Farewell

from Matthew

Although I always look forward, now is the time when I must look back and reflect on the last 40 years of my Canadian life. Working for this choir was my main purpose in those years. It would not be an exaggeration to say that my work with you shaped me as a musician. You made me who I am today, and without all of you, I would be Mr. Nobody.

 Looking back, I see impressive numbers: 40 years, more than 100 exciting concerts, and hundreds of fascinating works for the choir, orchestra and soloists. It’s impossible to count the number of lasting friendships that were made, over the years.

Many people have contributed to the success of the choir; presidents, managers, treasurers, members of our board and many others (let’s not forget the door monitors). There are too many to list here, but I will mention our current manager, Terry Adams, who accomplished the most difficult task. After the Covid pandemic and our eviction from Oakham House, she managed to revive the choir, and we were able to produce three successful concerts.

 However, we have all come to realize that with the present choir structure, and without any substantial help from the university, the choir was unsustainable. We were carrying the burden of total responsibility, with no help from outside of the choir. So, we are not able to continue. One of the biggest Canadian universities lost a cultural treasure, what should have been the pride of TMU. How many noticed!?

 Often, when you thanked me for making your life richer, I replied, “I was doing it for myself”, and it’s true. I was ‘using’ you to make myself happy. You gave me the opportunity to do what I loved the most: To make music, to try to understand the composers ‘message’, and to shape my own interpretations and expressions of music.

 We now close the chapter named Oakham House/Toronto Concert Choir, but we will write new chapters, maybe not together, but using what we learned together. For sure, I will be busy teaching music to kids at the Polish School and preparing and running concerts for Novi Singers. I will also be gardening, sailing, walking our two dogs, cooking for my family and enjoying my new home. My only wish is that we will cross paths again, and we will maintain all those bonds we created, during those wonderful 40 years together.

 See you around,