After 34 years of leadership, Jurgen Petrenko, founding conductor and Artistic Director of the Toronto Classical Singers, has announced his retirement. He launched the choir in 1991, and his final concert will take place on April 6.
Petrenko has worked as a teacher, musician, CBC radio host and producer, and more alongside his journey with the Toronto Classical Singers.
Musician, broadcaster, and administrator, Jurgen Petrenko’s influence has been felt throughout the classical music community.
Jurgen Petrenko is a native of Toronto. He earned both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Organ Performance from the University of Toronto, and pursued a career as an organist and freelance musician for about 15 years.
His next opportunity came when he joined the CBC, where he would work as a producer for another 18 years. While at the CBC, he produced many of their iconic classical music programs, including Choral Concert, Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, the Opera Quiz, Critic’s Choice, and Take Five. Jurgen also served as executive producer of Music and Company, and presented more than 400 weekly Organ Thursday features.
Petrenko has been involved with many institutions and ensembles throughout Southern Ontario over the decades. He has served as the general manager of the Elora Festival, and is the artistic director of the Centre Wellington Singers. He had conducted productions for Toronto Operetta Theatre. He was a regular harpsichordist with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, and is currently is the organist of St. John’s Anglican Church in Elora.
As an avid educator, he teaches oratorio to the graduate voice majors at the Glenn Gould
School at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is also a frequent adjudicator and organ accompanist.
His work can be heard on multiple recordings as an accompanist to the St. John’s Parish Choir and the Elora Festival Singers.
As founding conductor and Artistic Director of the Toronto Classical Singers, he has built their reputation as a choir with professional standards and diverse programming.
Jurgen’s final concert will be take place on April 6, when The Toronto Classical Singers, orchestra, and soloists will present two major works: Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Mozart’s Requiem.
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