Exultate Chamber Singers is an adult, mixed-voice chamber choir located in the heart of downtown Toronto. The ensemble is enriched not only by the strong musicianship of its members but also by their varied ages, cultural backgrounds, and academic and professional credentials. Together they form a passionate, committed ensemble with a wide-ranging repertoire.
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The choir is a three-time winner of the Healey Willan Grand Prize in the CBC National Radio Competition and was awarded first place in the chamber choir category of Choral Canada’s 2019 National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs.
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In addition to presenting its annual concert series, Exultate has made regular appearances around Ontario, toured in Canada, collaborated with dozens of artists, released six albums, and enjoyed airplay on CBC Radio. Exultate's most recent album, At First Light, showcases new Canadian choral music commissioned by the choir in recent years.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge the land we perform on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13, signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties, signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
Exultate Chamber Singers is committed to deepening our understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing and being and the role we can play in our collective call for reconciliation. We invite you to pause to reflect on your relationship with these lands and your path towards reconciliation.
OUR MISSION & MANDATE
Exultate Chamber Singers strives to consistently achieve high quality performances of a broad repertoire of challenging music for chamber choir and to actively contribute to the development of the local and broader Canadian choral community.
OUR GOALS
To engage audiences through concerts and special performances.
To engage in meaningful collaborations with musical and community partners.
To contribute to the continued musical development of singers, composers, and conductors both in Exultate and the larger choral community.
To support the creation and performance of Canadian choral music through commissions, selective programming, touring, and special events, with an increasing awareness of diversity in the artform.
MEET OUR CHOIR
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Mark Ramsay
Mark Ramsay is Coordinator of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor in Music Education at Western University’s Don Wright Faculty of Music. He teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is the conductor of Western University Singers. He earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (Choral Conducting) and a Master of Music (Choral Conducting) at University of Toronto under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt, and a Bachelor of Music Education (Piano) from University of Prince Edward Island.
Mark is a strong advocate for music education and community music making. He is currently a board member of Sirens Choral Association and a former co-chair of Podium 2022. Mark also served on the board of Choirs Ontario and is a past editor of their publication Dynamic. He is frequently invited to appear as a guest conductor and clinician for choirs, community festivals, and conferences, and he has worked as an adjudicator at the local, provincial, and national levels including the National Finals of the Federation of Canadian Music Festivals. Mark has worked as a high school music teacher, provincial curriculum specialist, church music leader, and community choir director.
As a writer and researcher, Mark’s work has been published in the official publications of Choral Canada, American Choral Directors Association, Canadian Music Educators’ Association, and Kodály Society of Canada. He has also contributed to three books from GIA Publications. In 2022, Mark co-developed the “Choral Connections” column for the Canadian Music Educator journal in collaboration with colleague Dr. Tracy Wong. He has also worked as a recording assistant for the Canadian Chamber Choir on their two most recent albums, Where Waters Meet and Seasons of Life and Landscape.
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SINGERS
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Exultate board is an energetic, capable, engaged, and welcoming group who work collaboratively to support the mission and mandate of Exultate. Our board of directors is made up of both choristers and community members, and possesses a wide range of professional backgrounds and skill sets. We are striving to create a board that reflects the diversity of our choir members and community.
Click here to find out more about the choir’s history, our mission and mandate, the roles and qualifications of board members, time and financial commitments, and how to contact us if you are interested. Or just send us a note at info@exultate.net.
Hannah Martin
Choir Member, Chair
ELECTED NOV 2023
Julia Brotto
Choir Member, Secretary
ELECTED NOV 2023
J. Scott Brubacher
Choir Member
ELECTED NOV 2018
Jeffrey Reynolds
Choir Member
ELECTED NOV 2023
Lindsay Naft
Choir Member, Vice-Chair
ELECTED NOV 2020
Sharon Adamson
Community Member, Treasurer
APPOINTED NOV 2020
Kelsey Grieve
Community Member
APPOINTED MAR 2019
Graham Thomson
Community Member
APPOINTED MAR 2019
James Maxwell Watson
Community Member
APPOINTED OCT 2023
