Choir celebrates rich history

[attach]1541[/attach]For North Toronto’s Esther Gartner the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir is much more than a community organization.

The 85-year-old choir is the Toronto Symphony Orchestra cellist’s family.

Gartner’s father Emil Gartner was an instrumental force in the choir’s heyday, working as its conductor for 20 years before his tragic death in a car accident in 1960.

Her mother Fagel was also a vital role in the choir, acting as the accompanist while her husband conducted.

“My mother was equally involved but he was truly the leader,” Gartner says about her father.

“He inspired people to go to great lengths.”

Formerly known as the Freiheit Gezangs Farein or Freedom Singing Society, the choir was formed in 1925 by immigrant factory workers who wanted to introduce Yiddish music to Canada.

They became quickly known for their repertoire as they sing in a four-part harmony.

Under Gartner’s direction he expanded the choir into a 100-member strong group, with the choir presenting concerts at such high profile venues as Massey Hall.

“He was the soul of the choir,” says the choir’s current conductor Alexander Veprinsky says. “Gartner brought us a lot of pieces, which we still perform today.”

Gartner doesn’t remember her parents’ role in the choir, as she was an infant when they were active in the organization. Instead she relies on past members’ stories about her parents’ contribution to it.

“It’s really quite phenomenal,” she says. “My father was close to contemporary composers. He created a well-rounded program.

“The choir was like a family to them.”

Veprinsky agrees.

The Ukrainian-born artist has been with the folk choir for eight years.

Veprinsky has helped shape the historically rich, 30-member-strong choir into one of Canada’s prominent community choirs.

He often arranges new pieces for the choir, believing in the value of bringing new life to the group.

While the choir sings mainly Yiddish folk repertoire, it also presents songs in Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish, Italian, English, Russian and
French.

“I am proud to work with the Jewish folk choir,” Veprinsky says.

“It’s very important to continue Yiddish traditions and to develop new direction to compose new songs, new arrangements and new challenges.”

Veprinsky says his main challenge with the choir is attracting both a younger audience and younger members to it.

“The Yiddish language isn’t so important for some people nowadays,” he says. “I think it is very important to keep the tradition alive and show people that there are so many beautiful songs in Yiddish.”

Gartner couldn’t agree more.

“They are carrying on a certain tradition for sure,” she says. “It’s really good to keep it alive … For the older generation, it’s their language.”

It’s a hard challenge to adopt says Veprinsky as the choral community in the GTA isn’t as popular as it once was when the Jewish choir began in 1925.

In hopes of keeping that wealth of tradition alive, Veprinsky and the choir of dedicated singers are always looking for new compositions and songs to sing.

Their upcoming concert at downtown Walter Hall in the Edward Johnson building at the University of Toronto on May 30 will prove just that.

The concert features classics Gartner brought to the choir, including Miriam’s Song of Triumph by Schubert and Verdi’s Va Pensiero from the Italian composer’s Nabucco.

It honours the memory of Gartner and his legacy with it.

Gartner is participating performing some of her dad’s music.

Gartner hopes the upcoming concert helps to continue the choir’s rich history.

“Besides being a great piece it was always a dream of mine to play his music,” Gartner says.

“It’s important to keep his memory alive,” the cellist continues.

“As time goes on his anniversary becomes more and more special. He was a tremendously talented man.”