In this episode I speak with the joyful and effervescent Dr. Elaine Choi about collaborative music making and its healing powers during times of crisis.

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ABOUT YOUR HOST

ADI BRAUN is a singer/songwriter with a long list of cabaret, concert and theatre successes to her credit.  She has performed in major jazz and concert venues in Canada, the United States, and Europe.  In the fall of 2023 Adi released her sixth critically-acclaimed CD, “Night and Day – The Cole Porter Songbook”, which which had its premiere with full orchestra at the Rose Theatre, Brampton in February, 2025.  Her other recordings include “Moderne Frau (Modern Woman)”, a tribute to the music of Weimar Berlin; “Canadian Scenes I”, featuring some of her own compositions; “Live at the Metropolitan Room” from New York City; “The Rules of the Game”, and “Delishious”. 

 After beginning her career in classical music, Adi started “singing sideways” in the late ‘90s and returned to her first love, which she calls “cabarazz”, drawing on aspects from both cabaret and jazz.  Adi has received andbeen nominated for numerous awards, including “Best Major Jazz Vocalist of the Year” by New York’s Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, and two Juno album short-lists.  Her repertoire ranges from the Great American songbook, to European cabaret, to contemporary songs by Canadian legend’s Shirley Eikhard and Gordon Lightfoot, among others.   

In addition to performing, Adi is a sought-after German Diction and Lieder coach, has co-hosted “Classical Mornings” on the New Classical FM, and frequently speaks on topics related to Weimar Cabaret.

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DR. ELAINE CHOI BIOGRAPHY

Elaine Choi (D.M.A.) immerses herself in Canada’s vibrant choral community as a conductor, educator, adjudicator, chorister and collaborative pianist. Elaine currently holds positions as Director of Music at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church, Artistic Director of Pax Christi Chorale and founder & artistic director of Babεl. 

As a music educator, Elaine was a sessional lecturer at the University of Toronto from 2015-2023, as conductor of the Soprano-Alto Chorus. Currently, Elaine is active as an adjudicator and a clinician for various community events, such as the 2023 Junior Treble Festival, TCDSB Music Festival, Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival, and OMFA Provincial Festival. In 2022, Elaine traveled to Thailand as the headline guest conductor for the Bangkok International Choral Festival. In 2023/24, Elaine is the guest conductor for the Windsor Choral Festival, a clinician for ChorFest 2024 in Saskatchewan, adjudicator for the Ontario Vocal Festival, and conductor of the 2024 Ontario Youth Choir. 

Elaine is an advocate for Chinese orchestral and choral music. She was the conductor of the Toronto Chinese Orchestra from 2010-2017, and currently continues her connection as Guest Conductor and Educational Outreach Representative. In 2018, Elaine founded Babεl, an SATB choral ensemble with a mission to bridge cultures through choral music. The ensemble worked with more than 200 musicians in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau in its inaugural tour in 2019 and was featured in the Canadian Opera Company showcase series in 2023.

Elaine holds the degrees of Doctor in Musical Arts and Master in Music Performance (Choral Conducting) from the University of Toronto, under the tutelage of Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt and Dr. Doreen Rao. In December, 2023, Elaine was awarded the Ontario Arts Council’s Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting.

Photo: Fable Studio

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MUSIC FOR THIS EPISODE:

AMBE (Chronos Vocal Ensemble / Jordan Van Biert, conductor)

Composer: Andrew Balfour / www.instagram.com/andrewbalfour_

PIXABAY Royalty Free Music

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Featured Music:

WHOSE ROOSTER – WHOSE, WHOSE?

Composer: Frankie Ho / Babεl Chorus: Elaine Choi (conductor)

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ADI'S PLAYLIST:

LUX AURUMQUE

Composer: Eric Whitacre / Eric Whitacre Singers

LUX AETERNA

Composer: Morten Lauridsen / Voces8

ALLELUIA

Composer: Stephanie Martin / Schola Magdalena