Cantores Fabularum Christmas Concert and CD Launch 2009

On December 6th, 1989, Marc Lépine killed fourteen women students at Montreal’s École Polytechnique. On the massacre’s twentieth anniversary, Cantores Fabularum, an inspired community choir, will dedicate its sixth annual Christmas concert and its forthcoming second CD to the memory of the massacred women. All proceeds will go to assist Toronto-area women fleeing abuse.

Cantores Fabularum (CanFab) is a choir with a unique history and mission. CanFab has been singing and raising funds for YWCA Toronto’s 1st Stop Woodlawn shelter for almost 15 years. The choir was founded in the mid 1990s, when a group of musically gifted Oakwood Collegiate students decided to use their talents to help their community. The students learned some Christmas carols, bundled themselves up and headed down to the corner of Clinton and College. They put out a hat for donations and started singing.

More than a decade later, CanFab moved inside and began performing at the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene. CanFab produced their first CD, From Pennies in a Cup, in 2006 with the support of YWCA Toronto. CanFab continues to perform a popular Christmas concert, contributes to Nuit Blanche, and collaborates on other projects year-round. Despite the choir’s professional sound, the choristers (including many professional vocalists) sing for free—for the love of the music and for the joy of helping others. To date, the choir has proudly raised almost $30,000 for the YWCA shelter.

This year, CanFab has produced a second CD, Keeping Vigil ‘Til the Morning, which will be launched at the Christmas concert on December 6, at The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene (477 Manning Ave.). All concert and CD proceeds will go to YWCA Toronto’s December 6 Fund.

The December 6 Fund offers interest-free loans to women leaving violent homes. The Fund supports women in the GTA and the Region of Peel. The YWCA December 6 Fund strives to remove some of the financial barriers that prevent women from leaving their abusers. Women use the loans to establish themselves and their children in greater safety. The purpose of the Fund is to help women make the transition from abusive situations to safety and self-reliance and to raise awareness about violence against women. For more information on the December 6 Fund, visit www.dec6fund.ca.

The new CD is dedicated to the memory of the fourteen women students killed in the Montreal Massacre on December 6th, 1989.

Concert Details:

Keeping Vigil Till the Morning: A choral Christmas concert and CD launch mark twenty years since the Montreal Massacre

Date: Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 7pm

Venue: The Church of St. Mary Magdalene, 477 Manning St.
(Manning & Ulster, S. of Harbord St., W. of Bathurst St., N. of College St.)

Tickets: Tickets are available at the door. $7, $10, $15