH 11th to 15th, 2013 MARCH BREAK

Thursday, March 21, 2013 Piano Recital—7:00 P.M.—Auditorium

Mrs. Chevrier

Saturday, March 23, 2013 Bambino—Academic—A.M.

Vocal—P.M.

Sunday, March 24, 2013 Palm Sunday

Tuesday, March 26, 2013 Chrism Mass—11:00 AM—Select Sr. Choir

Friday, March 29, 2013 Good Friday

Saturday, March 30, 2013 Easter Vigil—9:00 PM—Sr. Choir

Sunday, March 31, 2013 Easter Sunday

APRIL 1st to APRIL 12nd, 2013 CONCERT TOUR TO ITALY

January, 2013 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

SUPERINTENDENT:

Mr. J. Shanahan

(416) 222-8282 Ex. 5371

TRUSTEE 2011-2012

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

WARDS 1. PETER JAKOVCIC 2. ANN ANDRACHUK - CHAIR 3. SAL PICCININNI - VICE-CHAIR 4. PATRIZIA BOTTONI 5. MARIA RIZZO 6. FRANK D’AMICO 7. JOHN DEL GRANDE

8. TOBIAS ENVERGA 9. JO-ANN DAVIS (416) 512-3409 10. BARBARA POPLAWSKI 11. ANGELA KENNEDY 12. NANCY CRAWFORD

STUDENT TRUSTEE - ANDREW WALKER

TRUSTEE FOR ST MICHAEL’S CHOIR SCHOOL

[email protected] - www.jo-anndavis.ca

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 9 SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 11

St. Michael’s Choir School Advisory Board

Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto

Rev. Ivan Camilleri, Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs

Mr. Jim Milway, Chancellor of Temporal Affairs

Mr. William Dunlop, Comptroller, Archdiocese of Toronto

Rev. Michael Busch, Rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral

Rev. Brian Clough, SMCS alumnus, Chair, Judicial Vicar

Rev. Larry Leger, Chair Nominating Committee

Dr. Constance Price

Mr. Paul Harrs, SMCS alumnus, Chair Property & Maintenance Committee

Dr. Joseph Gasser, SMCS alumnus

Mr. Michael Bernsiewicz, SMCS Alumnus, Chair of Finance

Ms. Patricia Parisi, Chair Governance committee

Ms. Anne Bolger

Ms. Andrea Chisholm

Ms. Kathryn Lagroix, Parent

Dr. Paul Gauvreau, Parent

SMCS 2012-2013 CSAC REPRESENTATIVES

DAVID GATCHALIAN - CO-CHAIR

GEOFF RAWLINSON - CO-CHAIR

MANDE PUSKAS - SECRETARY

PINA POVOLO - TRESEAUER

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.jo-anndavis.ca

TCDSBTCDSB SMCS Newsletter WELCOME TO TCDSB A … · The Bambino Programme for the 2013-2014 is...

Documents

Transcript of TCDSBTCDSB SMCS Newsletter WELCOME TO TCDSB A … · The Bambino Programme for the 2013-2014 is...