St. Michael's Choir School Alumni Association

02/02/2024

Since 1937, St. Michael’s Choir School (SMCS) has nurtured creativity, academic achievement and musical excellence in a unique faith-based environment. Locat...

01/17/2024

A note from Jim Codrington

Dear Alumnus,

Sadly, Robert De Cicco (Class of '82) passed away Sunday evening after a year-and-a-half battle with brain cancer.

Rob and I started the Choir School in Grade 5 and were inseparable through to Grade 8 when his family moved north of the city and he attended a different school. He returned to the Choir School for Grade 10 but then finished high school in his new neighborhood.

Rob (or at least Rob's voice) became a fixture over the Toronto airwaves when he transitioned from being an On-Air DJ in smaller Ontario markets to becoming the traffic reporter Guy Valentine -or "Guy in the Sky" as he was affectionately known- to (primarily) CFRB listeners for decades.

In later years, Rob returned enthusiastically to the SMCS Alumni fold singing (and even dancing!) with the Alumni at Massey Hall, DJing the 2020 Valentine's Day "Extrava-Bands-A!", and participating in Bob's Alumni Golf Classic among other activities.

His family has requested that the Alumni sing at his funeral which will be on:

Funeral:
Friday, January 19th
9:30am (choir rehearsal @ 8:30am)
St. Peter's Church, 100 Bainbridge Ave, Woodbridge

Visitation:
Thurs. January 18, 2-4pm & 6-9pm
Bernardo Funeral Home(Albion Chapel) 855 Albion Rd. Etobicoke

Please contact me as soon as possible at [email protected] if you are able to join the choir so that the music can be prepared.

Keep well and God Bless, gentlemen.

Jim Codrington('82)

05/25/2023

Great day today for the Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament ! Thank you to all of our sponsors, those that came to golf , and to the Golf Committee for organizing a fantastic day!

07/28/2021

Massimo, a grade 11 student shared his perspective on what the return to school, and singing meant to him with Toronto Life Magazine and alumnus Luc Rinaldi. Massimo’s story can be found here: https://torontolife.com/city/it-was-such-a-thrill-to-hear-our-voices-echo-through-the-cathedral-again-this-16-year-old-reunited-with-his-choir-after-a-year-apart/

05/21/2021

Manuel Giovanni Piazza is a graduate student at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music in New Haven, Connecticut where he studies with Martin Jean and serves as...

04/30/2021

Calling all SMCS Alumni, our LinkedIn Page has changed, you can now indicate that you are an SMCS Alumni!
https://www.linkedin.com/school/st.-michael's-choir-school/

St. Michael's Choir School | 63 followers on LinkedIn. Founded in 1937,St. Michael's Choir School is a gr 3-12 all boys catholic school located in the heart of Toronto. | Since 1937, St. Michael’s Choir School has served the Archdiocese of Toronto by educating and training the boys’ choirs that ...

04/11/2021

Dear SMCS Alumni Association Members,

Please see the Missing Persons information below for Alumnus Karol Jankowski (Class of 2000). At the request of his brother Stan (Class of 2003), anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-416-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com

Our thoughts and prayers for Karol's safe return are with the Jankowski family at this time.

Sincerely,

The SMCS Alumni Association

03/29/2021

Please join us for the Alumni Association’s Tenebrae Service and Responsories which will be available for viewing tonight at 7PM on the St. Michael's Choir School YouTube Channel.

Under the artistic production of Joshua Tamayo (SMCS Class of 2003), the video highlights the musical recording of the Choir School from 1985 as conducted by Harry Hodson (SMCS Class of 1960) and feature a host of talented individuals, most notably an introduction by Jim Codrington (SMCS Class of 1982) and Douglas Tranquada (SMCS Class of 1974) singing the Lamentations. His Eminence Cardinal Thomas Collins will read the ninth and final reading for the Service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1liyOR68W4Y

ST. MICHAEL’S CHOIR SCHOOLIn Association With TheARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO PresentsA ST. MICHAEL’S CHOIR SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION ProductionThe ancient office ...

03/03/2021

Here's another story - this one in the Star today - about how the school has adapted in COVID times!

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2021/03/02/when-the-shower-curtain-rises-how-st-michaels-choir-school-keeps-kids-singing-and-safe-amid-covid-19.html

From homemade “singing pods” to specialty singers’ masks, St. Michael’s Choir School gets creative in keeping its musical education program going duri...

03/03/2021

Hey, check out the latest recruitment video from the Choir School featuring some fellow alum - Jim Codrington, Matt Dusk, James McKie. And, of course, news about the rebuild at 66 Bond about to get underway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GXt3G0AX0c&feature=youtu.be

12/14/2020

Check out the latest from alumnus Chris Rolko: A Musical Concert of Christmas Joy. This is a Christmas concert with Chris playing piano at the Richmond Hill Presbyterian Church. Enjoy!

Holiday SpecialChristopher Rolko, ARCT Pianist / Guitarist / [email protected]

11/26/2020

The Alumni Association's Thou Royal Knight Project is coming together!

Last evening, Josh Tamayo, 2003, (not pictured - sorry Josh!) met in the Cathedral Basilica with the appropriately distanced Doug Tranquada, 1974, David Simon, 2011, and Robert Pomakov, 1999, to record the third verse of Monsignor Ronan's Thou Royal Knight from Courts on High. Josh has put together an amazing and beautiful arrangement and, in this version, Doug and Robert will be singing a duet for the third verse with David on the Cathedral Basilica's Casavant Organ. Watch for updates on this project and start practicing your parts!

Thanks to Pina Povolo, too, for her help yesterday and for her ongoing work with the alumni community!

10/09/2020

This year, we find ourselves in a very different time; one that has severely impacted choral performances specifically and the Arts in general. This however, should not stymie our creativity and our shared historic connection with the love of singing. The SMCS Alumni Association and I invite your participation in a virtual project celebrating our history together through a performance of Msgr. J. Ronan’s “Thou Royal Knight From Courts On High”.

Recently I have experienced the joy that can come from a virtual project when I assembled a performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". https://m.youtube.com/watch?ab_channel=JoshTamayo&v=XIDim9aYWds

While nothing can replace the communal experience of SMCS Alumni choral singing, I believe that this project will be something that all participants will enjoy and be proud of.

Please consider supporting our efforts to honour our school’s founder and to keep Alumni connected through these very difficult times. After you sign up here

https://smcs.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f185450f08226b3aa94b0dc8d&id=946135884f&e=505d349a26

I will contact you and personally guide you through the steps of making this project a reality.



Sincerely,

Josh Tamayo, Class of 2003

Thank you for expressing interest in the virtual Choir Project. Please fill out the form below so that we can contact you with more details.

07/16/2020

Creativity During Covid - an ongoing series!

Hey fellow Alum,

Check out this video from alumnus Chris Rolko, class of '82, in this video produced by the Town of Aurora on how their community is coping in these COVID times through the healing power of music.

Well done, Chris!

https://youtu.be/-_LdUufQOfA

If there is a project or performance that you would be willing to share with other Alumni, please let us know by connecting with us.

06/12/2020

Less than an hour to go until St. Michael’s Choir School Virtual Concert! Tune in at 7 pm!

St. Michael's Choir School Virtual Performance

05/27/2020

Congratulations to alumnus Konrad, Class of '17 as he is recognized by the Society for Chemistry and Industry as one of Canada's merit award recipients in Biochemistry/Chemistry/Chemical Engineering for 2020.

https://www.soci.org/

05/21/2020

Here is a lovely piece from Alumnus Martin Gomes, Class of 2015.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhI7cv3IwmQ&fbclid=IwAR362A3eogaaNZUK_VzOc77YzE-DxJCjCw2R996NXioxtbbELCvix9jouns

Thank you for watching! We are raising funds for The Toronto Arts Foundation and Black Lives Matter for COVID-19 Relief with the help of local Toronto artist...