ELORA – The Elora Singers are ready to usher in the holiday season with a lineup of concerts and festive offerings, including performances of Handel’s Messiah and the Festival of Carols, and gift options such as CDs and tickets to 2026 concerts.
This year’s celebrations highlight the warmth, artistry and tradition that make The Elora Singers a treasured part of the season, officials say.
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 519-846-0331.
Handel: Messiah Dec. 7
Officials say Handel’s Messiah shines anew with the clarity, intimacy, and precision The Elora Singers have made their hallmark.
Under the direction of Mark Vuorinen, this performance features soloists drawn from within the ensemble, “offering a deeply personal and distinctive reading of one of music’s great masterpieces,” officials say in a press release.
“From the exuberant Hallelujah to the serene beauty of I Know That My Redeemer Liveth, this oratorio captures the arc of the human and the divine – moments of reflection, moments of wonder, moments of sheer joy.”
In the resonant space of St. Joseph’s Parish, Fergus, every note finds its place and every voice shines.
Festival of Carols Dec. 16 and 17
“A cherished Elora tradition, Festival of Carols returns to St. John’s Anglican Church in Elora with music that shines with the wonder, warmth and beauty of the season,” officials say.
Under Mark Vuorinen’s direction, The Elora Singers and organist Jonathan Oldengarm present an inspired mix of traditional favourites and new discoveries.
This year’s programme features a special highlight: the premiere of a newly commissioned carol by JUNO‑winning songwriter and composer Sarah Slean, created especially for The Elora Singers.
“Framed by traditional carols and exquisite choral settings, this piece adds a distinctive, contemporary voice to the beloved annual event,” officials add.
Gift options
The Elora Singers are also pleased to offer recordings and concert tickets as Christmas gifts.
The Elora Singer’s recordings include: In Beauty May I Walk (2024), To the Ground From the Sky (2023), the JUNO-nominated Radiant Dawn: Music for Advent and Christmas (2021), and This Love Between Us (2020).
Recordings are available in digital and CD format and can be purchased online at elorasingers.ca.
The Elora Singers have also announced their 2026 concert series.
Soup and Song: Motets Through the Centuries Feb. 7
A journey across five centuries of sacred music, this concert explores the depth and breadth of the polyphony of the Renaissance (Palestrina, Tallis) and the serene mastery of J.S. Bach’s Komm, Jesu, komm, to its transformation in the hands of modern composers William Harris, James MacMillan, Arvo Pärt and Imant Raminsh.
Sarah Kirkland Snider: Mass for the Endangered March 29
A reimagining of the Latin Mass, Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass for the Endangered is both an elegy and a plea – a prayer for the planet and its threatened creatures.
“In this evocatively scored work, traditional texts intertwine with poetry by Nathaniel Bellows, shaping a sound world where choral beauty meets urgent environmental reflection,” officials say.
The Passing of the Year: with members of the Elora Singers Studio for Ensemble Singing April 26
The Elora Singers’ 2025–26 season concludes with a performance of Jonathan Dove’s The Passing of the Year.
“Richly textured and deeply evocative, this work captures the beauty, warmth, and quiet reflection of the changing seasons – a fitting exploration of nature, belonging, and renewal,” officials say.
Joined by participants of The Elora Singers Studio for Ensemble Singing, this concert marks the culmination of an intensive week of learning and collaboration.
“Emerging singers and conductors stand alongside The Elora Singers, bringing fresh voices and inspired artistry to this resonant musical journey,” officials say.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit elorasingers.ca.
