Music and Arts

We wish to be a vigorous part of an artistic presence in the heart of the city.

Music at Holy Trinity, especially singing, is appreciated for its power to move people and express the divine: we see this as a nourishing and liberating gift and believe everyone’s voice deserves to be heard. We are blessed with gifted musicians — professional and amateur — who regularly offer their musical skills as part of our community’s life.

The church welcomes artists from all disciplines to use our space. We count textile artists, poets, and dancers among our members. In addition, fine examples of carving, stained glass, and painting from 1847 to the present can be seen in the walls, doors, and windows of the church itself.

Music Mondays

This weekly, summer noon-hour concert series features a diverse range of musical genres and offers a musical respite to all people regardless of economic situation.

Go to the Music Mondays web site.

The Christmas Story

This dramatization of the nativity story has been performed every December since 1937. During the pandemic a film version was made that can be seen seasonally online. The live production resumed in 2023.

Go to The Christmas Story web page.

Echo Women’s Choir

ECHO is a non-auditioned, community women’s choir that is open to any woman who can make the commitment to come to rehearsals.

Go to the Echo Women’s Choir web site.

Textile Art

Holy Trinity has a collection of beautiful fabric art used in liturgy as decoration for the altar. Many of the pieces have been made by Fran Sowton, an artist and member of the community.

Occasional art exhibits

Exhibits displayed in the nave and café have included: paintings by participants in the Centre for Creative Opportunity; painting photography, banners by parishioners and local artists; “Passionate Holiness” an exhibit of contemporary icons sponsored by the Toronto School of Theology’s Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Student Alliance; Coronas Magnas Reginae Caeli by Jacqueline Teloar; and Treaty Canoe by Alex McKay

Stained Glass

Holy Trinity has a varied collection of stained glass from magnificent original pieces to vintage patterned glass from the 19th century. The windows shown at right are the most recent, designed in 1979 by artist Stephen Bélanger-Taylor and installed in the early 1980s by the artist and his assistant Pattie Walker with custom glass by life partner and glass artist Denise Bélanger-Taylor.

More about Holy Trinity windows can be read in this catalogue at York University.

Acoustics and instruments

Holy Trinity boasts a magnificent acoustical space and three fine concert instruments (piano and organ) which have attracted many professional and community music groups to use our space. To mark our 160th anniversary, the congregation published a hymnbook: “Sing a New Song: 46 Community Hymns” written by members of the congregation. We also published a new psalter by community member Ian Sowton who reworked the psalms into modern idiom.

The church’s pipe organ is a magnificent three-manual German-style Casavant tracker instrument built in 1970 for Deer Park United Church. More information about this organ can be found at the Casavant website.

We recently acquired a very lightly used 10-year-old Steinway “B” from a private donor, with the generous assistance of Steinway Piano Gallery. Now, we have a truly performance capable instrument, and at a fraction of the cost! It has a beautiful sound, and custom East Indian Rosewood Case. The piano is considered the perfect size for all but concerto use, and is ideal for concerts at the church. The Steinway is available by special arrangement, but we have a very credible refurbished century-old Bechstein for general use.

Because the church does not use fixed pews, the performance as well as seating space can be configured for a wide variety of needs and numbers of people.