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Press Release: THE HYMN SOCIETY HOLDS CONFERENCE IN MONTRÉAL

For immediate release
February 27, 2023

THE HYMN SOCIETY HOLDS CONFERENCE IN MONTRÉAL
The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada will hold its Annual Conference July 16-19,
2023, on the campus of McGill University in Montréal. This year’s theme, “Land, Language, and
Liberation,” offers an opportunity to explore how to celebrate, praise God, and live into the
church’s mission in light of the challenges we face in the world today. Both in-person and online
registrations are available.

The conference will include an abundance of opportunities for learning, connecting,
celebrating, singing, and more:

  • Four hymn festivals in all, led by Frédéricka Petit-Homme, Jonathan Maracle, Leslie Jordan, and a special guest with each festival including songs of various traditions and genres, including Gospel, First Nations, French Catholic, and Praise & Worship
  • Four plenary presentations by Kenny Wallace, Kuzipa Nalwamba, Lester Ruth, and a panel led by Anneli Loepp Thiessen and Becca Whitla
  • Six featured sessions, exploring various perspectives on the intersection of congregational song with culture, language, and more
  • More than thirty sectionals, including new music showcases and sessions on historical topics, pedagogy, theology, and song from Canada, the Black diaspora, and outside North America
  • A pre-conference organ recital by Isabelle Demers
  • A bookstore and silent auction
  • Times to eat, sing, and share conversation

Anyone who believes in the importance of congregational song is welcome to register for the
full conference. Advance registration rates are available through June 15. For more information
or to register, visit www.thehymnsociety.org.

 

This information is provided by J. Michael McMahon, Executive Director of The Hymn Society in the United States
and Canada, 5 Thomas Circle, NW, 4 th floor, Washington, DC 20005-4153. For more information, please contact Dr.
McMahon at mike@thehymnsociety.org or 800-843-8966.

Founded in 1922, The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada is an ecumenical organization of people who
are passionate about hymns and congregational song. The Hymn Society community, open to all, is made up of
scholars, church musicians, poets, composers, choir directors, choir members, clergy, worship planners, song
leaders, music publishers, music educators, and people who love to sing. We believe that the holy act of singing
together shapes faith, heals brokenness, transforms lives, and renews peace. Our mission, therefore, is to
encourage, promote, and enliven congregational song.

Invitation to Toronto

Join us to learn about our ground-breaking new resource The Center for Congregational Song! You will hear from some of Toronto’s top song leaders and hymnologists and sing together in a “Big Sing,” celebrating the diversity of the church’s song.

Registration

Registration is free, but required so that we can make sure that our venue has enough space to house everyone.

RSVP for this event using the form below:

 

Plenary Speaker

The Hymn Society, Director of Research, The Center for Congregational Song, Toronto

Dr. Lim Swee Hong is the Deer Park Associate Professor of Sacred Music at Emmanuel College, and the Director of the Master of Sacred Music Program. Before joining Emmanuel on July 1, 2012, Swee Hong served as an Assistant Professor of Church Music at Baylor University, Texas. Prior to his work at Baylor, he served as the Lecturer of Worship, Liturgy, and Music at Trinity Theological College in Singapore. He is also the Director of Research for the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Presenters

We are excited to have an all-star lineup of Toronto-based leaders!

Song Leader, Hymn Leader, Denise Gillard, Toronto

Rev. Denise Gillard is the founder and Executive Artistic Director of TC3 and The HopeWorks Connection, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to empower youth through the performing arts, academics and relieving poverty.

Jason Locke, Toronto, Composer, Organ, Organist, Church Music

Jason Locke is a church musician, choir director and composer, living in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto, Singing Together, Hussaein Janmohamed, Composer, Conductor

Hussein Janmohamed is a Toronto-based choral artist, composer and music facilitator/conductor passionate about excellence in the choral arts as a medium for cultural dialogue, building positive relations, and accessing the human spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conducting, Church Music, Lori Anne Dolloff, Singing

Lori-Anne Dolloff is Associate Professor of Music Education and the Area Head for Choral Music at the Faculty of Music in the University of Toronto. Her research in music education has also served to support music education in First Nations communities. Dolloff is also a composer/arranger with many choral pieces published with Boosey & Hawkes, and is frequently sought out as a guest conductor for choral festivals and workshops.

Church Music, Hilary Donaldson, Song Enlivener, World Music, Transforming Every Guest, Music That Makes Community, Toronto, United Church

Hilary Seraph Donaldson is a congregational song enlivener with a passion for strengthening community through shared song, global music, and paperless worship.

Church Music, Becca Whitla, Toronto, United Church, Congregational Singing

Becca Whitla works as a community music maker and organizer in Toronto and is the Director of Chapel at Emmanuel College.
For Becca, music is a critical, vibrant and healing part of any community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Event Co-Sponsors

We are grateful to our co-sponsors for this event, the Southern Ontario Chapter of The Hymn Society, or “SOCHS.” For more information on SOCHS, you can go to their website: http://sochs.org/

 

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