From Toronto to Victoria - A week to remember

This spring, the Victoria Children’s Choir was delighted to participate in an unforgettable Experiences Canada Exchange with the Toronto Bach Children’s Chorus. After months of Zoom meetings, planning sessions, and homestay introductions, the long-awaited week finally arrived as our Toronto friends travelled west to Vancouver Island for a week filled with music, friendship, and shared adventures.

Following a long day of travel across the country, the choristers from Toronto were warmly welcomed in Fairfield by Victoria Children’s Choir families with a spread of homemade treats before heading downtown for a tour of the BC Legislature. There, they learned more about British Columbia’s history and government and even enjoyed a performance by the Parliamentary Players before meeting their homestay families for the week.

The exchange gave our guests the opportunity to experience many of the landscapes and traditions that make Vancouver Island so special. At Goldstream Provincial Park, choristers explored giant trees and sparkling shoreline trails, with many spotting their very first bald eagle. The group then travelled up to the Malahat SkyWalk, where sweeping views, learning about the Malahat Nation, and a stop for soft serve made for a memorable afternoon. After lunch at Frankie’s Modern Diner, the singers spent time at the Royal BC Museum discovering more about the natural and human history of British Columbia.

Another highlight of the week was an incredible whale watching excursion on the Salish Sea. Although the weather was unusually chilly for spring, the excitement was impossible to dampen as the group journeyed through the inlets near the San Juan Islands. Along the way, choristers spotted minke whales, orcas, and even a humpback whale. Later that evening, the two choirs came together for a joint rehearsal and welcomed a special visit from the Experiences Canada administrative team.

Music was at the heart of the exchange throughout the week. The choristers rehearsed together at the University of Victoria’s Phillip T. Young Recital Hall in preparation for PODIUM, Canada’s national choral conference, before performing together on the sunny steps of the BC Legislature as part of the OneWorld Multicultural Festival. The afternoon included enjoying cultural performances, sampling foods from a variety of vendors, strolling through the festival stalls, and even fitting in a Gorge boat tour before another joint rehearsal beneath the stained glass windows of St. John the Divine Anglican Church. The day concluded with a celebratory dinner together at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

The following day brought exciting opportunities at PODIUM itself. Choristers participated as the lab choir for emerging conductors during Patricia Abbott’s Choral Conducting Masterclass at the University of Victoria before presenting two full-house performances at Phillip T. Young Recital Hall alongside Konektis from Manitoba and Wascana Voices from Saskatoon. To end the day, singers attended a performance by the award-winning Vancouver Youth Choir and Luminous Voices from Alberta, closing an inspiring day of music-making.

The visit also created countless moments for friendship and connection beyond the concert stage. On a sunny Monday morning with a record low tide, the choirs gathered for a beach picnic at Esquimalt Lagoon Sanctuary, where choristers played soccer and volleyball, explored tide pools, spotted ospreys, and, for many Toronto singers, dipped a toe into the Pacific Ocean for the very first time. The afternoon continued with an adventure at WildPlay, where choristers climbed through treetop courses, crossed log bridges, zipped through the forest canopy, and even sang “Grow Little Tree” among the trees.

Earlier in the season, Victoria Children’s Choir choristers also had the opportunity to travel to Toronto, where they were warmly welcomed by the Toronto Bach Children’s Chorus and experienced the city’s musical and cultural life firsthand. Hosting our Toronto friends in Victoria later in the year made the exchange especially meaningful, allowing both choirs to experience each other’s communities while building lasting friendships through music.

As the week came to a close, goodbyes arrived far too quickly. Choristers exchanged hugs, phone numbers, and congratulations on music well sung, reflecting on a week filled with new friendships, shared experiences, and unforgettable memories.

The Victoria Children’s Choir is deeply grateful to Experiences Canada, the Toronto Bach Children’s Chorus, our staff and volunteers, and especially our generous host families for making this exchange possible. We look forward to many more musical memories and future collaborations to come.