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.
Hart House did a profile of David in July 2026 where David reflects on his years with the Singers.
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.
Fall Term: Concert Title: LUX (Light)
Guests: Sylvia Zhu (guzheng) and the Almerrin String Quartet
More pieces may be added.
Practice files for some of the pieces are available on our Google drive folder.
Repertoire for Winter Term:
The Royal Canadian Navy Bands HMCS York and HMCS Star reached out to the Hart House Singers and requested we perform with them Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace. More details for Winter Term below.
Update for Hart House Singers, as of August 3rd, 2026:
Hello Hart House Singers and those who may like to join us for the
2026 Fall term!
Here are some details:
Fall Term: Concert Title: LUX (Light)
Guests: Sylvia Zhu (guzheng) and the Almerrin String Quartet
More pieces may be added.
Repertoire for Winter Term:
The Royal Canadian Navy Bands HMCS York and HMCS Star reached out to the Hart House Singers and requested we perform with them Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace.
Here is information about this piece:
NOTE: The Royal Canadian Navy Bands (who will accompany us) are convinced they can fill the Hart House Great Hall on two nights, so our performance week will look like this:
Here are some excerpts:
Audio / rehearsal files 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. Some of the pieces are now available on our Google drive folder.
Registration: The first two rehearsals of each term are free. You must register and pay your membership fee by the third rehearsal if you choose to join. (You may also register before the first two rehearsals, but registration will be open starting only on Sept. 1, 2026.) The easiest way to register is to go to the main reception desk at Hart House (on the main level) or register online with this link: https://harthouse.ca/clubs/singers
NOTE: Registration (both in person and online) will be open on Sept. 1, 2026.
Membership Fees: The first two rehearsals of each term are "open (free) rehearsals." You may come, see if you like the music, but you must decide by the third rehearsal of each term (i.e. by Sept. 21 for the fall term; Jan. 18 for the winter term) if you'd like to join for the term and pay the membership fee. Anyone of university age or older may join the Hart House Singers. You may be a UofT student or you may be a non-student. Membership fee amounts for the 2026-2027 academic year are described below.
New this year: You may sign up / register for only one term at a time. That is to say: you may sign up/register in September for the fall term, and sign up/register in December-January for the winter term; there is not a full-year registration option anymore - only one term at a time. (We had many members who signed up for the whole year in September but attended only one of the terms, and this was difficult to consolidate in our registration system.)
The Spring/Summer session is confirmed by mid-April. If held rehearsal will typically be from the end of May to early July.
You may pay fees either at the Hart House Hub (front desk) or on-line on the Hart House website at https://harthouse.ca/clubs/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 to use a TERM payment option.
The fee structure for the Hart House Singers is as follows:
| Student/Member* | Non-Member | Under 29 & Over 65 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FALL TERM REGISTRATION FEE | $10 | $120 | $90 |
| WINTER TERM REGISTRATION FEE | $10 | $120 | $90 |
| SPRING/SUMMER TERM REGISTRATION FEE** | TBA | TBA | TBA |
*“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.
** Note that students who are only registered for the regular academic year (Sept.-May) are not members during most of the summer. For example, in 2026 regular academic year students will not be able to purchase Summer Singer fees at the lower rate ($5) after May 21st, 2026.
