The Hart House Singers is a non-auditioned choir at the University of Toronto that provides an opportunity for first-time and experienced singers to share in the joy of choral singing, to learn the art of song, to have fun, and to sing culturally and historically diverse repertoire.
The Hart House Singers is a non-auditioned choir at the University of Toronto that provides an opportunity for first-time and experienced singers to share in the joy of choral singing, to learn the art of song, and to sing historically and culturally diverse repertoire. Typically, the choir performs music from around the world in its summer or fall terms, and one of the great choral works in the winter term. The Hart House Singers has performed at Toronto’s “Nuit blanche,” and in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Holst’s The Planets with the Hart House Orchestra. In the past few seasons, we have performed such famous choral works as Bruckner’s Mass in E minor, Dvorak’s Mass in D and Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Mass in Time of War, and Beethoven's Mass in C with orchestras made of students and recent graduates from the Faculty of Music and the Royal Conservatory of Music, and local professionals.
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DAVID ARNOT-JOHNSTON has directed many vocal and instrumental groups, including at Canada's National Ballet School and Tafelmusik's Baroque Summer Institute at the University of Toronto. He completed the graduate program in early music at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, The Netherlands, and holds a Masters degree in music history and performance from the University of Toronto.
As a tenor soloist, David has performed with several early and contemporary ensembles, including Tafelmusik, the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, Opera Atelier, Dancemakers, Utrecht Barok Consort, La Capriola of Amsterdam, Utrecht Bach Society, Ottawa Choral Society, and The Toronto Consort. He has sung as a soloist under Sigiswald Kuijken, Andrew Parrott, William Christie, and with Emma Kirkby in works by Mozart, Handel, Bach, Lully, and Monteverdi.
David has recorded as a soloist and ensemble performer on the Naxos, CBC, Marquis, RCA/BMG, and Analekta labels with the Aradia Ensemble, Tafelmusik Orchestra, Toronto Consort, Canadian Brass, and the Theatre of Early Music. A dedicated instructor of music, David directed the music education program at the National Ballet School for ten years. He has been conductor of the Hart House Singers since 2003.
CONRAD GOLD, holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, and a Master of Music from McGill University. He undertook additional keyboard performance studies in Italy. Mr. Gold also serves as the accompanist for the Brampton Festival Singers, and has collaborated with the Tallis Choir and the Cantabile Chamber Singers of Toronto, and the Laudate Dominum Choir of Chatham. Currently living in Toronto, Mr. Gold plays organ regularly at Lorne Park Baptist Church in Mississauga, St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto, and several other Toronto area churches. His other musical activities include playing organ recitals and teaching piano.
Summer Term: Theme for the Summer concert is Songs My Father Taught Me. (Last summer, we performed "Songs My Mother Taught Me", which was very well received.)
Members are encouraged to give suggestions to the conductor, who will look for or make an arrangement of your suggestions, if possible.
Songs or instrumental pieces can be music your father or grandfather loved, in any language. (We can bend the rules and include mothers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles!)
If you play an instrument well, please tell the conductor.
Please email your suggestions, if you have any, to the conductor at hhsingers@gmail.com.
Here are some suggestions and pieces that have already been sent to the conductor (or which the conductor has chosen): NOTE: We "test" the pieces during the first few rehearsals, and choose which we like best. Several more pieces will be added soon.
Update for Hart House Singers, as of April 22, 2026:
Hello Hart House Singers and those who may like to join us for the
2026 Summer term!
Here are some details:
Summer Term: Repertoire is still being organized and will be posted soon. The theme of the concert is "Songs My Father Taught Me." (Last summer, we performed "Songs My Mother Taught Me", which was very well received.)
Members are encouraged to give suggestions to the conductor, who will look for or make an arrangement of your suggestions, if possible.
Songs or instrumental pieces can be music your father or grandfather loved, in any language. (We can bend the rules and include mothers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles!)
If you play an instrument well, please tell the conductor.
Please email your suggestions, if you have any, to the conductor at hhsingers@gmail.com.
Here are some suggestions and pieces that have already been sent to the conductor (or which the conductor has chosen): NOTE: We "test" the pieces during the first few rehearsals, and choose which we like best. Several more pieces will be added soon.
Audio / rehearsal files of most of the songs will be posted so that you can learn the music at home. Using these tracks is optional, but many find them to be very helpful.
You may pay fees either at the Hart House Hub (front desk) or on-line (though this works best if you have a UofT student number) on the Hart House website at https://www.harthouseregistration.ca/Program/GetProgramDetails?courseId=8c4dc827-8c2b-452d-ab15-67566309255f&semesterId=26efa3ac-9ef0-4b52-a391-66c619d739c1 and follow the link for Hart House Club - Singers. The first two rehearsals of the term are open and no payment of fee is required to attend. If you have problems with the recreation site contact Hart House Hub.
Anyone who wishes to join the Hart House Singers now has both an ANNUAL and a TERM payment option. The annual option represents the least overall cost. The term options allow participants to have flexibility and to manage their registration costs differently if they wish. We are in the process of determining summer fees, but they will be lower than the term fees.
The fee structure for the Hart House Singers is as follows:
| Student/Member* | Non-Member | Under 29 & Over 65 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACADEMIC YEAR REGISTRATION FEE** | $15 | $240 | $180 |
| FALL REGISTRATION FEE | $10 | $130 | $100 |
| WINTER REGISTRATION FEE | $10 | $130 | $100 |
| SPRING/SUMMER REGISTRATION FEE*** | $5 | $60 | $45 |
*“Student” means any University of Toronto student who has paid ancillary
fees as part of their academic program; "member” refers to those who also have a
full Hart House fitness centre membership.
**Academic Year is the period from September 1 through April 30.
*** SPRING/Summer sessions are not included in the Academic Year registration fee and must be purchased separately. Note that students who are only registered for the regular academic year (Sept.-May) are not members during most of the summer. In 2026 regular academic year students will not be able to purchase Summer Singer fees at the lower rate ($5) after May 21st, 2026.
