Rutter, as well as compositions by Canadian composers such as George Fox and Healey Willan. In 1990, Maura McGroarty, a classically trained singer and choral specialist, became the Toronto Choral Society's director. Her vocal expertise helped the choir's singers, most of whom have little formal musical training, to learn important technical elements of choral singing. Under Ms. McGroarty, the choir performed works by Handel, Bach, Rutter, and Healey Willan, and explored Canadian and American folk songs as well as other light, popular works. In 1994, leadership of the Toronto Choral Society was assumed by Geoffrey Butler. Under his guidance, TCS has expanded in new directions, performing a variety of sacred, secular, and popular vocal compositions from around the world. In 1996, TCS celebrated its sesquicentennial with a concert that returned the choir to its roots. The program revisited 1845 and two important social movements of the time: Irish immigration to the New World, and the escape of American slaves to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Combining traditional Irish music and African American spirituals with historical readings, this was one of the most popular in the choir's history and was repeated, by popular demand, in 2001. Other notable performances have included Ramirez's Navidad Nuestr, Vivaldi's Gloria, Britten's Ceremony of Carols (with harp and children's chorus), Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's Choral Fantasy in C Minor, performed with the Oakville Symphony Orchestra at Oakville's annual Waterfront Festival, and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. In 2004, the choir reprised Handel's Messiah. References External links Canadian choirs Musical groups from Toronto Musical groups established in 1845 1845 establishments in Canada