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 Stephanie Martin was appointed Assistant
Professor in the Department of Music, Faculty of Fine Arts at York University, Toronto, in July 2004. She teaches
harpsichord and organ, as well as courses in music history. Her office is
#356 Accolade East Building,
 phone 416-736-2100,
ext.70193; email stmartin@yorku.ca.
In January
2007 Stephanie was appointed Director of Music at the Church
of Saint Mary Magdalene www.stmarymagdalene.ca an historic
Anglican church in downtown Toronto.
She oversees a music programme which includes
Gregorian Chant, the accomplished Gallery Choir, the SMM singers, Schola Magdalena, a resident brass ensemble and consort
of viols. On February 16th
2008, SMM will hosted a “Willan
Weekend” honouring the 40th
anniversary of the death of “the Dean of Canadian composers”.
 The Gallery Choir of the Church of Saint Mary
Magdalene competed in the CBC Radio National
Competition for Amateur Choirs. In a live-to-air broadcast on April 30th,
2008, the choir won first prize in the Church Choir category. This allowed them to travel to Laval in May to participate in the Mondial
Choral Gala concert with top choirs from across Canada. One of the highlights of
the weekend’s festivities was an invitation from CBC host Gregory
Charles to sing Mass at St. Rose Church.
SMM Gallery
Choir at the Mondial Choral Gala Concert, May 18th,
2008
PHOTO Courtesy of www.doublelightproductions.com
 Stephanie also
conducts Toronto’s
Pax Christi Chorale, an 85-voice
oratorio choir who perform masterworks with full orchestra and professional
soloists. Past performances include Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem,
Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, Handel’s Israel in Egypt & Messiah, Poulenc’s Gloria, Mendelssohn’s Saint Paul & Elijah, Britten’s Saint
Nicolas & Ceremony of Carols,
Finzi’s In
Terra Pax, as well as several new Canadian
works. In 2005 the choir commissioned a new Mass from veteran Canadian composer
Derek Holman. The choir has been broadcast on CBC radio, and has recorded two
CDs, the newest entitled Seasons of the
Spirit. In 2006-07 the choir celebrates its 20th
anniversary. www.paxchristichorale.org
PAX CHRISTI CHORALE 2005
Stephanie
also directs Schola Magdalena, a
group of five women from the Church
of St. Mary Magdalene
who are dedicated to performing the music of the medieval liturgical
tradition – from Gregorian chant to Hildegard of Bingen
to the polyphonic masterpieces of Dufay.
 The
five talented singers made their concert debut at the Church
of St. Theresa in Ottawa
in July 2007 as part of the colloquium of the Gregorian Institute of Canada.
Their performance garnered a standing ovation. The audience was captivated by
the ethereal and sublime unison singing as well as the striking harmonies of
the medieval tradition.
Recent engagements of Schola Magdalena include Nuit Blanche 2007 at St.
Thomas’s Anglican Church, a recital at the Laurier
University Chapel, Waterloo, in October 2007
and a performance at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene’s annual Festival of Chant
in November 2007 and a concert at Toronto’s
Nuit Blanche2008 at St. Thomas’ Church. Future
engagements include an evening concert at the Church of St. Mary
Magdalene January 17th, 2009, and
the 2009 Montreal Chant Symposium.
 Professor Martin was Director of Music at Calvin
Presbyterian Church in Toronto
for eleven years. The award-winning Calvin Choir undertook several concert tours including a Scottish
odyssey with moving performances in St. Giles’ Cathedral and isolated
Iona Abbey. The choir produced two CDs, the latest of which is Reformation and
Renaissance Psalms, Motets and Dances. In
2004 the choir was a semi-finalist in the CBC Radio Amateur Choir
Competition, and in 2000 Calvin Choir was awarded second prize.
 Stephanie was
harpsichordist of Arbor Oak Trio
for 15 years, spearheading rare performances of early English operas such as Love in a Village, The Beggar’s Opera, Cupid and Death, and Dido and Aeneas. Arbor Oak was Ensemble
in Residence at Massey
College, U of T for
several years. On the NAXOS label she performs on several CDs including a
disc of modern harpsichord and guitar duets by Ponce, and with Aradia
baroque ensemble. Currently she performs with Recordare ensemble, a
renaissance wind trio currently touring Universities. She is a frequent guest
continuo player with I FURIOSI baroque
ensemble and performs on their new CD. With Toronto Consort and conductor David Fallis,
she performs on the popular Christmas recording with Marquis records,
reconstructing a Vesper service in the time of Praetorius.
Current plans include a recording of the harpsichord music of Dietrich
Buxtehude on the York
record label.
 With her husband, Bruce
Kirkpatrick Hill, she has performed duet programmes
on organ and harpsichord. Performance and study has taken them to Paris, Amsterdam,
Gibraltar and London, as well as local Toronto recital series.
Stephanie’s
academic degrees include a Bachelor of Music from Wilfrid Laurier
University, a Masters of Musicology
from the University of Toronto, and she is an Associate of the Royal Canadian College
of Organists.
Winner of the
Lillian Forsythe Award for Church Music and Leslie Bell Choral Conducting
Prize, Stephanie has continued her musical studies in Paris,
London, Venice
and the USA.
She has toured Eastern Europe and China as assistant conductor to Howard Dyck with Consort Caritatis.
Ms. Martin is also a published composer and arranger. She is a fan of theatre
and visual art, and dabbles in Celtic harp, baseball, chess, yoga and
Scottish Country Dancing.
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